More People Seem to Fear a Snake Bite Than a Dog

question 36

Multiple Choice

More people seem to fear a snake bite than a dog bite, and yet statistically one is more likely to be bitten by a dog than by a snake. This is because people tend to estimate the probability of an outcome based on how easy the outcome is to imagine. This represents which of the following cognitive biases?

• A) Escalating commitment
• B) Hypothesis bias
• C) Availability error
• D) Representativeness
• E) Illusion of control

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Definitions:

\(n + 7\)

An algebraic expression representing the sum of an unknown quantity \(n\) and the number 7.

\(n + 8\)

An algebraic expression representing the sum of a variable n and the number 8.

\(n !\)

\(n !\), pronounced n factorial, is the product of all positive integers less than or equal to n. For instance, \(4! = 4 \times 3 \times 2 \times 1 = 24\).