Which Happens More Frequently: Death by Asthma or Death by Tornadoes

question 202

Multiple Choice

Which happens more frequently: death by asthma or death by tornadoes? People typically believe that tornadoes cause more deaths, but statistics reveal that asthma actually causes significantly more deaths. Some researchers argue that we make this error because TV news dramatically publicizes deaths due to tornadoes, which presumably makes it much easier for us to call up these examples. This particular finding is best considered as an example of a judgment error caused by ________.

• A)a mental set
• B)a confirmation bias
• C)the availability heuristic
• D)the representativeness heuristic

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Definitions:

Primed In Memory

Refers to the process of activating particular representations or associations in memory just before carrying out an action or task.

Meta-Cognition

Reflecting on one’s own thought processes.

Contamination

Contamination refers to the presence of undesired substances in or on a material, surface, or environment that can cause harm or damage.

Conjunction

A word used to connect clauses or sentences or to coordinate words in the same clause.