Abstract

Functional fixedness (FF) is a concept from Gestalt Theory that describes how subjects tend to be fixated on previously known patterns. FF hinders creativity and diminishes problem solving abilities. Therefore, the nature of design requires that its practitioners exhibit less FF than the general population. In this article, we describe the results of an experiment that intended to verify whether formal Design education lessens the effects of FF on problem-solving. To this end, 75 students from the 1 st (n=40) and 3 rd (n=35) semesters of a Graduate Design Course were asked to solve the 2 variations of Duncker's Box Problem (1945). Two other variations were added, regarding the influence of dealing with real materials or visual representations (drawings). The study compared the strength of FF in freshmen with 3 rd semester students in 4 situations: Duncker's (a) inside and (b) outside the box and (c) concrete objects and (d) 2D visual representations. Results suggest variations in the strength of FF on problem-solving when using concrete materials in comparison to with visual representations (drawings). No significant difference in the results obtained by the two populations was found, apart that the 3 rd semester students were more likely to present the solutions they proposed in ways that can be interpreted as attempts to overcome FF.

Highlights

  • Functional fixedness (FF) is a phenomenon that reflects perceptual processes: a subject S perceives the elements of a given problem in such a way that it impairs him to find the solution

  • Duncker's idea has implications For Problem Solving Theory, in that it argues for a fundamental role for past experience on the range of strategies taken into consideration during problem solving (Birch & Rabinowitz, 1951)

  • Our findings did not follow those of the reviewed literature: we found no differences between students' ability to solve the Box Problem when presented with the two variations proposed by Duncker (1945): tacks inside versus outside the box, using concrete materials

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Summary

Introduction

Functional fixedness (FF) is a phenomenon that reflects perceptual processes: a subject S perceives the elements of a given problem in such a way that it impairs him to find the (or a) solution. This phenomenon was first described by Duncker Productive thinking, on the other hand, happens when “past experience is re-patterned and re-structured to meet current demands, and is the counterpart of reasoning” (Maier, 1930 apud Birch & Rabinowitz, 1951); i.e. there are not stimulus equivalences between the current problem/situation and past experiences. Experimental settings had to be quickly reassembled after each group and all staging had to be perfectly synchronized

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