A Mind For Numbers Flashcards
What are the two thinking modes that are very important for learning, and how do they work?
Focused mode and Diffuse mode.
Focused mode involves a direct approach to solving problems using rational, sequencial, analytical approaches. It is related to the habilities of the pre-frontal cortex. Turn your attention to somenthing and BAM - the focused mode is on.
Diffuse-mode is what happens when you relax your attention and just let your mind wander. It is not so much related to one area of the brain, it is “diffused” throught it.
What’s the use of the diffuse mode?
To figure out new ideas and solve problems, it’s important not only to focus initially, but also to subsequently turn our focus away from what we want to learn.
What’s the Einstellung effect and how the diffuse mode can help to avoid it?
The Einstellung effect refers to getting stuck in solving a problem or understanding a concept as a result of becoming fixated on a flawed approach. Switching modes from focused to diffuse can help free you from this effect. Keep in mind, then, that sometimes you will need to be flexible in your thinking. You may need to switch modes to solve a problem or understand a concept. Your initial ideas about problem solving can sometimes be very misleading.
Explain how the focused and diffuse modes might be equated to an adjustable beam on a flashlight. When can you see farther? When can you see more broadly, but less far?
Mmm
Brilliant inventor Thomas Edison (above) is thought to have used a clever trick to switch from focused to diffuse mode. This was the same trick used by famed surrealist painter Salvador Dalí ( below ) for his artistic creations. What was it?
When faced with a difficult problem, instead of focusing intently on it, Edison, according to legend, took a nap. But he did so while sitting in a lounge chair, holding a ball bearing in his hand above a plate on the floor. As he relaxed, his thoughts moved toward free and open diffuse- mode thinking.(This is a reminder that falling asleep is a good way to get the brain thinking loosely about a problem you want to solve, or anything you are working on creatively.) When Edison fell asleep, the ball bearing fell from his hands. The clatter woke him so he could grasp the fragments of his diffuse- mode thinking to create new approaches. 5
5 ways to get into diffuse mode
General Diffuse- Mode Activators Go to the gym Play a sport like soccer or basketball Jog, walk, or swim Dance Go for a drive (or tag along for the ride) Draw or paint Take a bath or shower Listen to music, especially without words Play songs you know well on a musical instrument Meditate or pray Sleep (the ultimate diffuse mode!)
Sometimes you can feel certain you have explored new approaches to analyzing a problem, when you actually haven’t. What can you do to become more actively aware of your thinking processes to help keep yourself open to other possibilities? Should you always keep yourself open to new possibilities?
To blink helps. But I must get into diffuse mode to allow my mind to explore other possibilities.
What are chunks?
Chunks are pieces of information that are bound together through meaning. You can take the letters p , o , and p and bind them into one conceptual, easy- to- remember chunk, the word pop . It’s like converting a cumbersome computer file into a.zip file. Underneath that simple pop chunk is a symphony of neurons that have learned to trill in tune with one another. The complex neural activity that ties together our simplifying, abstract chunks of thought— whether those thoughts pertain to acronyms, ideas, or concepts— are the basis of much of science, literature, and art.
What is the main advantage of chunking?
Chunking the information you deal with helps your brain run more efficiently. Once you chunk an idea or concept, you don’t need to remember all the little underlying details; you’ve got the main idea— the chunk— and that’s enough.
What are the steps for chunking?
- The first step in chunking, then, is to simply focus your attention on the information you want to chunk
- The second step in chunking is to understand the basic idea you are trying to chunk,
- The third step to chunking is gaining context so you see not just how, but also when to use this chunk.
How do students and scientists differ on the way they understand concepts?
“Getting a concept in class versus being able to apply it to a genuine physical problem is the difference between a simple student and a full- blown scientist or engineer. The only way I know of to make that jump is to work with the concept until it becomes second nature, so you can begin to use it like a tool.”
How concept mapping can be used to learn a subject?
Even more of a surprise to researchers was that the students themselves predicted that simply reading and recalling the materials wasn’t the best way to learn. They thought concept mapping (drawing diagrams that show the relationship between concepts) would be best.
Is understanding enough to create a chunk? Explain why or why not.
No it is not. To learn you have to engage with the subject. Question it. Sort I out.
What is the first and most important step towards changing a habit?
The trick to overwriting a habit is to look for the pressure point— your reaction to a cue. The only place you need to apply willpower is to change your reaction to the cue.
What is the advantage of protecting our routines?
As procrastination expert Piers Steel, author of The Procrastination Equation , points out, “If you protect your routine, eventually it will protect you.”
