Riley has figured out how to unlock his bedroom door with a paper clip. What has he most likely overcome in his new use of the paper clip?
A) functional fixedness
B) the representational problem
C) the representative bias
D) the confirmation bias
E) the mental set

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Riley has most likely overcome functional fixedness, which is the tendency to think of an object only in terms of its typical or customary use. In this case, a paper clip is typically used for holding papers together, but Riley has thought of an alternative use for it as a tool to unlock his bedroom door.

Riley Has Figured Out How to Unlock His Bedroom Door