FUNCTIONAL FIXITY

The term functional fixity was first coined by Dunker (1945) to refer to
the fact that we tend to react to an object in terms of its usually
defined function. That is, a hammer is used to drive nails but is not
frequently used as a paperweight, although obviously it could be. In an
experiment by Adamson (1954) subjects were presented with a table on
which there were a number of items, including three different-sized
pasteboard boxes. One box contained candles, another matches, and the
third thumbtacks. The subjects were told to mount the candles in a
burning position on the wall. The solution would be to empty the boxes,
tack them to the wall, and then stick the candles on them. However, the
boxes were already perceived as serving the function of containers. Only
12 out of 29 solved the problem, but when the boxes were presented empty,
24 out of 28 attained the solution. The degree to which people employ
objects for other purposes (i.e., break the functional-fixity set) has
been used as a test of creativity.

----


Anything come to mind?

Andy wrote:
> Anything come to mind?

Not sure if this is on point, but we use 4-cup Pyrex liquid measuring
cups as soup bowls in our house. A can of soup (sorry; we eat canned
soup) fits in with plenty of room left over, it goes in the microwave,
and after heating the handle stays cool enough to hold while you're
eating. Regular soup bowls *barely* hold a can of soup, soup sloshes
out between counter and microwave, and bowl gets too hot to move and
hold comfortably.

This is a great topic--can't wait to see what unorthodox tips I can
pick up from others.

Scooter

Scooter said...

>
> Andy wrote:
>> Anything come to mind?
>
> Not sure if this is on point, but we use 4-cup Pyrex liquid measuring
> cups as soup bowls in our house. A can of soup (sorry; we eat canned
> soup) fits in with plenty of room left over, it goes in the microwave,
> and after heating the handle stays cool enough to hold while you're
> eating. Regular soup bowls *barely* hold a can of soup, soup sloshes
> out between counter and microwave, and bowl gets too hot to move and
> hold comfortably.
>
> This is a great topic--can't wait to see what unorthodox tips I can
> pick up from others.
>
> Scooter


That's on point! You didn't measure with it and you could drink from the
spout if you wanted to! AND you could save a spoon in the process!

Good one!

All the best,

Andy

Andy wrote:
> FUNCTIONAL FIXITY
>
> The term functional fixity was first coined by Dunker (1945) to refer to
> the fact that we tend to react to an object in terms of its usually
> defined function. That is, a hammer is used to drive nails but is not
> frequently used as a paperweight, although obviously it could be. In an
> experiment by Adamson (1954) subjects were presented with a table on
> which there were a number of items, including three different-sized
> pasteboard boxes. One box contained candles, another matches, and the
> third thumbtacks. The subjects were told to mount the candles in a
> burning position on the wall. The solution would be to empty the boxes,
> tack them to the wall, and then stick the candles on them. However, the
> boxes were already perceived as serving the function of containers. Only
> 12 out of 29 solved the problem, but when the boxes were presented empty,
> 24 out of 28 attained the solution. The degree to which people employ
> objects for other purposes (i.e., break the functional-fixity set) has
> been used as a test of creativity.
>
> ----
>
>
> Anything come to mind?

You can use a frying pan to crack pecans. but I bet you want a
good idea.

Terry said...

> You can use a frying pan to crack pecans. but I bet you want a
> good idea.


Terry,

Another perfect example! ))

Oh pshaw, on Fri 08 Sep 2006 12:54:58p, Terry meant to say...

> Andy wrote:
>> FUNCTIONAL FIXITY
>>
>> The term functional fixity was first coined by Dunker (1945) to refer
>> to the fact that we tend to react to an object in terms of its usually
>> defined function. That is, a hammer is used to drive nails but is not
>> frequently used as a paperweight, although obviously it could be. In an
>> experiment by Adamson (1954) subjects were presented with a table on
>> which there were a number of items, including three different-sized
>> pasteboard boxes. One box contained candles, another matches, and the
>> third thumbtacks. The subjects were told to mount the candles in a
>> burning position on the wall. The solution would be to empty the boxes,
>> tack them to the wall, and then stick the candles on them. However, the
>> boxes were already perceived as serving the function of containers.
>> Only 12 out of 29 solved the problem, but when the boxes were presented
>> empty, 24 out of 28 attained the solution. The degree to which people
>> employ objects for other purposes (i.e., break the functional-fixity
>> set) has been used as a test of creativity.
>>
>> ----
>>
>>
>> Anything come to mind?
>
> You can use a frying pan to crack pecans. but I bet you want a
> good idea.
>
>

Or to beat the hell out of someone. :-)

--
Wayne Boatwright @¿@¬
_____________________

Andy wrote:
>
> Anything come to mind?

