Availability heuristic is best described as?

• A. Assuming that things that are easily brought to memory are more common or probable
• B. Believing something because you want it to be true
• C. Judging decisions by outcomes rather than information
• D. Overestimating the base rate of disease given a test result

Answer: (A)

The availability heuristic is a mental shortcut where we judge how common or likely something is based on how easily examples come to mind. When a memory is vivid, recent, or highly publicized, it feels more probable, so we overestimate its frequency. This helps explain why people fear flying after dramatic news coverage, even though air travel is statistically safe. The description that matches this idea is that things that are easily brought to memory are seen as more common or probable. Other options point to different biases—desire-driven belief, judging by outcomes rather than information, or misjudging base rates in medical testing.