Highlights commonly used or relevant content effectively
May overlook valuable but less obvious information
The Availability Heuristic refers to the tendency to judge the likelihood of events based on their ease of recall. Tversky and Kahneman (1973) investigated this by asking participants to estimate the frequency of words starting with the letter 'K' versus words with 'K' as the third letter. The results showed that participants overestimated the former due to its easier retrieval from memory, demonstrating how accessibility distorts judgment.
The study demonstrated that ease of recall leads to frequency estimation errors. This bias affects how users perceive information based on salience and recent exposure.
1.
Use familiar examples to aid understanding.
2.
Make key info prominent for better recall.
3.
Test placements for salience and impact on decisions.