Drinking glass as a cookie and biscuit cutter
Pliers as a fish skinning tool
knife as screw driver (yikes!)
meat mallet as ice cracker
mixing bowls to eat salad from (they're the only thing big enough)

-L.

Oh pshaw, on Fri 08 Sep 2006 01:24:08p, -L. meant to say...

>
> Andy wrote:
>>
>> Anything come to mind?
>
> Drinking glass as a cookie and biscuit cutter
> Pliers as a fish skinning tool
> knife as screw driver (yikes!)
> meat mallet as ice cracker
> mixing bowls to eat salad from (they're the only thing big enough)
>
> -L.
>

Wine bottle as a rolling pin
Rubber mallet (hardware) to pound meat thin
Garlic press to extract ginger juice from root
Small hand strainer to "sift" powdered sugar on desert
Kitchen tongs to hold down small plastic containers in dishwasher
Tea ball to hold spices in stew or soup
Dish mop for swabbing meat on the grill
Paint brush as large basting brush
Light bulb in a breadbox for raising dough

--
Wayne Boatwright @¿@¬
_____________________

Wayne Boatwright wrote:

> Garlic press to extract ginger juice from root

Last time we did that the darn garlic press handle "snapped" (it was
rather ancient, tho') But... I scored a new press!

Only thing is, the old press had an "olive pitter" built into it. The
new one doesn't <sigh>

--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

Andy said...

> FUNCTIONAL FIXITY

I used my cheap-o plastic hamburger press to cut out matching bread slices.

Andy

Andy wrote:
>
> Anything come to mind?

I use an old carpet stretcher very much like
this one:

http://www.oldtoolsfeelbetter.com/7x1121.htm

to defrost my freezer. Works MUCH better than
the traditional tool (a kitchen knife).
Less chance of piercing the coils, and the
long handle means fewer scraped knuckles.

Jeez! They want UKP 65 for that thing!
Mine cost less than US$20, including
chipping from England.

Andy wrote:
> FUNCTIONAL FIXITY
>
> The term functional fixity was first coined by Dunker (1945) to refer to
> the fact that we tend to react to an object in terms of its usually
> defined function. That is, a hammer is used to drive nails but is not
> frequently used as a paperweight, although obviously it could be. In an
> experiment by Adamson (1954) subjects were presented with a table on
> which there were a number of items, including three different-sized
> pasteboard boxes. One box contained candles, another matches, and the
> third thumbtacks. The subjects were told to mount the candles in a
> burning position on the wall. The solution would be to empty the boxes,
> tack them to the wall, and then stick the candles on them. However, the
> boxes were already perceived as serving the function of containers. Only
> 12 out of 29 solved the problem, but when the boxes were presented empty,
> 24 out of 28 attained the solution. The degree to which people employ
> objects for other purposes (i.e., break the functional-fixity set) has
> been used as a test of creativity.
>
> ----
>
>
> Anything come to mind?


Thinking outside the box :

Subject: Three People Waiting For The Bus

You are driving down the road in your car on a wild, stormy night when
you pass by a bus stop and you see three people waiting for the bus:

1. An old lady who looks as if she is about to die
2. An old friend who once saved your life
3. The perfect partner you have been dreaming about

Which one would you choose to offer a ride to, knowing that there could
only be one passenger in your car?

Think before you continue reading. This is a moral/ethical dilemma that
was once actually used as part of a job application.
You could pick up the old lady, because she is going to die, and thus
you should save her first. Or you could take the old friend because he
once saved your life, and this would be the perfect chance to pay him
back. However, you may never be able to find your perfect mate again.

The candidate who was hired (out of 200 applicants) had no trouble
coming up with his answer. He simply answered: "I would give the car
keys to my old friend and let him take the lady to the hospital. I
would stay behind and wait for the bus with the partner of my dreams."

Sometimes, we gain more if we are able to give up our stubborn thought
limitations. Never forget to "Think Outside of the Box."

HOWEVER ...
The correct answer is to run the old lady over and put her out of her
misery, have sex with the perfect partner on the hood of the car, then
drive off with the old friend for a few beers.

I just love happy endings!!!

Dean G.

Andy wrote:
> FUNCTIONAL FIXITY
>
> The term functional fixity was first coined by Dunker (1945) to refer to
> the fact that we tend to react to an object in terms of its usually
> defined function.
> ----
>
>
> Anything come to mind?

I don't think this is exactly what you had in mind, but a salad spinner
half filled with water in the kitchen sink and a few squirts of
dishwashing liquid makes a fantastic toy for my 5 yr. old grandson.

