Henry's dog, Fur-Boy, has been rolling in the mud. Henry must wash Fur-Boy off before the dog gets mud all over the carpet. However, Henry is unable to find the plug for the tub so he can fill up the tub and give Fur-Boy a bath. Sitting on the counter right beside the tub is a 50-cent piece. In his frustration, Henry fails to see that the 50-cent piece could be used as an emergency plug for the washbasin. What happened to Henry?
A) He took a heuristic approach.
B) He suffered from mental set.
C) He restructured his thinking.
D) He employed representational thought.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Henry suffered from mental set, which refers to a tendency to approach a problem in a fixed way based on past experiences or preconceptions. In this case, Henry was fixated on the idea of needing a plug for the tub and failed to consider alternative solutions, such as using the 50-cent piece as an emergency plug for the washbasin.

Henry's Dog, Fur-Boy, Has Been Rolling in the Mud