Integrated Reasoning.
This is the third post which relates to the book “Make Your Brain Smarter.” If you have not read the first two posts look for the Brain icon in earlier posts and read them first. Also note, if you want to buy the book “Make Your Brain Smarter” there is a link at the end of this post where you can do that.
For you Boomer readers who have already started on your journey to “Make Your Brain Smarter”, I want to remind you that Dr. Chapman says that we Boomers often over-obsess about memory glitches. We should keep in mind that our Boomer brains simply do better at remembering abstracted big ideas than simply remembering lower-level details. Huh – take that you non-boomers.
Integrated reasoning is fundamental to all major goals we Boomers strive to achieve, and to decisions we make, projects we orchestrate, and our major life changes and choices. This brain asset (integrated reasoning) requires continual fortification. On the upside, Boomers can elevate their integrated reasoning capacity immediately.
Integrated reasoning can be incorporated in our daily activities as a way of thinking to extract and express ideas.
“Everything is a trade-off. The more you focus on details, the more difficult it is to decipher big ideas to take into your brain bank. Your brain is updated moment by moment and hour by hour. In essence, you frequently get a new processing system. Indeed, you have the potential to change your brain with everything you do that has some level of challenge, novelty, or variety.” Dr. Chapman has found in her research that “trying to remember as many details as possible can actually work against being selective about what you let into your brain’s attic.”
Your prefrontal cortex guides you in reviewing the issues of each day, as well as problem finding-not just problem solving. Integrated reasoning calls upon the prefrontal cortex to combine existing experience with new happenings to search out and identify problems before they happen. Much of what your brainpower allows you to achieve is futurist thinking— not just reactionary thinking.
There are three strategies that will help us enhance our integrated reasoning and improve our frontal lobe function and brain efficiency. They are:
• Zoom In • Zoom Out • Zoom Deep and Wide
The Brainpower of Zoom In – Get the Facts
Now that I’ve told you that Dr. Chapman says don’t sweat the details, we do have to realize that it’s not an either or situation – you cannot simply be a big picture thinker without knowing important related facts, and contextual elements in a situation that is unfolding. Zooming In thinking as a practice requires us to intuitively balance knowing when to gather more information and knowing when to stop looking for more facts. What our goal should be is to fit all the facts into a larger scheme and form high level ideas. The whole is more than the sum of its parts.
The Brainpower of Zooming Out includes transforming literal facts into bigger ideas, diverse perspectives, and global themes by combining new input with existing knowledge.
Since this is ‘Oscar’ night, consider this practice task… Think back on one of your favorite movies from the past year. Generate five to eight different take-home messages that could be gleaned from the movie. Instead of simply retelling the plotline of your favorite movie – practice your integrated reasoning skills. Brainstorm with others who also saw the movie and share your ideas. This builds deeper-level thinking.
The Brainpower of Zoom Deep and Wide
The brainpower of zoom deep and wide is the cognitive strategy of incorporating the major principles and generalized lessons learned into broader applications. This is cognitive strategy transfer at its best. The brainpower of zoom deep and wide requires the deepest level of thinking where you apply novel developments from one area to other issues, other problems.
When you begin to think of how to encapsulate and convey your thoughts into higher-level concepts, your messages will be more meaningful. Being able to translate complex ideas into simple examples represents one of the highest levels of intellectual thinking.
Another practice task – think about this T. Boone Pickens quote: “If you’re going to run with the big dogs, you have to get out from under the porch.” Think of three explanations for what this saying could mean.
When you begin to think of how to encapsulate and convey your thoughts into higher-level concepts, your messages will be more meaningful. Being able to translate complex ideas into simple examples represents one of the highest levels of intellectual thinking.
The more frequently you push your brain to absorb meaning by using the brainpower of zooming in, zooming out, and zooming deep and wide, the more efficiently your brain will work.
Here’s a link that makes it easy for you to buy the book at Amazon. Make Your Brain Smarter: Increase Your Brain’s Creativity, Energy, and Focus
