Gilbert has just raked up all the fallen leaves into a pile and now puzzles about how to move them into the far corner of the yard. It does not occur to him to pile them all into a canvas tarpaulin and drag them into the corner because he thinks of the tarpaulin as a cover for something, not a carrier. Gilbert is a victim of
A) functional fixedness.
B) prototypical thinking.
C) a mental set.
D) the base rate fallacy.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Gilbert's inability to think of the canvas tarpaulin as a carrier for the leaves is an example of functional fixedness, which is a cognitive bias that limits a person's ability to see an object's potential for uses other than its intended function.

Gilbert Has Just Raked Up All the Fallen Leaves into a Pile