Representativeness Heuristic
🧠 Psych - 215/300
Hello Reader,
Quick question. When did you learn something in psychology last time?
Let me know. For now, let’s learn about the “Representativeness heuristic”.
What is it?
The representativeness heuristic is a cognitive bias that involves making judgments based on how well a particular situation or person fits into our mental prototype or stereotype of that situation or person.
Essentially, we tend to assume that things that are similar to our mental prototype or stereotype are more likely to be true or accurate.
"I met a man who was very quiet, introverted, and liked reading books. He must be a librarian."
In this example, the person is making a judgment based on their mental prototype or stereotype of what a librarian looks like, rather than considering other possible occupations that might fit the description of a quiet, introverted person who likes to read books.
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What do I need to know?
Two takeaways from the representativeness heuristic are:
It can lead to stereotyping and overgeneralization: We may assume that people or situations fit into certain categories without fully considering all the available evidence. This can lead to stereotyping and overgeneralization, and can prevent us from seeing individuals or situations as unique and complex.
It can lead to errors in judgment: By relying too heavily on mental prototypes or stereotypes, we may make errors in judgment and miss important information or nuances that are relevant to a particular situation. To avoid this bias, it's important to gather as much information as possible, avoid making snap judgments, and be open to alternative explanations and perspectives.