Concept · Cognitive Bias: Risk perception biases
Dread risk
Origin: Slovic, Fischhoff & Lichtenstein, 1980
Biological Parallel
Prey animals exhibit disproportionate fear of ambush predators (cats, snakes) versus pursuit predators (wolves, hawks)—despite similar mortality rates. Dread risk: uncontrollable, invisible threats trigger stronger avoidance than visible, manageable ones. The mechanism: ambush predators violate prediction—they appear without warning, creating learned helplessness. Evolution shaped fear responses to threat controllability, not just lethality. Wolves are dangerous but predictable; rattlesnakes are equally deadly but invoke dread.