Availability Heuristic

Definition

The availability heuristic is a mental shortcut that relies on immediate examples that come to mind when evaluating a specific topic, concept, method or decision.

Related terms

Recency Effect: This refers to the tendency to remember more recent information better than earlier information.

Selective Perception: This is the process by which individuals perceive what they want in media messages while ignoring opposing viewpoints.

Anchoring Bias: A cognitive bias where an individual depends too heavily on an initial piece of information offered (known as "the anchor") when making decisions.