Mindware

2. Mindware Strategies for Productivity

"No matter how good a plan is, or how sincere our intentions, humans are horrible at self-discipline. No one is immune. The smartest, richest, and most dedicated people abandon commitments with disgusting regularity." (Tim Ferriss). What can help with this? One technique we can use is a commitment device to make your Present Self as travels through time more consistent with your desired Future Self - more time consistent. Examples: Establish your priorities. Making a list of your top five values (career growth, personal freedom, family, etc.) and compare it with a list of this week's activities/events you've committed to. If a commitment doesn't match with any of your top values, ask yourself: Is this something that is moving me closer to my goals? If not, consider canceling it. Learning to say 'no'. Don't say 'Yes' to everyone to please people. Am I truly obligated or am I creating a story about the obligation? Pause and reflect before committing and learn how to say 'no' (politely). Share your commitments. Communicate your goals with the people in your circle who matter. Use the principle of 'social accountability' to motivate you to achieve something. The cost of skipping the task becomes more compelling. You could try using an app such as Coach.me. Scheduling. Use a calendar to schedule what you prioritize to do at specific times and places, or use habit trackers (such as Productive) to motivate regularity with accountability. Banishing distractions. Going somewhere without internet access to get work done or using a purposefully handicapped computer. Or use software that stops you from visiting time-wasting sites like Facebook. E.g. LeechBlock or SelfControl for Macs.

Scientific Basis with regards to values and wisdom

'There is a known association between goal attainment and psychological well-being. The research suggests that attaining goals promotes well-being when three conditions are met (ref): Your actions need to be self-initiated and autonomous - in other words, your motives and goals need to be intrinsic and meaningful to you - based on your own values - rather than externally imposed. You need to experience mastery and competence with respect to the outcomes of your actions. In pursuing your goals you benefit from a connection with and a sense of belonging to a social group or valued others. Other research shows: Knowing our values, and living in alignment with them is associated with less depressed mood and more subjective well-being (ref).

Values & Wisdom: Definition rephrased

'Values' are defined as: principles or standards of behaviour; one's judgement of what is important in life What really matters to you, deep in your heart? What do you want to do with your time on this planet? What sort of person do you want to be? What personal strengths or qualities do you want to develop? What would you like to have achieved by the end of your life, looking back? 'Wisdom' is defined as: the capacity of judging rightly in matters relating to life and conduct; soundness of judgement in the choice of means and ends Are you living consistently with your values, and overall been competent in attaining your higher life goals, thereby attaining overall a sense of 'living well'?

Keys to Divergent Thinking (creativity)

1. Diffuse Mode activities: allow your brain to wander in a relaxed state that is no longer fixated on the problem in question. In this state, you are calmer and better able to justify spending resources on connecting more loosely-related concepts and data to create novel solutions to stubborn problems 2. Use humor: it makes you feel good and positive and will aid in the attainment of a diffuse mode in the brain 3. Use sleep: get good sleep to foster loose-relationship connection-making in the brain Another answer is that positive moods tend to enhance divergent thinking and creative problem solving, particularly when the solutions looked for are not 'optimizing' (ideal) ones but 'satisficing' ('do the job') ones. "In light of this and other research on the effects of positive mood on cognition, research reported this year at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association shows that the feeling of having fun at work is more important than overall job satisfaction in workers' effectiveness. In a survey of 382 people from a wide variety of work places, the psychologist David Abramis found that those who felt their work was fun performed better and got along better with co-workers than did those who were satisfied with their jobs but did not see them as fun." Pratical advice: Try to cultivate good sleeping habits - to ensure that you generally get 7-8 hours of restful sleep each night. "Designate some days as 'non-focus' days, characterized by rest and 'meandering', but instead of passively watching TV, surfing the internet, etc, do non-taxing activities that are part of a daily routine, such as jogging, having a shower, or DIY work. You may then observe more insights during these periods. You may also try setting aside time to have experiences - culturally or socially - which are entirely unfamiliar and novel. This can help break existing schemas and frameworks within which we tend to get absorbed when we are highly focused in our projects. When these schemas are broken, with novel material (ideas, perspectives, sensory experiences, etc) available for cognition, this may also help cultivate lateral thinking and creative insight."

Values embedded in IQ Mindware program (and the overall endeavor)

3. Cognitive Capacity (Gated DNB) Training In training with this software over a full 40 Session period, you are demonstrating a commitment to the higher order goal of improving your intelligence - your capacity to think, learn, make decisions, solve problems, and so on. At IQ Mindware, one values-based goal that underlies all our brain training programs is that of improving our cognitive capability to learn, and acquire skill and knowledge. For us this is a satisfying, worthwhile end in itself, and integral to a wiser life.

Using the OODA loop to take someone down

According to Boyd, an entity (whether an individual, team or an organization) that can process this cycle quickly, observing and reacting to unfolding events more rapidly than an opponent can thereby "get inside" the opponent's decision cycle and gain the advantage. Getting inside your opponent's loop means that you complete your loop processing quicker than they do. The key is to obscure your intentions and make them unpredictable to your opponent while you simultaneously clarify his intentions. That is, operate at a faster tempo to generate rapidly changing conditions that inhibit your opponent from adapting or reacting to those changes and that suppress or destroy his awareness. Thus, a hodgepodge of confusion and disorder occur to cause him to over- or under-react to conditions or activities that appear to be uncertain, ambiguous, or incomprehensible.

Expected Utility Theory

According to expected utility theory, to choose optimally you must multiply the subjective gains or losses of different courses of action with the probabilities that the actions will lead to these outcomes. By doing this we can calculate the 'expected utilities' of different actions or options. Let's work through some examples. Which bet do you choose? A. A 10% chance of winning $1000. B. A 50% chance of winning $50. To calculate the expected utility of A we multiply .10 x $1000 = $100. To calculate the expected utility of B we multiply .50 x $50 = $25. So, the rational answer is A! Your System 1 (intuitive) thinking might not agree with this, but objectively, this is the better decision.

Scientific Basis for learning

Acquiring complex, cognitively challenging knowledge and skills depends on the birth of new brain cells (neurogenesis) in part of the brain called the hippocampus (review). There is a daily production of several thousand (e.g. 5000-10,000) new hippocampal neurons; some of these cells will survive and integrate into functional neural circuits as learning occurs, as but within just 2 weeks many will die through programmed cell death. Different interventions are needed for cell production and cell survival. Aerobic exercise can result in a dramatic (e.g. 50%) increase in brain cell production in just 2 weeks and four-fold over two months (ref, ref). By contrast, stress (physical or social) dramatically reduces the amount of new brain cells produced in the hippocampus (ref). Research indicates that the following conditions are need to be met for optimal brain cell survival: The learning experience should be between one and two weeks after the birth of the new cells (ref). The learning task must be cognitively challenging. Easier tasks do not result in cell survival (ref. ref). The learning process must be successful - there is a strong positive correlation between how well we learn and the number of surviving cells (ref, ref). The task-learning must involve sustained effortful / concentration, and that more effort results in more cell survival (ref). Enriched environments with opportunities for learning, social interaction, exploration, and physical activity - such as you may get on an active, exploratory holiday - also help with brain cell survival (ref)

Comprehension

An IQ Mindware core value is to strive to understand ourselves and our world in order to bring about what we want, and to prevent what we don't want, as well as simply to understand reality as it is - not as it merely seems to be based on ignorance or the stories we and others conjure about it. The reality we develop a broader and deeper understanding of doesn't have to be static and unimaginative - it can be evolving and dynamic, and gives considerable room for creativity in shaping effective 'life projects'.

