AP PSYCHOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Functional fixedness is a cognitive bias that limits a person to use an object only in the way it is traditionally used. The concept of functional fixedness originated in Gestalt psychology, a movement in psychology that emphasizes holistic processing.

Detailed explanation-2: -Functional fixedness is a cognitive bias that limits a person’s ability to use an object in more ways than it is traditionally used and affects an individual’s ability to innovate and be creative when solving challenges.

Detailed explanation-3: -Functional fixedness is a type of cognitive bias that involves a tendency to see objects as only working in a particular way. 1 For example, you might view a thumbtack as something that can only be used to hold paper to a corkboard.

Detailed explanation-4: -When a problem solver can only conceive of using an object in its most common function, then the problem cannot be solved. Duncker (1945) used the term functional fixedness to refer to a situation in which a problem solver cannot think of using an object in a new function that is required to solve the problem.

Detailed explanation-5: -Example: You probably imagine a dry erase marker in a straight, white, round tube. You know what it would feel like to hold in your hand. And that’s your structural fixedness kicking in.