Heuristics

Heuristics are mental shortcuts or rules of thumb that people use to make quick and intuitive decisions or solve problems. These strategies are often used when there are time constraints or when complete information is lacking. Heuristics can be useful because they save time and speed up the decision-making process, but they can also lead to systematic thinking errors or inaccurate conclusions.

Some examples of heuristics

A well-known example of a heuristic is the availability heuristic, in which people judge the probability of an event based on how easily they can recall examples or information about that event. Another common heuristic is the representativeness heuristic, in which people make decisions based on how well a situation matches their mental stereotype of that situation.

Heuristics can be useful in everyday situations, but it is important to recognize that they do not always lead to optimal decisions or solutions. Being aware of how to use heuristics can help reduce thinking errors and make more thoughtful decisions.