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 recognizing alternative uses for familiar objects, thereby hindering creative problem-solving. Functional fixedness often arises when people become overly familiar with an object's conventional function, making it difficult to perceive novel applications. Overcoming this bias requires deliberately stepping outside habitual thought patterns to explore unconventional possibilities.

Professor: Let me illustrate functional fixedness with a classic experiment. Participants were given a candle, a box of tacks, and a book of matches, and were 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, but failed. The solution was to empty the tack box, tack it to the wall, and use it as a platform for the candle. Most people couldn't see the box as anything but a container for tacks—that's functional fixedness. In another version, when the tacks were presented separately from the box, participants solved the problem much faster because they saw the box as a potential shelf, not just a holder.