einstellung effect
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English
26
Scrabble Score
17
Letters
5
Syllables
10
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A problem-solving mindset displayed where a simpler solution for solving a particular problem type is not noticed due to thinking being fixed into a particular logic pattern by earlier repetitions of similar solutions.
Example Sentences
- "In psychology, the concept of the Einstellung effect is commonly associated with problem solving as the description of one's tendency (mindset) to use a previously learned workable strategy in situations that either can be resolved more efficiently through a different approach or to which the strategy is not applicable at all."
Etymology
Coined by Abraham S. Luchins and Edith Hirsch Luchins in 1942 after publishing a study of their water-jar experiment. Einstellung (“mindset”) is a German borrowing, hence the capitalisation.