Current Emotions in the Emotion Imbued Choice model

And all these current emotions can directly influence how different options are evaluated in the decision process (line G) by: Affecting which dimensions of the decision we focus on. For example fear could lead to a tendency to perceive negative events as unpredictable and out of our control while anger leads to seeing negative events as predictable and something we have the power to overcome. Here are some known relationships from the research: Whether we use shallow 'heuristic' (quick rule-of-thumb and stereotypic) processing, or deep analytic processing with more focus on the content. For instance positive moods or emotions related to feelings of certainty (including anger) can lead to being influenced more by short-cut cues and stereotypes in forming judgements (such as simple headlines, attractiveness or expertise of source, etc), while negative moods or emotions associated with uncertainty can lead to more processing effort, less influence of stereotypes and more focus on the quality of the content of the message. Which motivational goals are guiding us - i.e. specific emotions trigger implicit goals, that signal what we take to be an adaptive response to a situation/problem. Anger, for instance, goes with a desire to change the situation and move against another person or obstacle by fighting or crushing it. Sadness increases preference for high-risk, high-reward options, while anxiety increases preference for low-risk, low-reward options.

1. Mindfulness / Meta-Awareness of OODA loop

Applying the OODA loop involves being meta-aware of your own OODA loop as it unfolds, as well as how it may get inside other OODA loops or other OODA loops may get inside your own!

The problem with Mental Models

As James Clear explains in this article on mental models: We all have our favorite mental models, the ones we naturally default to as an explanation for how or why something happened. As you grow older and develop expertise in a certain area, you tend to favor the mental models that are most familiar to you. Here's the problem: when a certain worldview dominates your thinking, you'll try to explain every problem you face through that worldview.

Argumentation: Definition & Examples

At its core, argumentation is about reasoning to draw conclusions. General intelligence (measured by IQ tests) is closely related to reasoning skills. Generally the more intelligent someone is, the better their reasoning skills. Argumentation is defined as: the action or process of reasoning systematically in support of an idea, action, or theory Argumentation depends on arguments with the following three-part structure: a set of assumptions or premises (these may be hidden or implicit in practice) a method of reasoning or logical deduction and a conclusion or point

Learning: Definition & Examples

At its most general level, learning is about information processing resulting in structural change. Cutting across psychology, neuroscience, machine learning (AI), organizational psychology and behavioral ecology, learning can be defined as (ref): a structured updating of system properties based on the processing of new information that results in better adaptation, performance or competence But for the purposes of brain based learning for practical outcomes, we can define it as (ref): The capacity... to acquire or develop new, memories, knowledge or skills based on experience

OODA Loop for situations

Boyd conceived of OODA strategy in terms of opponents and zero-sum competitions - all the way from playing a game of Go some someone to engaging another nation on multiple battle fronts. You can also apply the OODA loop model to situations (seen as adaptive 'systems') more generally, many of which are not zero-sum. Here the objective is to read the evolving dynamics of a situation (e.g. how a market evolves, or how an organization is changing), including the way the system 'observes' and 'orientates' to circumstances before acting, in such a way that one can synchronize to it 'in time' with it (rather than mistiming your actions within it) and in some cases 'outpace' it - such as when one anticipates a change market dynamics or employment opportunities.

Decision-Making: Definition & Examples

Decision making can be defined as (ref): the ability to choose between competing courses of action based on the relative subjective value of their probabilistic consequences For example, when deciding which college to attend, a student must weigh the likely costs and benefits of each school and come to a decision that maximizes the probable benefits and minimizes the probable costs.

Decision Making

Decision making is the process of making choices among alternatives. Our decisions and the actions that flow from them play a role in all deliberate, autonomous behavior and are what enable us to realize the 'future selves' we envisage for ourselves, according to our higher level goals and values. It can be useful to use a step by step decision-making process to make more deliberate, thoughtful decisions. We will look at a well-known example of this kind of mindware here.

Scientific Basis (provided primarily by cognitive scientists and economists) for decision-making

Decision-making integrates the complex cognitive processes through which causal relations between actions and consequences are encoded, retrieved, and maintained in working memory with the motivational processes that determine the value, or utility, of actions or sequences of actions (ref). Cognitive scientists and economists have developed an 'expected utility' framework for understanding how to make good decisions. The components of this framework include (1) actions/options - take the programming course or the philosophy course, spend the evening working or going out with my partner, try to run the marathon, or run the half marathon; (2) outcomes - any action chosen results in an outcome, which has some level of uncertainty - take the programming course and learn some useful coding, or fail to learn much at all, try to run the marathon and complete it or fail to complete it and drop out; risk/uncertainty - typically the outcome is not entirely predictable and the action/option may involve risk and the chance of loss; (3) subjective gains/losses - outcomes come with gains or costs: gains are what you desire or value - e.g. include fun or pleasure, monetary or material gains, rewarding relationships, recognition, status, achievement, etc; costs include physical pain, loss of face, financial hardship, stress, unwanted effort or time.

Double-loop learning with all mindware models (in this case especially the KTA model)

Double Loop Learning: is an error correction process that relies on past routines and present policies. As with all of these mindware models ('mental model' in the diagram here), the decisions that keep a model like the KTA framework active in your life should be based on periodic evaluation at a 'meta' level, after you've had ample opportunity to test the model out over time. The model may evolve into something better fit for purpose, or you may discard it entirely.

1. Mindfulness / Meta-Awareness

During the next few days try to identify any time that you experience a strong emotion - try to catch it in the act, just as it happens. describe the emotion to yourself - put a label on it - and observe if possible how it affects your thoughts or behaviors. You need to develop the ability to note every time a stronger emotion is triggered - to become aware of it. Some questions you might ask: "What have I been doing in the hour?" "What have I been feeling?" "Have my feelings changed in that time?" "What have I been thinking?" "Have my feelings affected my thoughts or motivations?" And try to identify patterns in your emotional responses - habitual emotional responses, some of which might be unwanted. Practice more open monitoring meditation! You can be set aside for 15-30 minutes a few times a week. And you can even take micro-breaks during the day, to simply observe and attend to the flow of sensations, thoughts, feelings, and processes such as breathing or walking, that you are currently experiencing, while you release yourself from your current pre-occupation.

Emotional Intelligence: Definition & Examples

Emotional intelligence (EQ) is defined as: the ability to perceive, understand, and manage one's emotions Emotion is an important source of information. Those with higher EQ can read emotions better, and this can help us make better decisions and guide our behavior intelligently - such as reading warmth or trust in someone one is in conversation with, or the mood or judgements of one's partner or work colleagues. EQ is also needed for understanding and reasoning about emotions - for example, that fear often changes to relief, and that depression may separate us from others. High EQ people can also self-regulate emotions better - in themselves and in others. For example, they will better know how to calm down after feeling angry, or be able to reduce the anxiety of a friend or colleague. Those with higher EQ may also use 'positive thinking' strategies to prevent negative rumination - compulsively focusing attention on distressing thoughts or emotions.

Emotional Intelligence: Definition & Examples again

Emotional intelligence (EQ) is defined as: the ability to perceive, understand, and manage our emotions Emotion is an important source of information. Those with higher EQ can read emotions better, and this can help us make better decisions and guide our behavior intelligently - such as reading warmth or trust in someone one is in conversation with, or the mood or judgements of one's partner or work colleagues. EQ is also needed for understanding and reasoning about emotions - for example, that fear often changes to relief, and that depression may separate us from others. High EQ people can also self-regulate emotions better - in themselves and in others. For example, they will better know how to calm down after feeling angry, or be able to reduce the anxiety of a friend or colleague. Those with higher EQ may also use 'positive thinking' strategies to prevent negative rumination - compulsively focusing attention on distressing thoughts or emotions.

