In 1970,Spencer Silver was trying to formulate a strong adhesive for the 3M Company,and one of his failed attempts resulted in an extremely weak adhesive.Four years later,frustrated by how often his markers fell out of his church hymnal,Arthur Fry coated them with Silver's adhesive.The markers stayed in place but could be peeled out of the book without damaging the pages.Post-it Notes are now one of the top five-selling office products in the United States.Fry's novel approach is a good example of
A) functional fixedness.
B) divergent thinking.
C) the confirmation bias.
D) the availability heuristic.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Fry's approach of using the weak adhesive for a new purpose is an example of divergent thinking, which involves generating creative ideas by exploring multiple possible solutions to a problem. It is the opposite of functional fixedness, which is a cognitive bias that limits a person's ability to see alternative uses for an object or material. The confirmation bias and availability heuristic are not relevant in this context.

In 1970,Spencer Silver Was Trying to Formulate a Strong Adhesive