David Is Trying to Calculate the Total Cost of the Groceries

question 38

Multiple Choice

David is trying to calculate the total cost of the groceries in his grocery cart. He has four apples for 35¢ each, five potatoes for 15¢ each, and three cake mixes for $2.25 each. He begins by thinking to himself, "Let's see, four times 35¢ is what? Two times 35¢ is 70¢, and then two times 70¢ is $1.40. And then what do I do next? Oh, yes, I need to know out what 5 times 15 equals. I can't remember, but let's see if I can figure it out...." From an information processing perspective, David may have difficulty solving the problem because:

• A) He is using an inappropriate heuristic.
• B) His working memory capacity may be insufficient to hold and process all the information.
• C) He is encoding the problem incorrectly.
• D) He is demonstrating functional fixedness with regard to his knowledge of multiplication facts.

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Definitions:

Consumer Income

The total amount of income earned by consumers, influencing their purchasing power and demand for goods and services in the economy.

Demand Curve

A graphical representation showing the relationship between the price of a product and the quantity of the product demanded at those prices.

Quantity Demanded

Quantity demanded is the total amount of a good or service that consumers are willing and able to purchase at a given price in a specified period.

Demand

How much of a product or service shoppers are prepared and financially able to buy across a range of prices within a set period.