What is availability heuristic?

The availability heuristic (or availability bias) is a type of cognitive bias that helps us make fast, but sometimes incorrect, assessments. It involves relying on information that comes to mind quickly or is most available to us.

What is a heuristic in psychology?

A heuristic is a mental shortcut people use to make decisions. This rule of thumb can ease decisions or create a bias that impacts decision-making. Rather than a full assessment of likely outcomes, people often believe that the information that comes quickest to mind is the most relevant.

Does vividness affect availability heuristics?

In both studies, vividness affected both availability (ability to recall) and judgments. However, causal modeling results indicated that the availability heuristic did not play a role in the judgment process.

What if the availability heuristic played a role in lying second?

If the availability heuristic played a role in this, lying second would remain in jurors' minds (since it was more recent) and they would most likely remember the witness lying over the truthfulness.