A loose screw on the visor causes it to drop down while Ben drives; however, he keeps forgetting to take a screwdriver out to the car to fix it
When he notices the visor drop again, he reaches into his pocket for a dime he then uses to tighten the screw holding the visor. What problem-solving difficulty did Ben overcome?
A) relative comparison
B) functional fixedness
C) poor problem representation
D) the representative heuristic
Answer: B
Rationale: Functional fixedness occurs when an individual identifies a potential operator, but can think of only its most obvious function. For example, a dime can be used to tighten a screw, but many people would not think of this because tightening screws is not the usual function assigned to dimes.
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