You have a pair of pliers and a bag of nuts in the shell.You are lamenting the fact that you can't shell the nuts because you do not have a nutcracker.Your inability to perceive the pliers as a makeshift nutcracker demonstrates ____ on your part.
A) functional fixedness
B) mental set
C) insight insufficiency
D) heuristic reasoning

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Functional fixedness is the inability to perceive an object as being able to be used in a way other than its intended purpose. In this scenario, the person is perceiving the pliers only as a tool for gripping and is not considering it as a makeshift nutcracker. This is an example of functional fixedness. The other options do not accurately describe the situation.

You Have a Pair of Pliers and a Bag of Nuts