16 September Today's term from psychology is Functional Fixedness.

16 September

Today's term from psychology is Functional Fixedness.

Functional Fixedness limits a person to using an object only in the way it is traditionally used. In many cases, functional fixedness can prevent people from seeing the full range of uses for an object, and limits their ability to think of novel solutions to problems. Functional fixedness may be viewed as the opposite of thinking outside the box, and has become known as thinking INSIDE the box.

Here's an example of functional fixedness.

You have two candles, numerous thumbtacks, and a box of matches. Using only these items, try to figure out how to mount the candles to a wall.

In a classic experiment, many people might immediately start trying to use the thumbtacks to affix the candles to the wall. Due to functional fixedness, you might think of only one way to directly use the thumbtacks. There is another solution, however. Using the matches, melt the bottom part of each candle and then use the hot wax to stick the candle to the match box. Once the candles are attached to the box, use the thumbtacks to stick the box to the wall.

Keep in mind that functional fixedness is not always a bad thing. In many cases, it can act as a mental shortcut allowing us to quickly and efficiently determine a practical use for an object. For example, imagine that someone has asked you to open a toolbox and find a tool that can be used to loosen a screw. It would take a tremendous amount of time if you had to analyze every item in the box to determine how effective it might be at performing the task. Instead, you are able to quickly grab a screwdriver, the most obvious item for loosening a screw. Or possibly even a table knife.