Ashley learns that if her car does not start on the first try,pressing the gas pedal before trying to start it again will get the car to work.The next time Ashley's car does not start,she tries pressing the gas pedal,but this does not work.She concludes that her car needs repairs and does not notice that she is simply out of gas.Ashley is experiencing ____.
A) functional fixedness
B) incubation
C) the representativeness heuristic
D) a mental set

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Ashley is experiencing a mental set, which is a tendency to approach situations in a certain way because that method worked in the past. She applied the same solution (pressing the gas pedal) without considering other possibilities, like being out of gas.

Ashley Learns That If Her Car Does Not Start on the First