Ditto for a mixing bowl, soap, water, and a wire whisk or old fashioned
egg beater. A few measuring cups add 10 or 20 minutes more of play time.

Another advantage to both of these is that he spills enough soapy water
to make kitchen floor washing imperative.

A cheap package of dry alphabet macaroni is fun to spell words with.

I use a plain white covered pottery canister by the sink to store stuff
temporarily to be composted in the garden. It was $1 at the local
Goodwill store.

Those heavy Mexican highball glasses, clear with blue swirls, make very
nice vases for shorter stemmed garden flowers.

Old party cheese crocks make very sturdy pen/pencil holders.

gloria p

In article >,
Puester > wrote:

> I don't think this is exactly what you had in mind, but a salad spinner
> half filled with water in the kitchen sink and a few squirts of
> dishwashing liquid makes a fantastic toy for my 5 yr. old grandson.
>
> Ditto for a mixing bowl, soap, water, and a wire whisk or old fashioned
> egg beater. A few measuring cups add 10 or 20 minutes more of play time.

Outstanding! I will use it for the youngest grandaughter who loves the
sink anyway. I may get an hour. And the tyke learns how to use a whisk.
Thanks!

leo

--
<http://web0.greatbasin.net/~leo/>

Andy wrote:

> FUNCTIONAL FIXITY
<snip>
> Anything come to mind?

Using shower caps to keep bowls covered is pretty well-known, I think, but
it bears mentioning here.

And those scissor-grip tongs can be used as sex toys.

Bob

Bob Terwilliger wrote:

>
> And those scissor-grip tongs can be used as sex toys.
>
> Bob
>
>


That sounds like way TMI and potentialy painful.

gloria p
who is trying to forget she read this

Bob Terwilliger wrote:

>
> And those scissor-grip tongs can be used as sex toys.
>
> Bob
>
>

um...ow...
I'm pretty adventurous but I just can't wrap my brain around that one.

--
..:Heather:.
www.velvet-c.com
I thought I was driving by Gettysburg once but it ends up I was just driving
by your mom's house.

Oh pshaw, on Sat 09 Sep 2006 06:57:29p, The Bubbo meant to say...

> Bob Terwilliger wrote:
>
>>
>> And those scissor-grip tongs can be used as sex toys.
>>
>> Bob
>>
>>
>
> um...ow...
> I'm pretty adventurous but I just can't wrap my brain around that one.
>

It's not your brain he's referring to. :-)

--
Wayne Boatwright
__________________________________________________

Oxymoron: Sharp Cookie.

"Andy" <q> wrote in message ...
> FUNCTIONAL FIXITY
>
> The term functional fixity was first coined by Dunker (1945) to refer to
> the fact that we tend to react to an object in terms of its usually
> defined function.
...snip...
>
> Anything come to mind?

I have a really nice grater that does ginger, nutmeg etc very well, I wanted
to use it to grind the ends of bamboo chopsticks that are uneven to make
them match but my SO wouldn't let me. Not that she objects to creativity in
the kitchen but she said that she knew I wouldn't number them all so that
you tell which were pairs and she sure as hell wouldn't.

The alternative of making them all the same length so that any one paired
with any other was rejected on the grounds of undue complexity and the risk
of RSI. It seems that it did fit function of the grater but not of Occam's
Razor.

David

David wrote:

> The alternative of making them all the same length so that any one paired
> with any other was rejected on the grounds of undue complexity and the
> risk of RSI.

So she believes that RSI can be prevented by using chopsticks of different
lengths?

Bob

"Andy" <q> wrote in message ...
> FUNCTIONAL FIXITY
>
> The term functional fixity was first coined by Dunker (1945) to refer to
> the fact that we tend to react to an object in terms of its usually
> defined function. That is, a hammer is used to drive nails but is not
> frequently used as a paperweight, although obviously it could be. In an
> experiment by Adamson (1954) subjects were presented with a table on
> which there were a number of items, including three different-sized
> pasteboard boxes. One box contained candles, another matches, and the
> third thumbtacks. The subjects were told to mount the candles in a
> burning position on the wall. The solution would be to empty the boxes,
> tack them to the wall, and then stick the candles on them. However, the
> boxes were already perceived as serving the function of containers. Only
> 12 out of 29 solved the problem, but when the boxes were presented empty,
> 24 out of 28 attained the solution. The degree to which people employ
> objects for other purposes (i.e., break the functional-fixity set) has
> been used as a test of creativity.
>
> ----
>
>
> Anything come to mind?