IQ Mindware Core Architecture Walk-Through

Expanding your cognitive capacity through gated n-back training will help you understand and apply the rules and strategies of the EIC model. Mindfulness / meta-awareness will help you reflect on your own decision-making process, and identify emotions that may be influencing your decision. In the intelligent thinking process: possibilities is needed for imagining different outcomes and emotional responses; logic/reasoning is needed for calculating expected utilities based on summing over weighted costs and benefits; evidence is useful as you gather information that might be relevant to making the decision - including 'reality checks' such as asking others how realistic your options may be; and values is needed in your judgements of the subjective value of different outcomes - the 'utilities' in consideration which will include emotional responses. After working with the EIC model for a while, your decision may also benefit from incubation - through either meditation, day-dreaming, distraction, or sleep, enabling you to settle on the right decision when you are alert and focused on the topic again.

2. Mindware Strategies

Experiment with the 'double loop learning' process - In single loop learning, the learning you do involves getting increasingly efficient and intuitive with skills and habits that implement your strategic plans based on your overarching purposes and values. in this process you may benefit from measuring outcomes (e.g. self-quantification) - to ensure objectivity and realistic feedback (not just the story you make up). When there is need for renewed adaptation, evolution or growth, or new major opportunities arise, you can engage in more critical evaluation of your values and over-arching strategic plans. This is double loop learning, that sets you on new life trajectories.

How to overcome the problems attendant with mental models

For this reason, we need to work on expanding our latticework of mental models: This means reading widely from good books, studying the fundamentals of seemingly unrelated fields, and learning from people with wildly different life experiences. The mind's eye needs a variety of mental models to piece together a complete picture of how the world works. The more sources you have to draw upon, the clearer your thinking becomes. As the philosopher Alain de Botton notes, "The chief enemy of good decisions is a lack of sufficient perspectives on a problem." Charlie Munger the billionaire investor conveys has the same advice: And the models have to come from multiple disciplines because all the wisdom of the world is not to be found in one little academic department. That's why poetry professors, by and large, are so unwise in a worldly sense. They don't have enough models in their heads. So you've got to have models across a fair array of disciplines. (ref) But it also involves actively thinking through them - evaluating them, assessing their validity, and working through their logic.

Toulmin's Model of Argumentation visualized

Ground (fact, evidence, data) --- since (Warrant) --- because (Backing) = So (probably) --- unless (Rebuttal) = Claim (Conclusion)

2. Mindware Strategies to be and behave consistently with your values (how to have the wisdom it takes to live according to your values)

Having identified core values in the previous tutorial, try working through inferences with each of the values you identified of the form: 'If I value X, what would that imply in a situation such as y that I find myself in?' And 'Does situation Y that I find myself in involve a conflict between values X and Y?' - and 'What would acting in such and such a way in that situation imply about my value preference concerning X and Y?' If you have an actual value it will be entangled in trade-offs with other values or needs, where there are costs as well as gains as you weigh up different courses of action. For instance, a value placed on friendships may conflict with a value placed on ambitions. The exercise here is to try to apply principles of reasoning to better live consistently with your values. For instance, you may reason along the lines: If I valued X, I would do p or q in that situation. If I valued X, I would not be doing r or s in that situation. If I did p rather than q in that situation, it implies that I value X over Y. By reasoning along these lines, you can make a better account of your 'value system' - as it exists in practice, rather than simply how you might want to to exist. This honesty benefits greatly from mindfulness and meta-awareness. Analysing behaviours in this way also enables you to act in a way that is more consciously consistent with your values.

3. Cognitive Capacity (Gated DNB) Training's effects on learning

HighIQPro's gated dual n-back training is another sure way to attain better hippocampus brain cell survival, and combines excellently with aerobic exercise. Unlike specific skill/knowledge learning, gated DNB training improves general information processing capacity. You can then apply this improved capacity to any specific learning situation.

Expected Utility Theory Example 2

How about? - Which bet do you choose? A. A 10% chance of winning $500. B. A 50% chance of winning $100. 0.10 x $500 = $50 0.50 x $100 = $50 So the rational answer is either - just toss a coin! Both bets have the same utility - whatever your 'System 1' intuitive thinking tells you.

Modus Tollens

If P then Q Not Q Therefore not P Here's another example of this form of valid deductive argument: 'If it being a criminal is genetically determined, then there are genetic markers common to all criminals. There are not genetic markers common to all criminals. Therefore, it's not true that being a criminal is genetically determined.'

IQ mindware for learning

Improving our ability to learn - and through learning gain in expertise and knowledge - is a core mission at IQ Mindware. Intelligence is useful in as far as it can be applied to further our goals - and one of your main strategic goals in life should be to gain more expertise and knowledge in your chosen areas.

Modus Ponens

In propositional logic, modus ponens is a rule of inference. It can be summarized as "P implies Q and P is asserted to be true, therefore Q must be true."

2. Mindware Strategies for Comprehension

In this tutorial we're looking at understanding cause and effect. COVARIATIONS: UNDERSTANDING CAUSE IN TERMS OF PROBABILITY We naturally interpret events in the world in causal terms. Try and think back to the last time you came up for an explanation for an event in terms of some cause. For me this was seeing a lot of surfers at the beach today which I explained in terms of good surfing conditions (clean breaks, etc). But note that for any given event, there are a multitude of possible explanations (causes). The surfers could have collected because it was a Friday afternoon, or because they were all part of a group, and so on. How do we determine the true cause of an event? If we have enough data over time, we can evaluate covariation information in order to select among possible explanations - as follows: For any candidate cause, what is the difference between the probability of the effect you observe occurring (1) in the presence of the cause, (2) in the absence of the cause? The candidate cause where the difference is highest is selected as the main cause of the event. Any candidate cause where the difference is notably positive can be considered a contributory cause. For example, I might estimate the probability of 'lots of surfers' given that it's a Friday afternoon (e.g. .70) and subtract from this the probability of 'lots of surfers' when it's not a Friday afternoon (.50) = .20. And I now go on to estimate the probability of 'lots of surfers' given that the surf conditions are good (e.g. .40) and subtract the probability of 'lots of surfers' when surf conditions aren't that good (e.g. .70) = -.30. Clearly in this case, the better cause to select is the fact it's Friday afternoon - not that surf conditions are good. Conditions aren't a likely contributory cause it turns out. Try working through some of your own examples using this covariation method. It works best when you have experience on which to base your probability estimates - and the more aware and sensitive you are to events in the world occurring together statistically, the better your reasoning will be. Also, you can build in conjunctions of events and figure out their probabilities - such as 'its Friday afternoon AND sunny'! NECESSITY & SUFFICIENCY: UNDERSTANDING CAUSE IN TERMS OF LOGIC Causation isn't the same as correlation (simple association or co-occurrence) which may simply be a coincidence. It involves concepts of necessity and sufficiency. Here are some useful concepts to comprehend, linking causation to logic: Sufficiency means that a cause can, by itself, produce and effect. (If c, then e) Necessity means that a particular cause must be present for an effect to occur. (If not c, then not e) A necessary and sufficient causal relation is one in which there is only one cause for an effect. (If and only if c, then e) Now try figuring out this famous definition of a cause by the philosopher John Mackie ! - A cause is an insufficient but necessary part of a scenario that is unnecessary but sufficient for an event to take place.

