Are our kids learning to think quicker?
October 22, 2008
I have just been helping my nine year old daughter with her math’s homework and i am constantly amazed at what she is learning. Gone are the days that every addition or multiplication is worked out in long hand in a detailed, step by step process.
The new way seems to be that if you can get to the correct answer as quickly as you can then so much the better. For example, if you are taking away 18 from 80 the new, short way would be to take away 20 then add two (80–20+2=62). This quick fire way of working out the answer is faster, more accurate and i suspect more fun. It also gives students a better feel for numbers and the relationships between them. As my daughter comments when she is doing her homework, this answer does not feel right so she can quickly redo the work and correct any mistakes.
Is this the way of the future? Is this new way of teaching math’s the way we should be teaching all other subjects? Perhaps teachers and parents are more comfortable with this new way of thinking because there is a single correct answer. You can either do it the fast or slow way but there is only one single correct answer. Yet with most problems at school and indeed in life there is never the one correct answer so there is a continuing belied that somehow the slower we go the better off we will be.
My proposition is that our kids are showing us the way. They are learning to think quicker because it is a better way to adapt and respond to a broadband-paced world. Perhaps it is us adults that need to learn from our kids in this regard?
What do you think?
Yours in Speed, Dr. Ken Hudson
Feel Stuck-Start Moving
October 17, 2008
Have you ever been in a situation where you have reached the crossroads and simply run out of ideas? When I have done so I have often just got up and started moving. There was no purpose to it other than to move my body and to clear my head. Yet often shortly after this a new idea emerged.
This sort of physical restless behaviour may actually be good for you according to the latest research:
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/health/top-story/story/680778.html
Going for a walk for example, is good for your brain on three levels:
1. The heart pumps more blood, affecting not only muscles but also the brain. Your brain needs blood, because in the blood are nutrients and oxygen, which are good for the cells and will make the brain healthier.
2. The act of doing a movement over and over also can stimulate the brain’s neurocircuits, the research author (Dr. Gary Small) ads, resulting in activity in various regions of the brain.
3. The last point is that when you are walking (outside ideally) you can take in any number of fresh stimulus e.g. it might be bird flying or a cloud. This might just give you an insight into solving a new problem in a new way.
The main message seems to be this-if you want your brain to speed up then gets your body moving. It will be healthier aerobically but also better for your brain. It seems our body and our brain is built for movement. That is why in my speed thinking sessions i like to have people moving all the time. It could be working with different partners or having everyone record their ideas on a whiteboard. The energy release is amazing and people become more playful. It is hard to be completely serious and rational when you are moving.
Try Moving. Your waistline and your brain will respond enthusiastically.
Dr. Ken Hudson
Turning off your Brain’s Monitor
August 17, 2008
One of the most common reactions among people who have tried Speed Thinking is that they can surprise themselves with their responses — where did that come from and further, what does that mean?
My theory is that because people are operating at speed they have no time to monitor or control what emerges. I call this operating at the edge of our unconscious.
Now for the first time we may have some evidence that might support this theory. In an ingenuous study with six highly trained jazz musicians, they were asked to play a keyboard while in the confines of a MRI scanner (a MRI scanner is an imaging tool that measures the amount of blood travelling to various regions of the brain as a means of assessing the amount of neural activity in those areas).
The researchers (Charles Limb & Allen Braun) were interested in finding out what were the differences when the musicians were playing a simple melody as opposed to improvising. Research Article: Neutral substrates of Spontaneous Musical Performance: An fMRI stufy of Jazz Improvisation.
http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/Press_releases/2008/02_26_08.html
What they found was that there were changes in the prefrontal cortex, the region of the frontal lobe of the brain that helps us think and solve problems and that provides a sense of self. The large proportion responsible for monitoring one’s performance (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex) shuts down completely during improvisation while the much smaller region at the foremost part of the brain (medial prefrontal cortex) increases in activity. This is the region that is involved in self-initiated thoughts and behaviours such as making up a story. The researchers explain that the suppression of inhibitory, self-monitoring brain mechanisms helps to promote the free flow of novel ideas and impulses. This pattern also resembles the situation when people are dreaming.
The systems that regulate emotion were also engaged and there was increased neural activity in each of the sensory areas including those responsible for touch, hearing and vision. The researchers conclude that there is no single creative area of the brain — you see a strong and consistent pattern of activity throughout the brain that enables creativity.
