How does the representativeness heuristic influence judgment?

The representativeness heuristic influences judgment by prompting individuals to compare new information or experiences to existing information in memory. When making decisions, people often rely on how similar something is to a known prototype or stereotype they have in mind. This cognitive shortcut helps individuals to quickly assess situations and make judgments based on perceived similarity, rather than carefully analyzing all relevant information.

For instance, if a person encounters someone who is quiet, reserved, and loves to read, they may automatically assume that this person is a librarian because that fits a common stereotype—this is the role of the representativeness heuristic at work. It allows for quick judgments that can be efficient but may also lead to errors if the prototype is not representative of the broader population.

The other options do not accurately characterize the representativeness heuristic. Emphasizing contextual factors pertains to a different aspect of judgment. Basing decisions solely on emotional responses relates more to affective heuristics rather than representativeness. Focusing on statistical data usually leads to more rational decision-making and conflict with the intuition-driven nature of the representativeness heuristic.