Representativeness Heuristic
bias
Summary: Assume something belongs to a category because it looks typical.
Surface similarity overrides base-rate data, prompting stereotyping and faulty probability judgments.
Pattern prevalence
- Authors: top 1.5%, bottom 0.6%, overall 1.2%
- Publications: top 2.9%, bottom 3.7%, overall 1.5%
- Articles: top 0.9%, bottom 1.6%, overall 1.2%
Recent example
tall – especially for this country.” “If you went to Hollywood and you look for a leader of China, to play a role in a movie, he’s central casting… you couldn't find a guy like him,” President Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity in an interview which aired Thursday night. “Even his physical features, you know, he's tall, very tall, and especially for this country, because they tend to be a little bit shorter… but no, if you went to Hollywood, you wouldn't find that, you're not going to find a guy to play the role who's good.” The phrase “straight out of Central
Recent articles
In Bunia’s Ebola fight, women are on the front lines often without protective gear 0%
Associated Press - 5/30/2026, 12:53 PM
Hasty Generalization 99.4% - Biased Writer Voice 99.4% - Representativeness Heuristic 86.6%
Lorsque une personne est malade, un membre de famille quelconque est malade bien dans la communauté, si la personne est malade, la personne de si une m donc une membre de communauté est malade, la personne qui va venir aider cette personne malade, c'est la femme. C'est la femme qui viendra faire les baai. C'est la femme qui viendra... more
‘Feels Like Erasure’: Why Native American Students May Be Undercounted by 90% in California Schools 5.9%
KQED - By Carolyn Jones, CalMatters - 5/23/2026, 7:00 PM
Post Hoc (False Cause) 29.7% - Optimism Bias 23.6% - Negativity Bias 17.2%
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. When Celestina Castillo filled out the ethnicity forms at her children’s school, she’d always check Latino and Native American. After all, the family is proud of both its heritages. But because of a loophole in the state’s data collection system, checking... more
Single Gen Z women outpacing men in home buying 76.9%
CBS News - 5/22/2026, 12:59 AM
If you're looking to buy a home, you may want to ask Gen Z women for some tips. Data from the National Association of Realtors shows that 35% of single women ages 18 to 26 are buying homes compared to just 18% of single Gen Z men. The survey also found that no other generation had a bigger share of single women home buyers than Gen Z.... more
Trump says Xi is ‘very tall’ and out of ‘central casting’ because people in China ‘tend to be a little bit shorter’ 34.9%
The Independent - By Mike Bedigan - 5/15/2026, 3:59 AM
Halo Effect 23.5% - Hasty Generalization 21.5% - Ambiguity (Equivocation) 18%
Donald Trump has lavished praise on president Xi Jinping, saying that he is “straight out of central casting” for a leader of China and is “very tall – especially for this country.” “If you went to Hollywood and you look for a leader of China, to play a role in a movie, he’s central casting… you couldn't find a guy like him,” President... more
GRAPHIC WARNING: Horrifying video shows 76-year-old being shoved down subway stairs #usa #shorts 96.9%
Fox News - 5/12/2026, 1:00 AM
Confirmation Bias 33.1% - Fundamental Attribution Error 25% - Hasty Generalization 25%
A 76-y old man is dead after police say he was shot right down the subway steps in New York City. And the guy who pushed him, according to police, had just been released from a psych ward. Romeil Burke, now charged with the murder of Ross Felzone, a retired New York City teacher. And we're learning the suspect had a long wrap sheet. Just... more
A pricey Radiohead 'experience' comes to Brooklyn. Is it worth it? 15.7%
Gothamist - By Walter Wuthmann - 5/8/2026, 4:50 PM
Negativity Bias 10.2% - Representativeness Heuristic 7.4% - Availability Heuristic 6.3%
For the next two months, an old warehouse in the Brooklyn Navy Yard will be the site of a Radiohead fever dream. The British band’s newest venture is “Motion Picture House,” an installation comprising an animated film, sculptures and paintings that are accompanied by unreleased material from the recording sessions for its genre-breaking... more
Ahead of her 100th birthday, we're still learning new things about Betye Saar 16.6%
Los Angeles Times - By Julissa James - 5/7/2026, 10:00 AM
Biased Writer Voice 27% - Post Hoc (False Cause) 11.3% - Appeal to Emotion 10.9%
Betye Saar practically levitates into the room wearing a Max Mara jacket that resembles a bird’s plumage, with a butter-yellow silk Dior dress grazing the ground behind her and a cane in her hand. This is look No. 1 at the photo shoot for this story, and everyone in the room — producers, photo assistants, editors — stop to stare, little... more
Alleged JPMorgan victim who claimed in lawsuit exec turned him into her sex slave is unmasked... as multiple scandals spark crisis at America's biggest bank: 'Everyone's wondering what Jamie thinks' 33.3%
Daily Mail Online - By Luke Kenton, James Reinl - 4/30/2026, 11:39 PM
Negativity Bias 31.3% - Burden of Proof 19.9% - Anecdotal 19.2%
A former JPMorgan Chase staffer who anonymously accused a female executive of sexual harassment and abuse in a stunning lawsuit has been identified to the Daily Mail by multiple insiders. Chirayu Rana, 35, accused JPMC executive director Lorna Hajdini, 37, of coercing him into 'non-consensual and humiliating sex acts' over several months... more
Is the dance floor really dead? 38.6%
CBC - By CBC Arts - 4/28/2026, 8:56 PM
Biased Writer Voice 46.1% - Framing Effect 36.3% - Confirmation Bias 30.4%
After her summer-defining 2024 club-pop album BRAT, Charli XCX made a surprising announcement earlier this month. “I think the dance floor is dead,” she told British Vogue in an interview. With the announcement that her eighth studio project will be a rock album, it seems like younger generations are continuing to shift their focus away... more
Money advice for people with ADHD 0%
CBC Radio - By Jenny Dorozio - 4/26/2026, 12:00 AM
Negativity Bias 70.4% - Framing Effect 37% - Appeal to Authority 37%
Roughly two million Canadians have been diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. That's a lot of people likely to be more impulsive with their spending and less inclined to budget. So not surprisingly, as producer Jenny Dorozio tells us, more financial advisors are building careers by catering just to them. more