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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.

Analogy

Imagine if your music app only suggested songs from artists you've recently listened to. That's how availability heuristic works - it bases its suggestions (or decisions) on the most recent or memorable information available.

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.