托福口语 Task 3

In psychology, the concept of “functional fixedness” refers to the tendency to perceive objects only in their most common or habitual use, which limits our ability to imagine alternative functions for them. This cognitive bias can hinder problem-solving because it prevents individuals from seeing novel ways to utilize familiar items. Functional fixedness often arises when a person is fixated on an object’s typical purpose, blocking creative solutions that require reinterpreting the object’s potential roles. Overcoming this bias involves consciously breaking mental sets and exploring unconventional uses.

Professor: Let me illustrate this with 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 such that it could burn without dripping wax on the floor. Many struggled because they saw the tack box only as a container for tacks. They tried to tack the candle directly or melt wax with matches, all failing. However, the solution was to empty the tacks from the box, tack the empty box to the wall as a shelf, and place the candle inside it. Those who succeeded overcame functional fixedness by reimagining the box not as a storage container but as a platform. So, the key was breaking the habitual association.