When Jean-Claude came back from skiing, he wanted to brew a cup of coffee. Because he was out of coffee filters, he settled for tea. Jean-Claude's failure to realize he could use a paper towel as a coffee filter best illustrates:
A)a mental set.
B)intuition.
C)functional fixedness.
D)the availability heuristic.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Jean-Claude's failure to consider using a paper towel as a substitute for a coffee filter is an example of functional fixedness, which is a cognitive bias that limits a person to using an object only in the way it is traditionally used.

When Jean-Claude Came Back from Skiing, He Wanted to Brew