In cognitive psychology, heuristics tend to be very:

• A. slow and always accurate
• B. unrelated to decision-making processes
• C. efficient but sometimes lead to errors
• D. completely random in their outcomes

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the concept of heuristics in cognitive psychology: heuristics are mental shortcuts or rules of thumb that simplify decision-making and problem-solving processes.
2. Recognize that heuristics are designed to be efficient, allowing individuals to make quick decisions without extensive deliberation.
3. Acknowledge that while heuristics speed up decision-making, they are not always perfectly accurate and can sometimes lead to systematic errors or biases.
4. Evaluate each option in the problem by comparing it to the characteristics of heuristics: they are not slow, not unrelated to decision-making, and not completely random.
5. Conclude that the best description of heuristics is that they are efficient but sometimes lead to errors, reflecting their role in cognitive processes.