Questions: Even though the odds of a plane crashing are significantly lower than those of being in an auto accident, Kenny believes driving is the safest way to travel cross-country. In what way is Kenny's decision flawed? Availability heuristic Representativeness heuristic Recognition heuristic Functional fixedness

The answer is Availability heuristic.

The availability heuristic is a mental shortcut that relies on immediate examples that come to a person's mind when evaluating a specific topic, concept, method, or decision. Kenny's belief that driving is safer than flying, despite statistical evidence to the contrary, is likely influenced by the availability heuristic. Plane crashes, though rare, are often highly publicized and memorable, making them more readily available in Kenny's mind compared to the more frequent but less sensationalized car accidents.

The representativeness heuristic involves judging the probability of an event by comparing it to an existing prototype in our minds. This does not directly apply to Kenny's decision, as his belief is not based on comparing flying or driving to a prototype but rather on the perceived frequency of events.

The recognition heuristic suggests that if one of two objects is recognized and the other is not, people will infer that the recognized object has the higher value. This heuristic is not relevant to Kenny's decision, as both flying and driving are recognized modes of transportation.

Functional fixedness is a cognitive bias that limits a person to using an object only in the way it is traditionally used. This concept does not apply to Kenny's decision about the safety of travel methods.