Margo can't close the window in her office, and a strong wind has come up. She complains to John that her papers are blowing around and she can't find a paperweight. John takes the empty heavy coffee mug from her bookshelf and puts it on top of her papers to anchor them. Margo has been suffering from ________.
A) inadequate means-end analysis
B) functional fixedness
C) noncompensatory modeling
D) working backward

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Margo's inability to think of using the coffee mug as a paperweight suggests that she may have been dealing with functional fixedness, which is the tendency to think of an object only in terms of its typical use and not for alternative purposes. The other options, such as inadequate means-end analysis or working backward, do not accurately describe the situation. The option of noncompensatory modeling is not applicable in this case.

Margo Can't Close the Window in Her Office, and a Strong