托福口语 Task 3

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 imagining alternative uses. This mental block often hinders problem-solving because individuals fail to see beyond an item's familiar function. Overcoming functional fixedness requires creative thinking and the ability to reframe the object's potential roles in a given situation.

Professor: Let me illustrate this with a classic experiment. Participants were given a box of tacks, a candle, and a book of matches, and asked to attach the candle to the wall so it could burn without dripping on the floor. Many struggled because the box was presented as a container for the tacks—they saw it only as a box. However, the solution was to empty the box, tack it to the wall, and place the candle inside, using the box as a shelf. Those who succeeded had to break free from thinking of the box solely as a storage item. This shows how functional fixedness can block simple solutions, and once you reframe the object's role, the problem becomes easy.