Psychological Sets

What are psychological sets?

A psychological set is a readiness to perceive, interpret or respond in a particular way. In problem-solving, the closely related term mental set refers to a familiar strategy or representation that guides the approach to a task.

Sets can be useful when that approach fits the problem, but can obstruct alternatives.

A mental set example

In Bilalić, McLeod and Gobet’s study (2008), expert chess players continued to attend to features of a familiar solution while trying to find a better one. This is evidence of an Einstellung effect in a specific problem-solving task.

Psychological sets, perceptual sets, and functional fixedness

A perceptual set concerns how expectations guide interpretation of sensory information. Functional fixedness concerns difficulty seeing an object beyond its usual use. These are related topics, but should not be treated as interchangeable measurements of one general trait.

Questions for problem-solving

When a familiar approach stalls, ask which assumptions it relies on, whether the current task differs from previous ones, and what another person would try. These questions make the strategy open to examination.

For the problem-solving meaning and its relation to the Einstellung effect, see mental set.