Sophie believes that working from home makes employees less productive. She reads a new study showing that most employees are actually more productive when working remotely. After briefly looking at the results, she says:

“Well, the study was conducted in Sweden. Work culture is completely different there, so this doesn’t really apply to us.”
Which of the following best describes Sophie’s reasoning?

Question

Sophie believes that working from home makes employees less productive. She reads a new study showing that most employees are actually more productive when working remotely. After briefly looking at the results, she says: 
 
“Well, the study was conducted in Sweden. Work culture is completely different there, so this doesn’t really apply to us.” 
 Which of the following best describes Sophie’s reasoning?

Accepted Answer

She is demonstrating confirmation bias by focusing on a reason to dismiss evidence that challenges her prior belief.

Answer

She is engaging in functional fixedness by interpreting productivity in only one way.

Answer

She is engaging in scout mindset by critically examining the external validity of the study.

Answer

She is avoiding motivated reasoning by identifying a relevant contextual difference.

Crowdly

Sophie believes that working from home makes employees less productive. She rea...

Want instant access to all verified answers on learning.monash.edu?