MCAT Behavioral Sciences Question 192: Answer and Explanation

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Question: 192

4. The "candle problem" is a famous experiment whereby the subject is given a wax candle, a small cardboard box containing several thumbtacks and a book of matches. The subject is asked to affix the candle to a corkboard so that wax will not drip onto the floor below. The only correct way to solve the task is to empty the box of thumbtacks, tack the box onto the corkboard, and light the candle and place it inside the box. Most subjects are unable to figure out the solution to this task, but if the thumbtacks are presented next to the box, not inside of it, they can solve the task easily. Why can't the subjects solve the task in the first scenario?

  • A. They are bound by a mental set that does not comprehend how to light a candle in this way.
  • B. They are unable to employ trial and error quickly enough to solve the task.
  • C. They are overconfident about they own strategies for solving the task.
  • D. They are unable to see alternative uses for the box containing the thumbtacks due to functional fixedness.

Correct Answer: D

Explanation:

Functional fixedness is the inability to perceive of various possibilities for an object. In this scenario, when presented with a box of thumbtacks, the subjects do not see the box as a potential tool for solving the task, because they are fixed on the idea that the box is merely a tool for holding the thumbtacks (choice D is correct). A mental set is the tendency to focus on past solutions to a problem, even if they do not apply to the problem at hand; there is no evidence in the question stem that subjects are bound by a mental set (choice A is wrong). Similarly, there is no mention of a time constraint, trial and error does not best describe what is happening in this scenario (choice B is wrong), and overconfidence also does not explain what is happening here (choice C is wrong).

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