Final answer:
The correct answer to the question regarding which shortcuts serve as cues about candidates and policies from everyday life is Information shortcuts. These are mental heuristics used by voters to simplify decision-making in elections, such as relying on political party identification.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks which type of shortcuts are cues about candidates and policies drawn from everyday life. The correct answer is c) Information shortcuts. These shortcuts refer to cues or heuristics that individuals rely on to make decisions, such as in voting. Heuristics are mental shortcuts or rules of thumb that people use to simplify decision-making processes, especially under conditions of uncertainty or lack of information. In the context of elections, voters often use information shortcuts when comprehensive research is not feasible, relying on easily accessible cues such as a candidate's political party, endorsements, or based on categories like age, gender, race, and socio-economic status.
Studies suggest that up to half of voters utilize their political party identification as a heuristic. These types of biases, like confirmation bias (seeking information that confirms existing beliefs) or availability bias (basing decisions on the information most readily available), play a role in how information shortcuts impact decision-making.