Heuristics

Definition

Heuristics are mental shortcuts or rules of thumb that help individuals make decisions and judgments quickly without having to stop and analyze every detail. In the context of political science, they help explain how people make political choices under conditions of uncertainty or complexity.

Related terms

Cognitive bias: A pattern of deviation in judgment, whereby inferences about other people and situations may be drawn in an illogical fashion.

Decision: making - The process of making choices by identifying a decision, gathering information, and assessing alternative resolutions.

Political socialization: The process by which individuals learn and frequently internalize a political lens framing their perceptions of how power is arranged and how the world around them is (and should be) organized; those perceptions, in turn, shape and define individuals’ definitions of who they are and how they should behave in the political and economic institutions in which they live