Home / Cognitive Biases / Availability Heuristic Category Cognitive Biases
Impact 2 / 5
Also known as: Availability Bias
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 effectiveness moderate difficulty
Copy card PrintTape this to your desk.
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Recalling recent traumatic events
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
In this article 01. Action Card 02. Common Triggers 03. Typical Contexts 04. Mitigation Strategies 05. Decision Harms 06. Tags 07. Related Biases Key takeaway We judge the probability of events by how easily we can recall examples.