William is trying to calculate the price of his groceries in his head. He has four apples for 35¢ each,five potatoes for 15¢ each,and three cake mixes for $2.25 each. He begins by thinking to himself,"Let's see,four times 35¢ is what? Two times 35¢ is 70¢,and then two times 70¢ is $1.40. And then what do I do next? Oh,yes,I need to know what five times fifteen equals. I can't remember,but let's see if I can figure it out...." From the perspective of psychology,William may have trouble solving the problem because:
A)His working memory capacity may be insufficient to hold and process all the information.
B)He is representing the problem incorrectly.
C)He is demonstrating a mental set with regard to his knowledge of multiplication facts.
D)He is using an inappropriate heuristic.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

William may have trouble solving the problem because his working memory capacity may be insufficient to hold and process all the information needed to perform the calculations mentally.

William Is Trying to Calculate the Price of His Groceries