Luchins' water jar problem illustrates how problem solving can be hindered by
A) the presence of a mental set.
B) assuming unnecessary constraints.
C) functional fixedness.
D) focusing on irrelevant information.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Luchins' water jar problem specifically focuses on how a person's previous experiences and mental sets can create a hindrance in problem solving. In the experiment, participants were given similar problems but with different initial conditions, leading them to start with a mental set that was not applicable to the new problem. Therefore, choice A, the presence of a mental set, is the correct answer. The other choices, while also potentially hindering problem solving, are not directly related to the water jar problem presented by Luchins.

Luchins' Water Jar Problem Illustrates How Problem Solving Can Be