When Melinda dropped her watch behind a bookcase that was too heavy for her to move, she failed to realize that she could use a coat hanger to reach behind the bookcase and get the watch. Melinda's failure to consider using a coat hanger BEST illustrates _____.

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Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Melinda's failure to think of using a coat hanger to retrieve her watch behind the bookcase is an example of functional fixedness, which is a cognitive bias that limits a person's ability to see an object or problem beyond its typical use or function. In this case, Melinda was fixed on the idea that a bookcase is used only for holding books and did not think of using a coat hanger as a tool for retrieval.

When Melinda Dropped Her Watch Behind a Bookcase That Was