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, preventing them from seeing novel uses for it. This mental block often hinders problem-solving because individuals fail to transcend familiar schemas. Research shows that overcoming functional fixedness requires deliberate effort to reframe an object's potential functions, which can lead to creative solutions in everyday challenges.

Professor: To illustrate functional fixedness, let me tell you about a classic experiment. Participants were given a candle, a box of tacks, and a book of matches, and asked to attach the candle to a wall so it could burn without dripping wax. Most struggled. They tried tacking the candle directly or melting wax to stick it. The solution, however, was to empty the tack box, tack it to the wall, and use it as a candle holder. Many failed because they saw the box only as a container for tacks, not as a platform. This shows how their fixed idea of the box's function prevented a creative solution. Once someone pointed out the box could be a holder, they immediately saw it.