Hah! Of course the list literalists will have to weigh in that using the tools provided is not evidence of insanity, but of wholly normal cognitive biases and obedience to authority. So I'll take that discussion as read and leapfrog into my own tale of functional fixedness: last weekend we were going to a potluck, and I was bringing a salad. We don't have a big salad bowl so as I was cleaning the greens and drying them in my salad spinner I was wondering which neighbor of ours might have one that we could borrow. If only I had a big salad bowl! (Spin, spin, spin.) Could I ask my husband to go around the neighborhood and ask to borrow one? (Spin, spin, spin.) Just as he was leaving to do so I realized that the bowl of my salad spinner can, by definition, hold rather a lot of salad. I felt like simultaneously the cleverest and stupidest person in the world.
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Bathtub Test During a visit to a mental institution the visitor asked the Director, 'How do you determine whether or not a patient should be institutionalized?' 'Well,' said the Director, 'we fill up a bathtub, then we offer a teaspoon, a teacup and a bucket to the patient and ask him or her to empty the bathtub.' 'Oh, I understand,' said the visitor. 'A normal person would use the bucket because it's bigger than the spoon or the teacup.' 'No.' said the Director, 'A normal person would pull the plug. Do you want a bed near the window?' Annette Kujawski Taylor, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology University of San Diego 5998 Alcala Park San Diego, CA 92110 619-260-4006 [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) Robin Abrahams www.boston.com/missconduct Notices at the bottom of this e-mail do not reflect the opinions of the sender. I do not "yahoo" that I am aware of. --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