When I was first an apprentice, many moons ago, one of my tasks on day was
to make seafood fritters to go out for a party. The Executive Chef told me
to use two spoons (as for dropping cookie dough) to drop the dough into the
fryer but to make certain that I got them as round and as even as I could so
that they would cook evenly. Well, rather than use two spoons I took out
my portioner, small disher, small ice cream scoopy thing and got some water
and proceeded to just scoop and dump and rinse and repeat. I was flying
along with the task when the Sous Chef came over, looked at what I was doing
and went to get the EC. They both came over, looked at what I was doing and
the speed and accuracy with which it was being done and were amazed. The
quote was, "I *never* thought of this....I'm not sure I ever WOULD have
thought of this". From then on they knew that I had a brain and that it was
functional. This also works well for cookies and muffins and all that sorta
stuff. Tiny pancakes, etc, etc.

I also learned that if you have wet lettuce and no salad spinner (takes up
too much room) that what you do is put it in a clean dish towel or if you
have a LOT you put it in a clean pillow case. You take it outside and you
spin it over your head for a few turns. You can store it in the fabric and
it stays nice and lovely and not soggy or dry for several days. It also
doesn't rust as badly. When you go to use it just hang the towel or clean
with it. Heck, it's clean, it's just damp.

Just my two .$02.
helen

chefhelen said...

> Well, rather than use two spoons I took out
> my portioner, small disher, small ice cream scoopy thing and got some
> water and proceeded to just scoop and dump and rinse and repeat.


chefhelen,

I too use the ice cream scoop, to portion out equal size meatballs.

Andy

"Andy" <q> wrote in message ...
> chefhelen said...
>
>> Well, rather than use two spoons I took out
>> my portioner, small disher, small ice cream scoopy thing and got some
>> water and proceeded to just scoop and dump and rinse and repeat.
>
>
> chefhelen,
>
> I too use the ice cream scoop, to portion out equal size meatballs.
>
> Andy

Do you finish rounding them out or do you just leave 'em with a flat side?
I'm just curious!

helen

Melon baller to core tomatoes.
Melon baller to drizzle butter slowly.
Melon baller to reach into tall narrow jars.
Dough scraper to hold down meat and guard hand while slicing it in
half.
Douch scraper ipo cleaver to chop apples, soft vegetables.
Meat mallet - give garlic a light whack and skin slips off.
Glass baster to suck unwanted grease from a pan.
Salad spinner bowl as large mixing bowl.
Plastic straw to de-hat strawberries - push it up from the bottom.
Less waste and mess.
Those square plastic tubs like those facial cloths come in - make big
ice cubes.
Plastic shoe boxes - make big ice cubes for coolers.
Those round metal tins Xmas cookies come in - good place to store
crackers or use as small mailers.

Andy wrote:

> FUNCTIONAL FIXITY
>
> The term functional fixity was first coined by Dunker (1945) to refer to
> the fact that we tend to react to an object in terms of its usually
> defined function. That is, a hammer is used to drive nails but is not
> frequently used as a paperweight, although obviously it could be. In an
> experiment by Adamson (1954) subjects were presented with a table on
> which there were a number of items, including three different-sized
> pasteboard boxes. One box contained candles, another matches, and the
> third thumbtacks. The subjects were told to mount the candles in a
> burning position on the wall. The solution would be to empty the boxes,
> tack them to the wall, and then stick the candles on them.

That was their solution, but I would wonder if a container like like tacked
to the wall would be strong enough to hold the candle. My thought was to let
some wax run down the side of the candle and then press it against the wall
to glue it in place. That solves the problem but leaves us with a fire
hazard. So instead of putting the burning candle against the wall I would use
two candles, one to stick to the wall with melted wax, and then melt more wax
to stick the burning candle to the one glued to the wall, but offset so that
the burning end is well above the anchored one. It's still a bit of a fire
hazard, but so is a pasteboard box with a burning candle it it.

There was a similar experiment back in the late 60s or early 70s where there
were things that children were supposed to get. I am not sure if they were
behind glass or inside glass objects. A number of tools were available. Kids
from good upbringing had a hard time getting the objects, ghetto raised kids
were quicker. They just smashed the glass.


> However, the
> boxes were already perceived as serving the function of containers. Only
> 12 out of 29 solved the problem, but when the boxes were presented empty,
> 24 out of 28 attained the solution. The degree to which people employ
> objects for other purposes (i.e., break the functional-fixity set) has
> been used as a test of creativity.

There is a similar concept of functional fixation in communication. When you
hear or read a sequence of words you are prone to set up expectations about
which words will appear next. For instance if I say my dog is scratching
because he is covered in...... you will assume that the next word will be
fleas.