medium · MCAT psych-soc
A medical student is asked to identify whether a patient belongs to a specific demographic group known for a high prevalence of Type 2 diabetes. The student observes that the patient is sedentary and consumes a high-sugar diet, which perfectly matches her 'mental model' of a diabetic patient. She concludes the patient is diabetic, ignoring the fact that the patient's specific sub-demographic actually has a very low base rate for the disease.
Which heuristic is at play?
- Confirmation bias
- Representativeness heuristic
- Belief perseverance
- Availability heuristic
Sign up free to see the explanation and track your rank →
More MCAT psych-soc practice
- To remember the phone number 1-800-555-0199, a person breaks it down into '1-800', '555'
- A study explores how the meaning of 'motherhood' is negotiated between stay-at-home mother
- A person tells a story about a wild experience they had, only to be corrected by a friend
- A researcher is interested in how the concept of 'the hero' is constructed in different cu
- A sociologist examines how the 'glass ceiling' prevents qual… — This study focuses on whic
- A student is more likely to remember the word 'Apple' if they are asked 'Is it a fruit?' t
- A child is rewarded with a sticker every time they finish th… — Which type of learning doe
- During a cognitive assessment, a psychologist reads a random… — This limitation is charact