托福口语 Task 3

In psychology, the concept of "functional fixedness" refers to the tendency to perceive an object only in terms of its most common use, thereby limiting the ability to imagine alternative functions. This cognitive bias hinders problem-solving because individuals fail to see beyond the typical purpose of an item. Overcoming functional fixedness often requires a shift in perspective, allowing one to repurpose familiar objects in novel ways to achieve a goal.

Professor: Let me illustrate this with a classic experiment. Participants were given a box of thumbtacks, a candle, and a book of matches, and asked to attach the candle to a wall so it could burn properly. Many tried to tack the candle directly to the wall or melt wax to stick it—both failed. But the solution was to empty the thumbtack box, tack it to the wall, and use it as a shelf for the candle. The problem was that participants saw the box only as a container for tacks, not as a potential platform. Once they mentally freed the box from its typical role, they solved it easily. This shows how functional fixedness blocks creative solutions.