📖 Reading Passage
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, thereby hindering creative problem-solving. When individuals encounter a problem, they often fail to see alternative uses for familiar objects because their minds are fixed on the object's conventional function. Overcoming this mental block requires restructuring one's perception of the object's potential uses, which can lead to innovative solutions.
🎧 Listening Lecture
Professor: Let me illustrate this with a classic experiment. Participants were given a box of thumbtacks, a candle, and a match, and asked to attach the candle to the wall so that it could burn without dripping wax on the floor. Many struggled because they fixated on the box's function as a container. The solution, however, was to empty the box, tack it to the wall, and place the candle inside it. Those who saw the box as a potential shelf, rather than just a holder, solved the problem easily. This demonstrates how breaking functional fixedness allows for creative use of familiar objects.