More American college students than Chinese students were able to solve the cave problem by recalling the "Hansel and Gretel story," while more Chinese students than American students solved the statue's weight problem by recalling the "weighing of the elephant" fable. These differing percentages illustrate all of the following EXCEPT that
A)every culture prepares its members to solve some types of problems more easily than others.
B)both groups of students exhibited functional fixedness regarding the stories they had heard in childhood.
C)the culture we grow up in affects our ability to use selective comparison to solve problems.
D)being exposed to a similar problem in the past helps the students' problem solving.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Option B is incorrect because the differences in problem-solving between the American and Chinese students illustrate the influence of cultural background and prior knowledge on problem-solving, not necessarily functional fixedness. Functional fixedness refers to the inability to see an object being used for something other than what it is designed for, which is not directly related to the scenario described.

More American College Students Than Chinese Students Were Able to Solve