Whilst this is a single study and the sample size is small it does suggest that the evidence tends to support our theory of what could happen during Speed Thinking. So the message? Try and let go of your own internal filters and monitors and you will be amazed at the results!
Ken Hudson
The world’s fastest crossword?
August 8, 2008
We have just added a new feature to our web site that we are very excited about (see the middle bottom panel). We call it the 2 minute random crossword. The aim is to try and make a connection between two often unrelated objects e.g. it could be a tree and a person. You then place one word which connects the two e.g. living. Then build on this starting point either vertically or horizontally (e.g. lovely) or start an entirely new word (e.g. tall).
It is a crossword with a difference. First there is a time limit. Second there is no prearranged answer — there is no right or wrong. If it makes sense to you then it is ok. The really fun part is that you can create a crossword right before your eyes and your one might be entirely different from someone else.
This quiz illustrates all the features of Speed Thinking. It is fast, you can start anywhere, ideas emerge and you have to make links to often quite different objects. This is a skill that has wonderful practical benefits. For example you may be the first to forge a link that connects an existing product to a new group of consumers.
It is also a wonderful way of keeping your brain sharp.
Give it a go and send me some feedback. If you register (it is all free) then you can keep a record of how well you are going and compare yourself to others.
Best wishes ken
What you can learn from Sports Psychology
July 13, 2008
I just found a very good site that i thought had a very good summary of the top ten rules of Sports Psychology to improve performance. The site is http://www.sportsmindskills.com/sports_psychology_rules.php.
Their top ten suggestions are:
1. Focus on the process rather than the outcome
2. Develop regular routines.
3. Associate with good people and learn from them.
4. Use imagery to pre-think possible strategies and actions.
5. Use imagery to practice skills.
6. Your self-belief will dictate your success (i.e. if you believe it can be done you are half-way there).
7. Set goals.
8. Whatever you do–do it well.
9. Practice makes perfect.
10. Have Fun.
These seem to be good, common sense guide to helping you improve your performance and results whether it is at work or in your private life.
Ken Hudson
The Brain as a Muscle
July 10, 2008
In the latest edition of the Harvard Business Review (May 2008 pg.51-54) there is a fascinating interview with a brain expert, John J. Medina. The highlights of his interview are set out below:
1. ‘The brain is like a muscle. The more activity you do, the more experience you have, the larger and more complex the brain becomes.’
2. The brain remains quite plastic until we die. We are lifelong learners. Hint you have to keep learning, improving amd acquiring new skills and knowledge (like the ability to Think quickly!).
3. Unlike a DVD player for example our brain is not like a recording device — this means that we have imperfect memories. But we can improve this ability through repetition, practice and remembering the context in which we remembered the information.
4. Aerobic exercise in particular is wonderful for body and brain health (50% less chance of having Alzheimer’s).
5. Long term stress can lead to a reduction in math’s, processing of language and poorer memories.
6. Research is uncovering new insights about the brain at an astonishing rate (hint–we do not need to hype it).
So business people beware the Brain Age is upon you.
Ken Hudson
Eight Tips for a Healthy Brain
July 1, 2008
Brain Fitness is one of the new trends impacting on
A very good site that i have found is Brain
They have suggested eight ways to keep your brain healthy. These are:
Exercise and challenge your brain – don’t be a couch potato
Nourish your brain with a healthy diet, drink alcohol in moderation
Make “safety first” a priority – wear a helmet, drive safely, take any head injury seriously
Learn to manage stress and depression
Have regular checks for blood pressure, diabetes, heart rate, cholesterol
Do not smoke or use illegal drugs
We believe that Speed Thinking is also an ideal way also to keep your brain fresh, active and alert. How are you keeping your brain in shape?
Ken Hudson
Speed Thinking & Mozart
July 1, 2008
In 1993, researchers at the
The trouble is that the initial research results have not been replicated. However this is not to say that playing Mozart is not without merit aside from the pleasure of listening to one of the great composers of all time. From a Speed Thinking point of view we can conclude in the words of Professor Bill Thompson of
‘Fast tempo music (like Mozart), leads to an increase in arousal, and increases in arousal are associated with increased speed of processing.’ There are other factors involved e.g. extroversion vs introversion but as a general principle this seems to be the case.
I suspect there is something about Mozart’s music which is not only a faster tempo but the complexity yet simplicity of his music that makes the difference. So trainers, facilitators or anyone that works with groups make sure that you come prepared with your array of Mozart!
