Which of the following heuristics assumes that “like goes with like”?
a.the availability heuristic
b. overconfidence and the bias associated with it
c.the representativeness heuristic
d. the self-serving bias
The correct answer and explanation is:
Correct Answer: c. the representativeness heuristic
The representativeness heuristic is a mental shortcut where people judge the probability or frequency of an event by how much it resembles a typical case. It assumes that “like goes with like,” meaning that individuals expect outcomes to match their underlying causes or characteristics. This heuristic relies on similarities between a current situation and a stereotype or prototype stored in memory.
For example, if someone is described as quiet, organized, and detail-oriented, people might assume the person is a librarian rather than a salesperson because those traits fit the stereotype of a librarian. However, this ignores actual statistical probabilities. The individual may be more likely to be a salesperson simply because there are far more salespeople than librarians, but the resemblance to the stereotype influences the judgment.
This way of thinking can lead to errors in decision-making because it disregards base-rate information. In other words, people using this heuristic might ignore actual statistical likelihood in favor of what feels intuitively correct based on similarity.
The availability heuristic differs because it involves judging the likelihood of events based on how easily examples come to mind. It is about memory and frequency rather than similarity.
Overconfidence is a bias where people overestimate their knowledge, abilities, or control over a situation. It does not involve matching like with like.
The self-serving bias is the tendency to attribute successes to internal factors and failures to external ones. It is about protecting self-esteem and is not based on resemblance.
The representativeness heuristic plays a major role in stereotypes, faulty judgments, and decision-making errors in both everyday life and professional settings. It is particularly influential in fields like medicine, law, and finance, where intuitive but incorrect assessments can lead to serious consequences.