2. Mindware Strategies for productivity continued

It is easy to fall into the trap of overdoing it - working with faulty assumption that there is a straight line going up: more hours equals more productivity. Facebook, Cisco, Apple... places where the reigning assumption may be if you're not working 70 hours a week then you're a slacker. To make matter worse, the restful activities you know are good for you may at some level be seen as self-indulgent when compared with work - particularly if you feel under pressure to make progress. But there's more than a century's worth of research that overwork in the long run is bad for our wellbeing and also bad for productivity. Insufficient sleep and leisure affects performance negatively. You get more done quicker when you step back and recharge the brain and body on a regular - daily - basis. Rest is also essential for creativity, and being open to connections and insights that are not available an intensively focused mind. Note also that many of the most restorative kinds of rest are actually active. Moderate exercise, walks or serious, engaging hobbies such as cycling can do much more for your overall well-being and productivity than sitting on the couch binge. Exercise: Schedule breaks into your working days. Remember that for most of us, we can only do our most focused, productive work for 2 hours in a day. That leaves a lot of remaining time to schedule in breaks. When you have a break, try to let go of the goals or projects or 'to dos' that you are currently focused on. Mindfulness practice can help here. The ability to disengage from goals, and engage in them at will, is a highly valuable tool for being cognitively resilient. Being unable to disengage from current goals is also a major cause of insomnia.

2. Mindware Strategies for learning

MAP (Mental and Physical) Training: Combine aerobic exercise (running, biking, swimming) for brain cell production, with deliberate skill learning or knowledge acquisition - making sure you experience progress and attain clear benchmarks of mastery. The combination of brain cell production and survival (from programmed cell death) optimizes the learning process greatly. You can start regular skill/knowledge training a week after you start the exercise, but from then on, combine both simultaneously so the two brain-processes of cell production and survival overlap.

Evaluation

Making decisions requires weighing up the subjective values of costs and benefits;we need to be in touch with our preferences and values to do this fluidly. Our ability to prioritize also requires that we evaluate the relative importance of different options. Reasoning with trade-offs is a very important thinking skill, and it requires that we are anchored in our values. And in our overarching life-plans and strategies it is critical to be grounded in personal values that give direction and inspiration to those life projects.

Incubation: Effortless Work

Making good decisions, problem solving, coming up with strategies, understanding new material and learning new skills - benefits from a conscious-unconscious synergy. . Thinking through a problem - deliberate, effortful rational thought applying useful mindware - is needed for many of the more complex situations that we deal with. But to get the smartest results often requires that we let the target problem incubate for a while. Remarkably, the brain unconsciously works on our target problem, forming new connections, loosening unproductive lines of thought, and laying the groundwork for intuitive insight in our cognition. This is well documented in the literature. . This unconscious and effortless process and its emergence in intuition is also central to the IQMA framework, and plays an important role in the HighIQPro program. . . What conditions best induce incubation and cultivate intuition? . Sleep and dreaming for one. Hence the common wisdom of 'sleeping on it' before deciding something. Daydreaming is another. Distracting yourself for periods of time while working on a problem or grappling with a decision can also help. The distraction may only be possible if you temporarily switch off in a leisure activity or absorb yourself in other goals. And open monitoring meditation is another - particularly effective - strategy. A tutorial on open monitoring meditation and these other techniques is available in the Tutorials.

1. Mindfulness / Meta-Awareness for values (plus an exercise)

Meta-awareness is needed - as we have already indicated in the Strategic Action and Productivity Tutorials - in determining if your current situation and actions are meaningful and aligned with your higher values. Try to reflect on regular patterns of activities in your life, and consider this kind of question. 2. Mindware Strategies This is an initial exercise, just to help with explicit thought about higher level values. You can use this worksheet if it is useful. Consider the following categories: career/employment, friendships/social life, family, partner, parenting, education, personal development, recreation, spirituality, citizenship/politics, health (physical and mental). 1. In each category, write (or formulate in thought) a brief description of your values (e.g. be caring and reliable, have an impact, etc). 2. Now rate each category according to how important it is to you from 1 to 10 (0 = not important; 10 = maximally important). 3. Give each domain a rating according to how successfully you have lived your life in accordance with this value in the past month (0 = not at all; 10 = perfectly).

Mindware Strategies that 'Bracket Out' the Unhelpful Emotion

Mindfulness/meta-awareness. Much of the negative impact of our emotions happens automatically, without awareness. Becoming more cognitively aware of their decision-making processes, helping us attribute emotions to their correct sources, can help reduce the impact of biasing emotions on judgements and decisions (e.g. noting the weather reduces its impact on judgements of well-being). Also, forcing oneself to be more 'accountable' (e.g. having the expectation that one will have to justify one's decisions to an audience of experts) can also lessen the impact of biasing emotions (even though they may still be intensely felt). Restructuring the choice 'defaults' This approach is more consistently effective because it is less effortful! For instance, if cafeterias are organized so that the first foods you walk past are healthier options, the 'instant consumption' food choices you make triggered by hunger do not derail your health goals. For another example, many US states require a waiting period before individuals can buy guns, thereby reducing any immediate influences of temporary anger. and require couples to wait from 1 to 6 days to get married after receiving a marriage license.

Mindware

Mindware in the HighIQPro tutorials centres on a series of evidence-based, tried and tested mental models that can help in processing information more intelligently in our everyday, sports and professional lives. The systems scientist Jay Wright Forrester defined general mental models as: The image of the world around us, which we carry in our head, is just a model. Nobody in his head imagines all the world, government or country. He has only selected concepts, and relationships between them, and uses those to represent the real system (Forrester, 1971). Mental models are a type of mindware: A mental model is an explanation of how something works. It is a concept, framework, or worldview that you carry around in your mind to help you interpret the world and understand the relationship between things. ....For example, supply and demand is a mental model that helps you understand how the economy works. Game theory is a mental model that helps you understand how relationships and trust work. Entropy is a mental model that helps you understand how disorder and decay work. (James Clear) Learning and applying mental models works synergistically with meta-awareness and cognitive capacity. With greater cognitive capacity it is easier to learn and apply mental models

1. Mindfulness / Meta-Awareness for problem-solving

Need to develop a constructive, deliberate process for solving problems, where at the very least you pause in your 'mental workspace' to be more conscious of the problem solving process. Verbalize aloud all the steps that you go through when solving problems may be a useful way of developing meta-awareness of the problem solving process, and you will achieve greater mindfulness if you focus on the problem solving process rather than the result. Effective problem solvers put more effort into the problem solving process than do poor problem solvers. They try to provide themselves with a clearer picture of what is going on during the process.

2. Mindware Strategies for the OODA loop

OODA loop refers to the decision cycle of observe, orient, decide, and act, developed by military strategist and United States Air Force Colonel John Boyd during his dog-fights as a fighter pilot. The concept is that decision-making occurs in a cycle of observe-orient-decide-act. The critical component of this loop from a strategic point of view is 'orient'. Orientation is based on culture, genetics, previous experience, ability to analyze and comprehend (IQ), and schemas or mental models/conceptualizations of reality. Orientation shapes the way we observe, the way we decide, the way we act.

OODA Loop (Continuous Improvement)

Observe: take a look at the current situation form theories about the problem Orient: gather data and information to substantiate those theories Decide: develop solutions to address the problem Act: implement and evaluate their solutions Exercise: Try to identify situations that could be characterized as OODA loops in your own life, and try to figure out what feeds into each of the elements of the loop. Consider what you would need to do to 'get inside' the situation's OODA loop to have an advantage within it.

