Law of the instrument

High school (ages 12+)
Thinking & Learning

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/law-of-the-instrument

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the common designations?Law of the instrument, law of the hammer, Maslow's hammer, golden hammer
2. What is the key proponent?Abraham Maslow (prominently featured in his 1966 writings)
3. What is the Hammer Trick?The Hammer Trick, also called the Law of the Instrument, is a bias where people keep using the same tool for everything because they are familiar with it.
4. Why do people keep using the same tool even when it isn’t the best?People feel comfortable with the tool they know, so they may forget to look for other tools that could solve the problem better.

Cognitive Bias: A systematic pattern of deviation from norm or rationality in judgment, often leading to errors in perception or decision-making.
Over-reliance: Excessive dependence on a particular tool, method, or idea, to the exclusion of other potentially more effective options.
Metacognition: Awareness and understanding of one's own thought processes; thinking about thinking.
Problem-Solving Efficacy: The ability of an individual or group to successfully find and implement solutions to challenges.