Availability

Definition

refers to the tendency to overestimate the likelihood of events or situations based on how easily they come to mind or how readily available they are in our memory. It can lead us to believe that certain events are more common or probable than they actually are.

Related terms

Availability Heuristic: This is a mental shortcut where we make judgments about the likelihood of an event based on how easily we can recall similar examples from our memory.

Recency Bias: This bias occurs when we give greater importance or weight to recent information or experiences in making decisions or judgments.

Vividness Effect: This effect refers to our tendency to remember and give more weight to vivid, emotionally charged, or highly memorable events compared to less salient ones.