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 the way it is traditionally used. This mental block prevents individuals from seeing alternative uses for familiar objects, thereby hindering problem-solving. Overcoming functional fixedness often requires creative thinking and the ability to break away from conventional assumptions about an object's function.

Professor: Let me give you an example from a classic experiment. Participants were given a box of thumbtacks, a candle, and a book of matches, and asked to attach the candle to a wall so that it could burn properly without dripping wax on the floor. Many struggled. They tried to tack the candle directly to the wall or melt wax to stick it, but nothing worked. The solution was to empty the thumbtack box, tack it to the wall as a platform, and place the candle inside. The participants failed because they saw the box only as a container for tacks, not as a potential shelf. This illustrates functional fixedness—they were stuck on the box's usual function as a holder, blocking the creative solution.