Question at position 16 Harry intends to pursue his career in the armed forces. However, his mother prevents him from applying for a position in the armed forces. She fears that she will lose her son just like she lost her husband who died during his regime in the armed forces. Hence, it can be concluded that Harry's mother has usedhindsight bias.confirmation bias.the availability heuristic.the representativeness heuristic.

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Question restatement: A mother prevents her son Harry from joining the armed forces, citing fear of losing him like she lost her husband who died in the armed forces. Which bias/theory best explains her reasoning?

Option 1: hindsight bias. This would involve judging past events as having been predictable after they occur. In this scenario, the mother is preventing action based on a current fear informed by a past event, not evaluating a past event with improved insight after the fact. Therefore, hindsight bias does not fit well.

Option 2: confirmation bias. This occurs when someone favorably seeks or interprets information that confirms preconceptions. The mother’s reaction is not framed as selectively gathering or interpreting information to confirm a preexisting belief; rather, it is a fear driven by a vivid past event influencing present risk assessment. Thus confirmation bias is not the best fit here.

Option 3: the availability heuristic. This bias involves judging the likelihood of events based on how easily such events come to mind, often due to recent exposure or vivid memories. The mother’s fear is heavily influenced by the striking memory of her husband’s death in the armed forces, making the risk seem more probable or imminent than it may be for the son’s actual situation. This aligns well with the availability heuristic, where memorable events disproportionately shape perceived risk.

Option 4: the representativeness heuristic. This heuristic involves judging probability by how much something resembles a typical case, ignoring base rates. The mother’s reasoning relies on a salient personal memory rather than evaluating the typical likelihood of danger in general, so representativeness is not the best fit here.

In summary, Option 3—the availability heuristic—best accounts for letting a vivid past event disproportionately influence present risk assessment, whereas the other biases do not appropriately capture the mother’s reasoning in this context.

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