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
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