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 faced with a problem, individuals often fail to see alternative uses for familiar objects, which hinders creative problem-solving. Overcoming this bias requires mental flexibility to reframe the object's potential functions beyond its typical purpose.

Professor: Let me give you a classic example. Imagine you need to light a candle and attach it to a wall. You have a box of tacks, a candle, and matches. Most people try to tack the candle directly to the wall, or melt wax to stick it, but they fail. The solution is to empty the tack box, tack it to the wall as a shelf, and place the candle inside. Why do people struggle? Because they see the box only as a container for tacks—that's functional fixedness. Once they realize the box can serve as a platform, the problem is solved. This shows how breaking mental set leads to creative solutions.