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 heuristic
D) the confirmation bias

Question

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 heuristic
D) the confirmation bias

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Functional fixedness is the tendency to perceive an object only in terms of its common use and overlook alternative uses. In this case, Riley has successfully used a paper clip for a purpose other than its typical use, indicating that he has overcome functional fixedness. The other options - the representational problem, representative heuristic, and confirmation bias - are not relevant to the situation described.

Riley Has Figured Out How to Unlock His Bedroom Door