Final answer:
It is false that heuristics are always good and biases are always bad. Heuristics are mental shortcuts that save time, but can lead to cognitive biases, which are systematic errors in judgement. These biases often reinforce existing beliefs, such as confirmation bias or availability heuristic.
Step-by-step explanation:
When referring to heuristics and biases, it is false to say heuristics are inherently good and biases are bad. Heuristics are cognitive shortcuts or "rules of thumb" that simplify decision making, and while they do save time and effort, they can lead to less than optimal or even wrong decisions when a person's judgement is clouded by cognitive biases. Cognitive biases are systematic patterns of deviation from norm or rationality in judgement, which often preserve preexisting beliefs and stereotypes.
Cognitive biases include the confirmation bias, where one focuses on information that supports existing beliefs, and the availability heuristic, which is a shortcut where decisions are based on readily available information, regardless of its relevance or representativeness. Hence, heuristics are neutral tools that can lead to biases if applied inappropriately or without consideration of their potential pitfalls.
Representative bias, another cognitive bias, involves making judgements based on stereotypes instead of objective criteria. The cognitive skills used to employ heuristics and biases are often a result of the brain's attempt to make complex problem-solving more manageable, but can sometimes lead to errors in judgement.