As an aside, there is some evidence that music lessons can enhance IQ in kids and with adults keep our brain alive and active. Also that playing faster tempo music has a minor effect on exercise intensity.
What music do you play?
Ken Hudson
When too much arousal is never enough
June 1, 2008
The primary aim of my Speed Thinking Workshops is to help people to think faster and better. This involves providing participants with new tools, stimulus material and challenges. In psychology speak (NB I have studied the area both formally and informally but am not a psychologist–my PhD was in Organizational Creativity) this might be referred to as increasing the level of arousal.
But can you give people too much arousal? Well according to Hebb (1955) the answer is yes. He postulates that there is an optimal arousal level which is at the mid range which is neither too high not too low–in either case this is unpleasant and aversive (I have borrowed from a lecture by Ken Haskin of Swinburne University, 21/5/97 for parts of this blog). If this is the case than the notion of Speed Thinking with its high arousal methodology would seem to be in trouble.
However, over time this concept that there is an ideal arousal state does not seem to fit what actually happens. Many people consistently see high arousal e.g. rock climbing; surfing big waves etc and find this activity incredibly enjoyable. It is also the case that any one event can (e.g. taking off in a plane) can be both scary and exciting from moment to moment. I have also found in my Speed Thinking Workshops that participants can be highly aroused and bounce between feeling uncomfortable at first and inspired at the end. We need (it seems to me) a better explanation of how people feel and what they do than Hebb’s optimal, equilibrium approach.
Enter British Psychologist, Michael Aptor and his Reversal Theory (I thank my colleague Graham Winter for this insight). Without explaining his entire theory Aptor suggests that we can have different experiential states that can vary from minute to minute, hour to hour and that we can move between these different states as we go through life. This means that we differ from each other but over time, from ourselves. These states also operate in pairs of opposites so that in effect we can change from one to another (i.e. reverse) even though we are experiencing the same thing. Hence, on a roller coaster we can experience danger and exhilaration in the same ride (see www.reversaltheory.org).
To make it more concrete for people interested in Speed Thinking, Aptor postulates that we can have a two hump model of equilibrium–meaning that we can experience high arousal as both pleasurable and unpleasant depending if we are in a Telic or Paratelic state.
The Telic state is one in which the goals are imposed, essential, it is a serious state, a sense of achievement (e.g. filling in a tax form).
The Paratelic state is a playful and one in which the activity is engaged for its own sake (e.g. go to the movies).
The implication is that The Speed Thinking process works best when it is one that is exploratory, open, safe, fun, where people can make mistakes and not to concerned with pressuring people to perform. A wonderful lesson to us all because it is in this environment that real learning takes place.
Improve how fast you think by 44%
May 22, 2008
Recently I surveyed my Graduate students at the
I asked each of my students in an elective subject called Marketing Creativity to rate how fast they were as a thinker at the beginning of the course on a ten point scale (1 being very slow, 10 extremely fast). Their average score was 4.61. This was a surprising low result in itself but perhaps they have not been encouraged to think quickly in a post graduate education experience. By comparison a group of small business owners self-scored themselves at 6.2. Which is expected (I believe) given the fast-paced world a small business competes in. In another comparison a group of facilitators scored themselves 6.5 on average. These scores also suggest that people reconise that there is room for improvement!
After approximately five hours (i.e. ten sessions of 30 minutes) of rather haphazard training by me in speed thinking I asked the students again and their score on average increased to 6.63–an increase of 44%!
I put the increase down to three main factors. Simply by talking about Speed Thinking raised student’s consciousness of it. Secondly they became more confident in it because they would practice it week in, week out. And thirdly I gave them a range of tools that seemed to increase their speed and confidence.
I also asked the students whether they considered themselves to be an extrovert or an introvert (again on a ten point scale) and found that the extroverts improved by 39% and the introverts by a whopping 51%. My proposition is that extroverts find speed thing easier than introverts because they tend to react quickly to external events rather than the introverts more internal deliberate style. Hence although introverts found the going slightly more uncomfortable they gained the most benefit. This finding will be explored more in the future.
Being able to think quickly in a time-poor world would seem to be an advantage that these students seem to appreciate and enjoy. These results tend to suggest that the pace at which we think can be improved and is not fixed.
I will bring you more results when these come to hand.
Dr. Ken