Fox and Crow are both thirsty. They come upon a large crock with some water in it, but cannot lift the pitcher or reach down to the water. There happens to be a bucket of baseballs nearby and Fox steps back to throw the baseballs to try to break the crock. Crow reminds him that this will only spill the water, and uses the more clever solution of dropping the baseballs into the crock to raise the water level to within reach. Fox's problem was

Question

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Fox's problem was functional fixedness, which refers to the tendency to only see an object's conventional use and not consider alternative uses. Fox only saw the baseballs as objects to throw, rather than as objects that could be used to raise the water level.

Fox and Crow Are Both Thirsty