Knowledge To Action model (phase 1)

Phase 1: Knowledge Creation This is a funnel with three phases. As knowledge moves through the funnel, it becomes more distilled and and useful. The needs of knowledge end-users are incorporated into each phase of knowledge creation. Inquiry: Try to use journal scanning and alert services to keep track of new, relevant knowledge in the form of article abstracts (concise summaries of the research). You could try setting up a Feedly account for RSS blog/journal feeds and keyword alerts to help with this. I combine Feedly with research digest services that provide feeds summarizing research in the areas I am interested in. I use ScienceDaily: Mind & Brain News, BPS Research Digest, and Psychology Headlines, among others. You can also keep tabs on specific researchers or research labs that focus on the area you are interested in - as well as simply finding individual research articles at source. Synthesis: Here we are looking for up-to-date systematic reviews of the research on the target topic. You can find these by using the keywords 'review' or 'meta-analysis'. Reviews weigh up the whole field and draw conclusions based on all available evidence. It is this kind of information that applications should be based on, not individual research papers. Tools & Products: Here we extract procedures, formulae, decision-making tools, etc that enable concrete implementation of the knowledge - in practice. For example, each of mindware models (like the KTA model!) covered in the HighIQPro tutorials is such a tool/product, with guidelines for their application. The quality of the evidence here is critical. Research digests can be good filters for quality. If you are using source articles, ensure they are peer-reviewed, and associated with reputable research institutes (check if they are listed in the SSCI). Also, when scanning individual articles it is important not to over-generalize from them. One-off results always need replication - and ideally meta-analyses. As for possibilities and logic, remember that most research findings are interpreted in terms of theories - and that different theories may be available that can account for the data. The more you immerse yourself in research the more you will see different possibilities. For values we are looking at getting enough of a 'feel' for the literature to be able to judge what is important, and prioritizing what is needed for application.

Knowledge To Action model (phase 2)

Phase 2: Knowledge Application Graham understood the action cycle as a dynamic process in which all phases in the cycle can influence one another and can also be influenced by the knowledge creation process. The cycle is not uni-directional, but helps structure our thinking about what to consider. This phase includes the much-needed implementation plans and practices designed for practical adoption of the knowledge. Identify problem & select knowledge: This may involve evaluating the gap between the desired and actual practice and evaluating knowledge relevance. For instance, the gap between dietary habits, and a diet that promotes brain health, and evaluating which evidence based dietary practices can be implemented, drawing from the 'Knowledge Creation' phase. Adapt knowledge to local context: Application of knowledge always involves calibration - tweeking and prioritization to fit the constraints and opportunities of your own actual situation. For instance, in applying dietary recommendations you may factor in your own dietary preferences or those of your family & friends. Perhaps your own physiology has distinct interactions. Assess barriers to knowledge use: In our example, barriers may be that we have a limited budget or moving over to the 'knowledge creation' phase, we may not have the expertise (or time) to evaluate all claims adequately so trade-offs have to be made. It is also worth mentioning facilitators to knowledge here too (not in the original model). We may have access to a well-informed evidence-based nutritionist, for instance. Select, tailor and implement interventions: The information above is used to develop and execute the plan and strategies to promote awareness and implement of the knowledge. This step may require education (information), training, or use of tools that facilitate decision-making. In our example, we are now looking at e.g. formulating a weekly meal plan - perhaps using an app to help us stick to it. Monitor knowledge use: This step involves measuring outcomes and other relevant information - e.g. compliance level, budget, agreed on measures (may be subjective) of brain health. It is needed to determine the effectiveness of the strategies and plan so they can be adjusted / modified accordingly (see next step). Evaluate outcomes: There comes a point where you'll need to more deliberately evaluate the effectiveness of the knowledge tools/product in its applied context for the end-user, in order to decide on any needed changes. Has the knowledge made a difference? Have we narrowed the gap between evidence and actual practice? Sustain knowledge use: Using strategies to maintain behavior/practice changes is critical to ensure that gains are not lost over time, or with changing circumstances. Maintenance strategies can be as simple as reminder systems, or more diverse tactics to build enduring, life-changing habits.

Possibilities

Possibilities covers our ability to imagine different scenarios or hypotheticals under the constraints we're working under. This skill includes coming up with working models and 'run-through' examples. If we're making a decision, this skill underlies the ability to generate possible choices and their imagined consequences, given constraints of resources, time, abilities and so on. If we are looking for explanations, this skill underlies coming up with different possible scenarios that could account for the facts. This skill also covers our ability to imagine ourselves in different times and places - e.g. our 'future selves' when we are strategizing or committing to something.

2. Mindware Strategies for practical reasoning (through/beyond/in the presence of emotions)

Practical reason is the use of reason to decide how to act. It relates to what we ought to (rationally) do. It contrasts with theoretical reason which is the use of reason to decide what to believe or conclude (e.g. the reasoning you use in figuring out answers in IQ tests). While the conclusion of practical reasoning is an action, the conclusion of theoretical reasoning is a belief. Practical reasoning is central to our rationality. Here is an example of theoretical reasoning: (Belief) It is going to rain. (Belief) If it is going to rain, the streets will get wet. So, (Belief) The streets will get wet. And here is an example of practical reasoning when it's going to rain on your way out: (Desire) I want to avoid getting wet. (Belief) I will only avoid getting wet if I take the umbrella So, (Action) I take the umbrella. If you don't take the umbrella, your action will be irrational. Here's another example of practical reason: (Goal) I have a goal to complete this work project as fast as I can. (Belief) Carrying out this database search I know is the most efficient way to complete this goal. Therefore, (Action) I carry out this database search. The database search is what you ought to do. If you do not carry out the database search - for instance, because of laziness, or simple absent-mindedness - you can be deemed to be behaving irrationally. And for a last example focusing more on the 'ought-beliefs' that accompany rational actions. (Value) I am careful to always reciprocate and not 'free-ride' on other people's generosity. (Belief) I know that taking the time to help my co-worker here reciprocates a lot of help I've had from her in the past (and there is no conflicting value or obligation here to consider). So, (Ought-belief) I should help my co-worker. In this case if you decided that, for instance, you couldn't be bothered (!) and made an excuse to do something else, you could be judged to be either irrational or hypocritical. (Note: These examples above are to be understood as scenarios with no 'extra complicating factors' involved.) For this exercise, we are considering emotional intelligence in the context of being rational with respect to our intentions, values and desires. Try to identify cases over some designated time period (e.g. the day) where there are ways you ought to act, based on relevant practical reasoning of the sort identified above. And then evaluate whether or not you are acting as you should be, or are you behaving irrationally.

2. Mindware Strategy for decision-making

Practice using Expected Utility Theory as explained above - weighing up probabilities and pros and cons of outcomes - rather than just going with your instinct or choosing the first option that springs to mind. Use a pen and paper and sketch out a decision-tree if you need to. You won't be doing this all the time of course, but it might help you develop better decision-making procedures by trying it a few times, perhaps highlighting information you would not normally consider.

Problem solving

Problem solving is a critical skill that you will need in all aspects of your life - including attaining your overall life goals - aligned with your values - through strategic thought and action. Problem solving ability lies at the very core of our intelligence. By building on your existing skills and creating a solid foundation in problem solving techniques, you can improve considerably in your problem solving ability.

