THE EFFECTS OF INCUBATION, FIXATION STIMULI, AND WORKING MEMORY CAPACITY ON DESIGN FIXATION

Amanda Brundage, Nicolás F. Soria Zurita, Elizabeth Starkey, Jessica Menold, Kathryn Jablokow

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

This paper examines design fixation in engineering classrooms, particularly focusing on the impact of incubation, fixation stimuli, and individual working memory capacity.146 first year engineering design students completed a presented design challenge under different experimental conditions. Their sketched solutions were evaluated using established fixation metrics. The results suggest no correlation between students' working memory capacity and the percentage of example features integrated into their solutions. Results indicate that when students are presented with only a negative example, fixation levels are influenced by the length of the incubation period. Based on these results, instructors can be advised to present negative examples to students 96 hours before ideation to mitigate the inclusion of excessive negative example features. Furthermore, results show a significant increase in fixation on features present in positive examples, suggesting that instructors should be aware of presenting both positive and negative examples to their students if they want to avoid design fixation.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publication21st International Conference on Design Education (DEC)
PublisherAmerican Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
ISBN (Electronic)9780791888384
DOIs
StatePublished - 2024
EventASME 2024 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference, IDETC-CIE 2024 - Washington, United States
Duration: Aug 25 2024Aug 28 2024

Publication series

NameProceedings of the ASME Design Engineering Technical Conference
Volume4

Conference

ConferenceASME 2024 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference, IDETC-CIE 2024
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityWashington
Period8/25/248/28/24

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Computer Graphics and Computer-Aided Design
  • Computer Science Applications
  • Modeling and Simulation

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'THE EFFECTS OF INCUBATION, FIXATION STIMULI, AND WORKING MEMORY CAPACITY ON DESIGN FIXATION'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this