A useful heuristic that works much of the time is

• A. estimating the likelihood of an event occurring based on past experience.
• B. working backward from the goal.
• C. putting all people who share certain characteristics into one category.
• D. using a step-by-step procedure for solving a problem.

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the concept of 'heuristic' in psychology, which refers to a mental shortcut that allows people to solve problems and make judgments quickly and efficiently.
2. Understand that the problem describes a heuristic that involves estimating the likelihood of an event based on past experiences, which is known as the 'availability heuristic'.
3. Analyze the options provided: 'working backward from the goal', 'putting all people who share certain characteristics into one category', and 'using a step-by-step procedure for solving a problem'.
4. Recognize that 'working backward from the goal' is a problem-solving strategy where you start with the desired outcome and reverse the steps to reach the starting point.
5. Conclude that the heuristic described in the problem is not about working backward, categorizing people, or using a step-by-step procedure, but rather about using past experiences to estimate likelihood, which aligns with the availability heuristic.