Problem Solving: Definition & Examples

Problems and problem solving can be defined as follows (adapted from Karl Duncker): A problem arises when we have a goal but do not know how the goal is to be reached. When we recourse to thinking to devise action/s which mediate between the existing and the desired situation we are problem solving. When there is a perceived obstacle to accomplishing some goal, we may think about the situation, plan a strategy for getting beyond the obstacle to accomplish our goal, and attempt to follow the plan, making changes or adjustments as needed - this is problem solving. Problems are classified into two different types : ill-defined and well-defined. Well-defined problems have clearly defined goals, and clearly defined solution paths. Algorithms (formulae or recipes) can often solve these kinds of problems. Examples include: How do you solve 2x^2 - 8= 0? How do you figure out how to use the 'Track Changes' feature of a word processor? The trick in solving well-defined problems is to clearly identify the problem and gain expertise in applying the right kinds of algorithms to discover the most reliable and efficient paths to reach the goal state. These paths already exist - you just need to get better at finding them! Ill-defined problems are those that do not have clear goals, or agreed upon solution paths. For example: How do you invest your money to get the best returns? How do you grow your business? How do you get that girl or guy to go out with you? Solving these kinds of problems usually depends on using rules of thumb (heuristics), as well as creative problem solving, and can benefit from the methods described in the 'Mindware' tutorial below.

Productivity: Definition revisited

Productivity is a measure of efficiency of a person completing a task - the efficiency of converting inputs into useful outputs.More technically productivity can be defined by dividing output (e.g. completing a project, learning a skill) by the total costs incurred or resources consumed (time, money, effort, psychological stress, etc). Note that productivity isn't the same as just working hard - it is a measure of efficiency. Being more productive therefore benefits from how smart you are with the work you do: it's not about quantity, it's about quality. And productivity isn't just about work - it figures in any activities involving learning, creativity or skill. Being productive is at the very heart of the popular 80:20 Pareto Principle: "20% of your actions or inputs, products or services...will create 80% of what you want" Tim Ferriss

Productivity

Productivity is a measure of efficiency of a person completing a task - the efficiency of converting inputs into useful outputs.More technically productivity can be defined by dividing output (e.g. completing a project, learning a skill) by the total costs incurred or resources consumed (time, money, effort, psychological stress, etc). Note that productivity isn't the same as just working hard - it is a measure of efficiency. Being more productive therefore benefits from how smart you are with the work you do: it's not about quantity, it's about quality. And productivity isn't just about work - it figures in any activities involving learning, creativity or skill. Being productive is at the very heart of the popular 80:20 Pareto Principle: "20% of your actions or inputs, products or services...will create 80% of what you want" Tim Ferriss Tim Ferriss claims that he is "always looking for little inputs and tweaks that have disproportionately big outputs". For example, he makes extensive use of productivity apps to help him stick to his plans and achieve his goals.

Mental Attitude / Mindset

Research has shown that having the right mindset can foster more effective goal setting and attainment, a more positive attitude toward practice and learning, a desire for feedback, a greater ability to deal with setbacks, and significantly better performance over time

Productivity Findings

Research shows the following relating to productivity and efficiency: Productivity and efficiency is integral to many scientific definitions of intelligence (ref). More intelligent people have more efficiency in brain function for is true for practiced skills or tasks (ref). There is a link between job satisfaction, flow and job performance - a measure of productivity & efficiency (ref, ref) and we are more productive at work when we are happier (ref). Gated dual n-back training can help improve brain network efficiency in brain regions underlying flexible goal-pursuit and problem solving - which can improve cognitive productivity (ref).

Emotional Intelligence is extremely important according to science:

Scientific Basis Research shows (review) that EQ contributes to (significantly predicts): Life satisfaction. Relationship quality. The ability to manage moods. Mental health outcomes (ref). Note that IQ (as measured by traditional IQ tests) also contributes to the ability to manage moods. IQ also helps us prevent our moods from biasing our judgements (ref).

Search

Search is your ability to actively seek out relevant information and data for the target topic. This could involve internet searches, RSS feeds, Twitter accounts, library searches, brain storming with others, and so on.

2. Mindware Strategies for a higher EQ

Select the situation. Stay clear of situations that trigger unwanted emotions. Identify some unwanted emotions For example, if you know that you're most likely to get angry when you're in a hurry, then don't leave things for the last minute. Shift your attention focus. Let's say that you often feel frustrated and inadequate on account of not completing your daily to-do list. Try shifting your focus away from the 'to do' list to a 'have-done' list you may use. Use a standard that you measure up to more constructively, and consistently focus on this. More generally, actively attend to something positive when your attention is pulled as if magnetically to something negative. Change your response. If you are in the grip of an emotion, you can still choose to change your response for better self-control. Taking a few deep breaths can help break the circuit and actively inhibit a less intelligent response. And then choose a more intelligent, mature one. When you have a higher value placed on intelligence or wisdom, this process of self-control becomes easier to make a practice of. Your gated DNB training will help with this ability too.

1. Mindfulness / Meta-Awareness for decision-making

Slow your normal decision-making process down. Try to make explicit to yourself the times during the day when you have a clear choice and the opportunity to make a rational decision. Try to imagine different 'future self' scenarios which different actions may lead to as you deliberate on your choices.

Mindware Strategies for Dampening Unhelpful Emotions

Sometimes emotions aid decision-making. But sometimes they have unwanted effects that bias our decision-making. Here are some evidence-based strategies that can be used to reduce the unwanted effects of emotions on our decision-making. Time Delay. Full-blown emotions are short-lived, physiological responses quickly fade. The trouble with this is that emotional states motivate immediate responses to adaptive concerns - so it is difficult to let them pass before arriving at a more considered judgement or decision! So self-discipline and will-power is often needed to be successful with this strategy. Suppression. Research indicates this is a bad strategy, leading to a number of cognitive costs that are not helpful in decision-making such as impairing memory of details of what triggered the emotion. Reappraisal. Reframing the meaning of a situation leading to the strong emotion - for instance, reminding yourself that "it's just a test" after receiving a poor grade, adopting the mindset of a 'first aider' to minimize the emotional impact of viewing someone's injury, or viewing a job layoff as an opportunity to pursue long-forgotten dreams. Triggering Counteracting Emotions. For instance, sadness can make us focus on short-term gains at the expense of bigger long-term gains. But gratitude has the opposite effect. So by evoking gratitude when in a situation that you feel down about, you could offset the short-term (often high risk) bias that goes with the blues. Alternatively, you may be able to substitute anger for fear, offsetting the effects on your decisions of feeling out of control and risk-averse. This could be helpful in any potentially threatening situation.

1. Mindfulness / Meta-Awareness for Argumentation

The key for your mindfulness /meta-awareness is to (1) be non-judgemental about yourself if you first have difficulties with some of the logical reasoning principles - for instance, getting the Four Card problem wrong below. 80% of students got this wrong in some studies. Logical rules are learnable and your reasoning skills can improve through having the right mindware and practicing; (2) try to become aware of whenever you are hearing - or involved in - an argument as defined above: try to identify the premises (you may need to make them explicit, the type of reasoning involved (is it deductive?), and the conclusion.

Another mindfulness exercise for emotional intelligence

The mindfulness needed for these exercises is simply to be able to focus in on the notion of 'practical reason' and pick out some examples that you encounter in your day - in others and in yourself.

Why Mindfulness / Meta-Awareness of values

The objective here is to use your mindfulness to maintain objectivity and truthfulness about your actual values. Sometimes real meta-awareness of one's own 'value-preferences' is difficult to attain - it takes a high level of self-reflection.

1. Mindfulness / Meta-Awareness for argumentation with the Toulmin Model

The objective of mindfulness here is simply to recognize when the Toulmin Model of Argumentation may be applicable - when you (or others) make a claim that is contestable, for instance. Or when you read an argument in print.

