Nancy, a three-year-old, enters a store by pushing a door open. Every time she comes to a door after that, she pushes the door expecting it to open even though many doors open by pulling rather than pushing. What is this an example of?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Nancy's behavior is an example of a mental set, which is a tendency to approach situations in a certain way because that method worked in the past. In this case, Nancy continues to push doors to open them because that approach was successful the first time, even though not all doors open that way.

Nancy, a Three-Year-Old, Enters a Store by Pushing a Door