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Category

Cognitive Biases

Impact level

2 / 5

Category Cognitive Biases

Impact 2 / 5

COGNITIVE BIASES

Availability
Heuristic

The tendency to overestimate the likelihood of events with greater "availability" in memory, which can be influenced by how recent the memories are or how unusual or emotionally charged they may be.

Also known as: Availability Bias

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Cognitive processing

System 1 (fast, intuitive). Biases often lean on quick judgments (System 1) unless you slow down and analyze (System 2).

Evidence & time

Evidence strength: experimental. Typical read: about 4 min.

Catch it next time

Practical steps for Availability Heuristic

1
Look at statistical data instead of relying on memory
high effectivenessmoderate difficulty

Tape this to your desk.

02

Common triggers

Watching news reports

Recalling recent traumatic events

03

Typical contexts

Risk assessment

Insurance purchases

04

Mitigation strategies

Look at statistical data instead of relying on memory

Effectiveness: high

Difficulty: moderate

05

Potential decision harms

Irrational fears (e.g., flying vs driving)

moderate Severity

Poor risk management

major Severity