Emotion Imbued Choice (EIC) Model

The tutorial for this session builds on the rational choice decision-making model that we looked at in Decision-Making 1. Jen Lerner's Emotion Imbued Choice (EIC) model (ref) is supported by the 30 years of research. It factors in the critical role of emotion in our decision-making process. This is a very powerful, useful model if you take the time to work with it for a bit. That's the first decision you need to make: Do I set aside time to work with this and give it a spin? (!)

1. Mindfulness / Meta-Awareness

Thinking and acting strategically involves being able to develop a meta-awareness of (1) the rewards and costs (and their trade-offs) associated with situations, and (2) intuitions about the kinds of situations and rewards that might unfold from current activities. Less intelligent behaviour results in the relative loss of rewarding futures. As you go about your daily activities, try to think about the situations you are in, and how they may evolve into future situations with associated rewards or costs. And try to think of prioritized goals as bottlenecks / tunnels that open up future possibilities over the longer-term that are rewarding.

Reason

This is the label the IQMA uses for our reasoning skills - deductive logic, inductive logic, analogical reasoning, causal reasoning, and probabilistic reasoning. Often we don't actively reason things through to plan, solve problems, find explanations or make decisions, but we take quick short-cuts based on what 'leaps to mind'. Reasoning is very powerful because we can arrive at new knowledge or ideas from what we already know to be true or what is already familiar to us: reasoning is often like following a path that we haven't seen the end of before. We can also assess the truth of claims through reasoning by - e.g. working on the assumption the claims are true, would follow from them? What would follow can often be checked that against the actual facts and if they contradict what follows, we can reject the assumptions.

Evidence

This thinking skill relates to how we determine levels of support (warrant) for beliefs, claims, etc. What beliefs do you hold that you have no evidence to support them? What facts does X take for granted based on external authorities? What opinions do you express that you have not opened up for scrutiny? What evidence could be presented that would cause you to change your mind?

1. Mindfulness / Meta-Awareness of Comprehension

To reason causally, to find causal explanations, and to learn cause-effect relations as you develop knowledge and skill, you will benefit considerably from being open, sensitive and mindful of the events you experience without imposing your own schemas on them which can over-simplify and bias your experience. So we recommend developing more mindful, clear perceptions, and an accurate memory, to detect true covariance patterns accurately, as discussed below. Belief biases. When we look for explanations of why events occur, we have to be careful with these 'belief biases': (1) focus only on theories that are consistent with your beliefs or existing schemas of how things work, (2) have a biased preference for data that supports your beliefs, neglecting evidence that goes against them; (3) do not revise your beliefs when there is inconsistent data, even though your attention has been drawn to it. We resist changing our minds, even in the face of disconfirming evidence.

2. Mindware Strategies: Toulmin's Model of Argumentation

Toulmin's Model of Argumentation can help you to analyze and evaluate your own claims - whether in conversation or in writing - as well as the claims & arguments of others. Let's work through a topical application of this model provided by Dale Sullivan at NIU. Claim/Conclusion: This is the assertion that can be challenged or debated. (In essays it would be called the thesis.) For instance, the claim may be: "Harvey and Jane would not be splitting up if Harvey had treated her with more respect." Ground: The fact, data, statistics, etc, that you appeal to as the basis of the claim. For instance: "He never let her finish telling her side of the story without interrupting or shutting her off." This statement is evidence that Harvey did not treat Jane with respect. Warrant: This is what bridges the gap between the ground and the claim, ensuring that the ground entails the claim. It explains why the ground supports the claim. For instance: "Cutting someone off is a sign of disrespect." Backing: The backing may be introduced when the warrant itself is not convincing enough to the readers or the listeners. The backing explains e.g the cultural assumptions or the theoretical basis for the warrant. "Given our tacit understanding that holding the floor is a sign of authority." So at this point we have a line of reasoning that goes like this: "Given our tacit understanding that holding the floor is a sign of authority, cutting someone off is a sign of disrespect. Therefore, when Harvey repeatedly cut off Jane, he was showing his disrespect for her. If he had shown her more respect, they would not be splitting up now." Rebuttal: These are 'unless' statements recognizing the restrictions which may legitimately be applied to the claim - explaining conditions under which the string of reasoning to this point would not hold. For example (at a stretch): "Unless Harvey and Jane grew up in families in which it was common for people to cut each other off without giving offense." Modality: The last part of the diagram is labeled 'probably' in the diagram above. Modality is degree of force or certainty concerning the claim. Others are - "possibly," "in my opinion," "presumably," "as far as the evidence goes," "necessarily/certainly". "If Marty had shown Jane more respect, they CERTAINLY would not be splitting up now." Exercise: Compose an argument based on a claim you or someone else has made recently using Toulmin's Model of Argumentation.

1. Mindfulness / Meta-Awareness of productivity #2

Try to develop meta-awareness of how engaged or disengaged you are with your goals (in commitments, projects, etc). Are you so absorbed in a goal or ambition that you can't release from it to have a rest or switch off to fall asleep when you need to? The ability to disengage from goals and then engage with them again, is a very valuable executive function ability. Mindfulness practice can help with this ability.

1. Mindfulness / Meta-Awareness exercises for learning

Try to monitor in the learning process whether you are experiencing success and progress or not. Without clear success, the neural circuits in the hippocampus that encode new knowledge and skills do not become hard-wired. Also monitor how much effort and focus you are putting into your training: the more, the better.

IQ Mindware Exercise for EIC model practice

Try to work through the Emotion Imbued Choice (EIC) model in an important decision you need to make, considering the probabilities of different outcomes and their anticipated costs and benefits (utilities and associated emotions). But also picking out all the possible emotional influences on your decision. Also consider how you might improve your decision-making using some of the mindware strategies outlined above. Keep the IQ Mindware core architecture above as a more overarching framework for your work here.

Expected Utilities in Emotion Imbued Choice Model

Using this model, you start with different options to decide between. Solid lines A, B and C. You first have to assess the expected utilities of the different models (using expected utility theory discussed in Decision-Making 1). At this point you also need to factor in your own personality (e.g. risk aversiveness). From this you get an overall evaluation of each option and the best option is chosen (line D). The EIC model adds emotions to this process in two ways: 1. Expected emotions (line A). The 'utility' for each decision outcome is judged by predicting one's emotional response to that outcome. These expected emotional responses act as inputs to the decision process. 2. Current emotions (green dotted lines). The second kind of emotion in the EIC model consists of emotions that are felt at the time of decision-making. There are different sources for current emotions: 3. Characteristics of the decision maker, such as chronic anxiety, depression or optimism (line B') Characteristics of options such as uncertainty in probability leading to anxiety, or time delays leading to anger/frustration or losing interest (line C'). 4. Anticipated emotions (expected utilities) can influence current emotions - e.g. anticipating a painful injury may result in feeling fear now (line F). And it can work both ways - current emotions from all influences can impact the expected emotions/utilities of outcomes - e.g. anger could reduce the anticipated pain of an injury (line I). Thinking about the decision can directly cause frustration or other emotions - e.g. if the options are nearly equivalent or involve difficult trade-offs (line G'). 5. Emotions arising from an unrelated event, the weather, or mood—can also carry over (line H).

Comprehension: Definition & Examples

We define comprehension as: The ability to understand something - to grasp the relevant structure and significance/meaning of some subject-matter or situation. Examples of comprehension include: Understanding the gist of a scientific study, figuring out an explanation why something happened (such as the unexpected success or failure of some venture), being situationally aware of how your work environment is changing and what needs to be done to adapt to it, grasping the concept of standardized scores in statistical samples, or a 'blockchain' underlying the Bitcoin currency, or understanding the underlying meaning of someone's actions; judging accurately that one source of information is high quality and another source is poor quality; or keeping track of how we are doing - through self-quantification - in our brain training.

