TOEFLスピーキング Task 3

The concept of 'functional fixedness' refers to the tendency of individuals to perceive objects only in their traditional or most common usage, thereby limiting their ability to imagine alternative functions. This cognitive bias can hinder problem-solving because it prevents people from seeing novel uses for familiar items. Overcoming functional fixedness often requires a deliberate shift in perspective, which can lead to creative solutions.

Professor: Let me illustrate this with a classic experiment. In a study, participants were given a candle, a box of tacks, and a book of matches, and asked to attach the candle to a wall so that it could burn without dripping wax. Many struggled because they saw the box only as a container for tacks. However, participants who were given the tacks separately from the box quickly realized they could tack the empty box to the wall and place the candle inside it. The key difference was that the separate box was not fixed in their minds as a container, so they could see it as a shelf. This demonstrates functional fixedness—when the box was presented as a container, people couldn't see its alternative use; when it was just a box, they could.