Final answer:
True, people often discount the base rate when given specific diagnostic information, a phenomenon known as the base rate fallacy. It affects judgment and decision-making, such as in medical diagnoses and legal judgments, and can also be relevant in biological population studies.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that when people are given diagnostic information and the base rate, they are unlikely to consider the base rate, is often true. This phenomenon is known as the base rate fallacy, where people tend to overlook the base rate (statistical prevalence of an event) in favor of individual case information or diagnostic information. This cognitive bias can lead to errors in judgment and decision-making.
Base rate fallacy is common in various realms including medicine, where a doctor might overlook the prevalence of a disease in the population when diagnosing a patient based on specific symptoms. Similarly, in law, jurors might neglect the frequency of a certain type of crime when assessing the likelihood of a defendant's guilt based on evidence.
There is also a relevance to population studies in biology, where an underestimation of population size might occur in animal studies involving individuals learning to seek out bait.