2. Mindware Strategies for problem-solving

We suggest implementing the following for successful problem solving (ref): Having problems is not bad and it does not imply weakness; it's the grist for IQ! You need to cultivate a constructive attitude to problem solving, and good problem solvers believe that the problem can be solved using the right methods. Accuracy in identifying & describing the problem situation. The problem and relevant information (including time and resource constraints) needs to be fully understood before beginning. Ensure you have identified the root problem, rather than symptoms of the problem or derived problems. Identifying a root problem may depend on insight as well as analysis. Break the problem into parts. The problem is broken into smaller steps, each of which is easier to solve than the whole Think before jumping to a solution; don't just act on the first solution that comes to mind - generate ideas and different solution strategies. This may be a creative process. Solutions must be within our power and ability - under relevant constraints - otherwise they may be doomed to failure. Avoid cutting corners or guessing; try to be systematic in the process of problem solving. The problem should be worked out in an effective order, step-by-step, according to plan. Most problems can be solved: don't give up on it before finding a solution. Reflect on & verify the solution at the end of the process. You may need to adapt or extend your solution strategies.

Strategy: Definition & Examples

We will use the following definitions: Strategic action promotes strategic advantage, and/or implements strategic plans. Strategic plans are high level plans to achieve goals under conditions of uncertainty. Strategic vision is intuitive, creative thinking about high-value envisioned futures.

EIC Model Walkthrough

We've got to make a decision about what project to commit to over the next month and we have two options: Project X and Project Y. We can't do both! We've just completed a project and feel pride in what we've done with that. and want to carry the momentum forward. First we identify we weigh up each option rationally in terms of benefits and costs. Benefits can come from the interest in the project itself (how motivating it is) or a sense of quick progress, as well as whatever results from completing each project. Costs can come from e.g. effort or stress involved, being late with or failure to complete the project. On the EIC model it's important to imagine the anticipated/predicted emotional impact of the benefits and costs of each option (line A). We also need to judge the odds of succeeding in what we set out to do - how likely are we to complete Project A as intended or Project B as intended? Have we factored in all the uncertainties. From all this information, we should be able to estimate 'expected utilities' for our two options - Project A or Project B. That's the starting point to making a good decision. We could just choose based on this process - but the EIC model helps us go deeper and come up with an even better quality decision. We need to reflect on our current emotions and how they may be impacting our judgements and the decision-process. For instance: Your personality- e.g. over-optimistic and confident- which may lead to you recklessly over-estimating the chances of success (line B'). Knowing yourself is important here. Characteristics of options that have an immediate emotional impact on you: for instance, the time delay of an option may lead to feelings of frustration that have a negative impact on your decision, particularly if your motivations are directed to instant gratification at the moment (line C'). We may overfocus on the expected emotions when we imagine e.g. failing in a project - which could overwhelm our decision-making process with a sense of 'fear of failure'; or on the flip side, the pleasure of imagined success may bias a well-rounded judgement towards snap decisions (line F). The emotion of pride that is still lingering from the previous project carries over and gives us a more biased sense of our own capabilities and ability to be in control of the next project (line H). Having considered all this, you may judge that you need to give yourself a bit of time to let your current feeling of pride or current positivity wane into a bit more neutrality to give you more objectivity about the uncertainties involved. You may also try reframing fear of failure in a different way: 'If it failed it would be a valuable learning experience'. This may help one of the options become more attractive in a way that was more rational. You could also imagine having to justify your decision to someone, to give you more useful detachment from unwanted emotional levers. After all this, you should be good to go!

Steps in Problem Solving

When there is a perceived obstacle to accomplishing some goal, we may think about the situation, plan a strategy for getting beyond the obstacle to accomplish our goal, and attempt to follow the plan, making changes or adjustments as needed - this is problem solving. Steps in Problem Solving 1. Identify the problem Ensure you do not focus on narrow, low priority areas. Try to identify the root cause of the problem, not symptoms of the problem. This process involves analysis of the problem. 2. Generate Alternative Solutions 3. Select Solution 4. Implement Solution & Monitor 5. Evaluate

1. Mindfulness / Meta-Awareness of Productivity

You are encouraged to reflect on whether you are being productive or not in specific tasks that are important to you, and to self-experiment to improve your efficiency and productivity in them. One exercise you can try is to become more aware of your 'Future Self' as a guide to your decisions and actions. We often view our future selves as we'd view strangers, which is why we smoke, fail to save, and continue to eat cheap, convenient food rather than investing in a healthier diet and so on. When you set goals for yourself like completing a 20 Session brain training program, or losing 10 kg of weight or increasing income by $1000— you are envisioning what you want your Future Self to have accomplished. Taking the time to vividly imagine the experience of your future self can help here.

Mindfulness/Meta-awareness

You need to be aware of when to use mindware in different situations. Much of what we process cognitive is done on automatic pilot, and this often leads to cognitive biases, errors, sub-optimal non-smart outcomes! Meta-awareness is needed to recognize our cognitive biases and automatic defaults that lead us astray, so we can substitute useful mindware in their place. An augmented type of self-awareness is non-judgemental mindfulness of our mental processes and behaviors. This kind of awareness involves emotional intelligence and helps us learn systematically from mistakes and failures. Mindfulness can help us be more objective about our abilities without being defensive through a sensitive ego, and help us tackle situations we might avoid through fear of negative judgements or self-censure. It can also enhance meta-awareness and our ability to pick out habitual thought patterns more generally.

Cognitive Capacity

Your general cognitive capacity is the raw processing power of your brain. It is trained directly by HighIQPro. It incorporates: The bandwidth of the amount of information you can process while thinking something through 'off line'. (Working memory capacity). The efficiency of deploying your problem solving, decision-making, comprehension, etc. Your ability to override automatic, reactive processes in your mind and think problems through 'offline'. Your ability to control your attention.

Fallacy

a mistaken belief, especially one based on unsound argument

Toulmin Model of Argumentation

all arguers will proceed through a series of claims, grounds, and warrants in the process of argumentation

Expected Utility Theory Example 3

ometimes the probabilities and values have to be subjectively estimated. For instance: What do you choose? A. Trying to learn the guitar (a new instrument) via YouTube. B. Trying to learn Spanish (a new language) in a language class. To come up with a rational decision, you need to estimate (subjectively) both the probability of succeeding in learning the guitar or Spanish (or making progress to make it worthwhile continuing), and also both the expected gains of succeeding and the expected costs of failing. You have to imagine your 'future selves' to make effective decisions. You might imagine that because you're in a class for Spanish, you've got more chance of succeeding in learning than by using YouTube. You may also imagine that the cost of failing would be greater in a class than on your own. And you might rate the value of learning Spanish a bit higher than learning the guitar. You could sketch out the estimates like this to arrive at the expected utilities of both courses of action. Clearly here it's rational to opt for Spanish!

'Values' are defined as:

principles or standards of behaviour; one's judgement of what is important in life What really matters to you, deep in your heart? What do you want to do with your time on this planet? What sort of person do you want to be? What personal strengths or qualities do you want to develop? What would you like to have achieved by the end of your life, looking back?

'Wisdom' is defined as:

the capacity of judging rightly in matters relating to life and conduct; soundness of judgement in the choice of means and ends Are you living consistently with your values, and overall been competent in attaining your higher life goals, thereby attaining overall a sense of 'living well'?