Functional fixedness is a cognitive bias originating in Gestalt psychology, defined as the inability to repurpose an object for any use other than its original or traditional function, thereby negatively impacting problem solving when a novel use is required. Misleading functional knowledge is considered to be at the core of this bias.Seminal research, beginning with Duncker's Candle Box problem, established functional fixedness as a key psychological phenomenon. Modern studies have explored its mechanisms using experimental groups differentiated by learning modality: Reading (R), Video (V), or Manual (M) instruction. Further investigations examined its universality in a technologically sparse culture (the Shuar), and modality effects (pictures vs. words) in creative tasks like the Alternative Uses Task (AU task).Findings suggest that functional fixedness occurs regardless of the learning modality employed, as long as misleading functional information is provided. The bias is generally limited to simpler problems and often dissipates after the first failure. Crucially, individual differences such as better intuitive physics knowledge and fine motor skills were identified as protective factors against the bias. Research indicates that functional fixedness is a universal cognitive architecture, present even in non-industrialised cultures. Moreover, stimuli presented in pictorial format tend to induce fixedness more strongly than verbal stimuli in creative thinking tasks, by priming abstract knowledge related to normative function. Strategies for overcoming FF include abstracting design decisions ("uncommitting") and systematically breaking down an object into generic parts defined by shape and material, thus decoupling function from form.

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