托福口语 Task 3

In psychology, the concept of 'functional fixedness' refers to a cognitive bias that limits a person to using an object only in its traditional manner. When individuals are confronted with a problem, they often fail to see alternative uses for familiar objects, which hinders problem-solving. This mental block can be overcome by reimagining an object's potential functions, a process called 'defunctionalization.'

Professor: Let me illustrate this with a classic experiment. Participants were given a box of thumbtacks, a candle, and matches, and asked to attach the candle to a wall so it could burn without dripping. Most tried to tack the candle directly or melt wax to stick it—both failed. The solution was to empty the box, tack it to the wall as a platform, and place the candle inside. Why did they struggle? Because they saw the box only as a container for thumbtacks, not as a potential shelf. That's functional fixedness. Once they realized the box could serve a new purpose, the problem was solved. This shows how breaking mental assumptions leads to creative solutions.