Those of us who struggle with complex problems for a living, unfortunately, don't have time to keep up with the enormous amount of research in cognitive science that would help us be better thinkers. Linda Rising will share what she has been able to uncover. Some of it is surprising, even counterintuitive. The research in cognitive science has produced a multitude of suggestions. Linda has tried to cull the most useful and easily implementable ideas that produce better problem solving and decision making. Some of these suggestions involve environmental changes and some involve changes in our habits and approaches to working.
The research in this area involves measuring problem-solving ability by giving groups real problems to solve (sometimes working with civic or non-profit groups) and altering a variable, for example, the color of the room or a poster on the wall or a view of nature or an animal in the room (dogs improve creativity :-)!) and measuring the effect. Some of the results are intriguing and suggest techniques that we could all use to improve our ability to solve problems and make decisions.
Linda will report on the research and provide some tips for better thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making.
