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Is the Recognition Heuristic Relevant in Everyday
Questioning?
Jade Lopez
Australian Catholic University, Strathfield
Evan Guerin, PSYC100, 6th May 2020, (1500)
, 2
Abstract
The recognition heuristic is used as a mental shortcut that relies on the individual’s recognisability of
a particular topic or subject. 450 psychology students of all campuses belonging to the Australian
Catholic University participated in a questionnaire containing a series of multiple-choice questions
regarding a pair of city names to which students answered which they believed was the state capital.
Students were then instructed to calculate how many ‘black’ answers (most populous that is not the
capital) and how many ‘green’ states (most populous that is the capital), that they got correct. The
results were consistent with the hypothesis, highlighting that the average number of correct
responses that were the capital city as being the most recognisable was significantly higher compared
to that where the capital city was not the most recognisable.
Is the Recognition Heuristic Relevant in Everyday
Questioning?
Jade Lopez
Australian Catholic University, Strathfield
Evan Guerin, PSYC100, 6th May 2020, (1500)
, 2
Abstract
The recognition heuristic is used as a mental shortcut that relies on the individual’s recognisability of
a particular topic or subject. 450 psychology students of all campuses belonging to the Australian
Catholic University participated in a questionnaire containing a series of multiple-choice questions
regarding a pair of city names to which students answered which they believed was the state capital.
Students were then instructed to calculate how many ‘black’ answers (most populous that is not the
capital) and how many ‘green’ states (most populous that is the capital), that they got correct. The
results were consistent with the hypothesis, highlighting that the average number of correct
responses that were the capital city as being the most recognisable was significantly higher compared
to that where the capital city was not the most recognisable.
