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Base rate neglect

Judging probability by the vividness of a description instead of by how common the phenomenon is: a persuasive story displaces the question of how often such things happen at all.

How to read the number

The antidote is to start from the frequency across the whole population and only then refine it with particular features, rather than the other way round.

When the metric lies

Also known as: ignoring the base rate

Related terms