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 people are confronted with a problem, they often fail to see alternative uses for familiar items because their minds are 'fixed' on the object's typical function. This rigidity can hinder problem-solving and creativity, as individuals overlook novel solutions that require reimagining the purpose of everyday objects.

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 without dripping wax on the floor. Many tried to tack the candle directly to the wall or melt wax to stick it, but these failed. The solution was to empty the thumbtack box, tack it to the wall as a shelf, and place the candle inside. Why couldn't they see this? Because they saw the box only as a container for tacks, not as a potential platform. This illustrates functional fixedness—they were unable to think of using the box beyond its standard role.