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. This mental block prevents individuals from seeing novel uses for familiar items. When faced with a problem, people often become fixated on an object's typical function, making it difficult to solve problems that require creative or unconventional approaches. Overcoming functional fixedness involves deliberately re-evaluating an object's possible uses beyond its standard purpose.

Professor: Let me give you a classic example from a study. 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 people tried to tack the candle directly to the wall, but the candle was too thick. Some tried to melt wax with the matches to stick it, but that didn't work either. The solution was to empty the thumbtack box, tack it to the wall as a small shelf, and place the candle inside. However, participants often failed because they saw the box only as a container for thumbtacks, not as a platform. They were fixated on its typical function. Once they realized the box could serve as a shelf, the problem was easily solved.