By Alayna Missel
Have you heard of the term functional fixedness? Properly not considering you are a freshman in college. I am here to give you some tips on studying with regards to functional fixedness. The term functional fixedness is defined as when old information that a person has learned interferes with their ability to process and learn new information. This happens because functional fixedness is a form of a fixation. A fixation is when a person focuses on the one singular, often the most common use of an item and this inhibits the person to think outside of the box in which they could be able to use the item in different ways. Why am I telling you these definitions you might ask? I am telling you because in order to be successful sometimes you have to think outside the box when looking for a solution to a problem.
The Candle Problem is a study where researchers gave participants a box of matches, a tac, and a candle. The goal of this experiment was for the participants to get the candle on the wall in a position where the wax would not drip on the wall or on the floor. For some participants it took them a while to figure the solution out. For other participants they were able to figure it out quicker. “When the correct habit hierarchy, a high drive should retard problem solving. In contrast, when the correct habit is dominant, a high drive should facilitate problem solving” (Glucksberg). For the group of participants that took awhile to figure it out, the problem was they could not stop thinking of the normal way these items could be used. This first group is an example of functional fixedness. For the group of participants that found the solution quickly, they were able to realize the different uses that the items obtained, outside of the normal ways. This study was essential because it proved how the normal way of doing things and the normal way of thinking can inhibit people to see the bigger picture and the full potential of an item and/or situation.
Functional fixedness is even impacted in adolescence. “Functional fixedness interferes with innovative problem solving and increases though development, with older children performing worse than younger children in susceptive situations.” (Deferyer & German) This quote is explaining how functional fixedness infers with learning like I previously stated and it adds new information about the different impacts it has on different ages of children. Younger children perform better because they use their imagination more than the older children do. The older children have more knowledge of what is used for what and what is associated with what. This shows how through development children that turn into teenagers and then adults have been impacted by the normality of everyday life and items and their functions.
Some advice that I will give you all is to remember to think of the different outcomes and different possibilities when trying to solve a problem. Like for example say you are in a science lab and are given a number of different materials and are told to do an original experiment. When thinking of your experiment think of the different ways the materials can be used ,and also think of the different ways the materials can work together. I don’t suggest you use this tactic for a math or english class because in these types of courses you have to follow the requirements and rules to get a certain solution/answer or a certain written response that your professor is looking for. In a science course this will definitely be helpful. I think you’d be able to impress your professor with coming up with something so original that no one else has thought
Sources
- Glucksberg, S. (1962). The influence of strength of drive on functional fixedness and perceptual recognition. Journal of Experimental Psychology. Vol 63. 36-41. https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/1963-00469-001.pdf?auth_token=933c2b4e469c0a5a4f35cba099198f8846e3f3f1
- Will, R. , Olson, D. , Munoz-Rubke, F. & James, K. H. (2018). Functional fixedness in toll use: Learning modality, limitations and individual differences. Elsevier. 11-26. https://earbmc.sitehost.iu.edu/pubs/Functional_Fixedness_2018.pdf
- Defeyter, M. A. & German, T. P. (2000). Immunity to functional fixedness in young children. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review. 707-712.
- Glucksberg, S. & Weisberg, R. W. (1996). Verbal behavior and problem solving: Some effects of labeling in a functional fixedness problem. Journal of Experimental psychology. Vol 71. 659-664. https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/1966-06294-001.pdf?auth_token=f40059ad6a585b161443836998b32dedc34a52f0
- Carrol, R. T. (1990). Student Success Guide. 13-15. http://www.skepdic.com/refuge/studyskills1.pdf