The tendency to approach a problem with a strategy that worked in the past even when a different approach would be more effective.

The tendency to approach a problem with a strategy that worked in the past even when a different approach would be more effective.

• A. Convergent Thinking
• B. Heuristic
• C. Algorithm
• D. Mental Set

Answer: (D)

Mental set is the tendency to approach a problem with a strategy that has worked in the past, even when a different approach would be more effective. This bias comes from relying on prior experience, which can blind us to better options in a new situation. In this case, the solver keeps using an old method rather than adapting to what would work best now. The other concepts describe different ideas: convergent thinking focuses on narrowing to one correct solution, a heuristic is a quick rule of thumb that can lead to errors, and an algorithm is a fixed, step-by-step procedure that guarantees a solution when applicable. Mental set best explains the described tendency.

Mental set is the tendency to approach a problem with a strategy that has worked in the past, even when a different approach would be more effective. This bias comes from relying on prior experience, which can blind us to better options in a new situation. In this case, the solver keeps using an old method rather than adapting to what would work best now. The other concepts describe different ideas: convergent thinking focuses on narrowing to one correct solution, a heuristic is a quick rule of thumb that can lead to errors, and an algorithm is a fixed, step-by-step procedure that guarantees a solution when applicable. Mental set best explains the described tendency.