Cognitive heuristics are a means to _____.

• A. Speed up decision making
• B. Improve accuracy
• C. All answers are correct
• D. Increase cognitive load

Answer: (C)

Cognitive heuristics are mental shortcuts that help you reach judgments quickly by relying on simple rules of thumb rather than detailed analysis. Because they simplify processing, they speed up decision making, which is especially valuable when time is limited or information is incomplete. In familiar or stable contexts, these quick judgments can be surprisingly accurate, so heuristics can improve accuracy by leveraging past experience and readily available cues. They also reduce cognitive load because you’re not weighing every possible option or calculating probabilities from scratch; you’re using streamlined judgments that require less mental effort. However, this efficiency comes with a trade-off: heuristics can lead to systematic biases when the situation doesn’t align with the shortcut. The idea to remember is that the main utility of heuristics is faster, easier decisions, with potential accuracy benefits in the right contexts and a general tendency to lower cognitive effort rather than increase it.