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 the way it is traditionally used. This mental block prevents individuals from imagining alternative uses for familiar items, thereby hindering creative problem-solving. When faced with a novel challenge, people often fail to see beyond an object's conventional function, even if a simple reimagining could provide a solution. Overcoming functional fixedness requires flexible thinking and the ability to break away from habitual patterns of reasoning.

Professor: Let me illustrate this with a classic experiment. Participants were given a box of thumbtacks, a candle, and a match, and asked to attach the candle to a wall so that it could burn without dripping wax on the floor. Some participants tried to tack the candle directly to the wall or melt wax to stick it—but those failed. Only a few realized they could empty the box, tack it to the wall as a small shelf, and place the candle inside it. The key difference was that those who succeeded saw the box not just as a container for tacks, but as a potential platform. They overcame functional fixedness by redefining the box's purpose. In a second version, the tacks were presented outside the box, making it easier for participants to see the box as a separate object—and indeed, more of them solved the problem. So the bias is strongest when an object is presented in its typical context.