http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksgaup4zqz0
First watch the YouTube video above. Functional Fixedness is not being able to think of a purpose for something other that what it is designed to do. When you are on the other side functional fixedness ie. you see the result, it may seem easy to have also thought of that solution. However when in the moment is may seem hard to fix some problems, for not only do you have to think of an object to be used for a different purpose, but also you have to think of that object. So maybe in the case of fixing something you're mental process is think about something that is similar to what is being used and then using that object to fix the solution.
Many people believe that being able to fix things only takes common sense. You have to have sense of how things work and it is easy to find a solution with common knowledge.
In the case of fixing something, how do you think people go about that process?
Do you think that functional fixedness could go hand in hand with common sense?
I really like the Youtube video you included-very creative! I think that functional fixedness and common sense definitely go hand in hand. To figure out how to use an object beyond its everyday uses you have to think outside the box, which basically goes against our common sense impulses. To some extent, common sense is a heuristic which allows us to accomplish things faster. By not thinking about an objects other possible uses, we can fast track our thinking. By overcoming this common sense and allowing our brains to think beyond what we're used to, we can overcome functional fixedness!