Mental Set

What is a mental set?

A mental set is a readiness to approach a problem using a familiar representation or strategy. It can make a familiar task efficient. The Einstellung effect refers to the obstructive case, when an initially available solution prevents a better one from being found.

A mental set example

Bilalić, McLeod and Gobet (2008) tracked expert chess players' attention. Players said they were seeking alternatives, yet continued to inspect features relevant to the familiar solution. Experience can therefore guide attention toward an unhelpful approach in a particular problem.

The practical question is whether the familiar method still fits. Trying another representation may reveal an option the familiar one hides. The chess study shows why merely intending to look for alternatives may not be enough.

For the broader meaning of a set and its relation to perceptual sets and functional fixedness, see psychological sets.