Maxwell Is Working on a Challenging "Mind Bender" That Is

Maxwell is working on a challenging "mind bender" that is asking him to connect nine dots using only four lines without taking his pencil off the paper. The nine dots are placed in three groups of three in a square-like formation. Maxwell works on the problem for about fifteen minutes before he realizes that he has been employing the same ineffective strategy. He is forgetting to consider the special circumstances of that particular problem. As soon as he does consider the special circumstances of that particular problem, he'll increase his chances of solving the problem. Until then, Maxwell will continue to experience _____

A) functional fixedness.
B) the means-end analysis.
C) the affirming the consequent phenomenon.
D) a mental set.