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 creative problem-solving. When faced with a new challenge, people often overlook novel solutions because they are fixated on an object's standard function. Overcoming functional fixedness requires a conscious effort to think beyond conventional uses and consider the properties of objects in relation to the problem at hand.

Professor: Let me give you an example from a classic study. Participants were given a box of thumbtacks, a candle, and a book of matches, and asked to attach the candle to the wall so that it could burn without dripping wax on the floor. Many people failed because they tried to tack the candle directly to the wall or melt wax to stick it. But the solution was to use the box as a candle holder—empty the tacks, tack the box to the wall, and place the candle inside. Why did they fail? Because they saw the box only as a container for tacks, not as a potential platform. That's functional fixedness—they were stuck on the box's usual role. Once they reimagined the box's purpose, the problem was easily solved.