To be successful social beings, humans need to be flexible and highly adaptable to an ever-changing environment. They have to face social problems, difficulties in personal relationships, conflicts in the workplace and many other scenarios, each of which requires an individual approach and solution [FootHills Academy, 2020].
Often people who lack this quality react to different events that happen to them in exactly the same way. They choose one, well-known pattern for all occasions. Unfortunately, such tactics often fail. Cognitive flexibility can help in this case - a person’s ability to change habitual strategies to achieve the necessary goals.
We will talk about what cognitive flexibility is, why it is needed and whether it can be developed in this article.
What is cognitive flexibility?
Cognitive flexibility is a person’s ability to quickly switch necessary mechanisms when moving from one subject of discussion to another, change the usual way of thinking depending on the situation, abandon habitual but ineffective behavioral patterns and adapt behavior and style of thoughts to the environment.
Cognitive flexibility manifests itself in two main ways:
- The ability to think about several things at once.
- The ability to change thinking based on changing expectations or demands [FootHills Academy, 2020].
The life of every person is filled with examples of the manifestation of cognitive flexibility. It can manifest itself even in ordinary little things, for example, in choosing what to eat for breakfast instead of the usual omelet with coffee, or how to get to work if the car suddenly finds itself in repair. Flexible thinking is necessary to find answers to serious and global questions regarding, for example, choosing an educational institution or a future place of work [CogniFit, 2021].
When children are asked to think about multiple concepts at once or change their approach to solving a problem, they also need to demonstrate flexible thinking [FootHills Academy, 2020].
Cognitive flexibility is considered a key aspect of management, which affects the speed of reaction to any changes, as well as the mental processes that allow a person to plan, concentrate, remember instructions and perform multiple tasks simultaneously.
Cognitive flexibility adjusts a person's behavior in a certain way in accordance with the changing environment. It allows him to work effectively to distract himself from the previous task, reconfigure a new set of responses to complete the current task. Cognitive control exists to automatically or intentionally switch ways of thinking in situations that require variability. It is necessary to resist the impulse to continue thinking in a familiar, but no longer appropriate, style.
Flexible thinking depends on the context of the situation. Often, behaviors and mindsets that are appropriate in one setting or academic discipline may be completely inappropriate in another. People who demonstrate advanced cognitive flexibility can easily switch between subjects and tasks and successfully perform tasks that require them to apply learning in one area to solve problems in another context.
It is impossible to overestimate the importance of cognitive flexibility in a person's life. It has a number of advantages, namely:
- promotes quick learning and easy adaptation in conditions of change;
- improves long-term and short-term memory;
- allows you to adequately withstand any, even the most negative, environmental changes, which, in turn, forms high stress resistance;
- promotes the development of creative abilities;
- allows you to find a way out of many situations, since it provides several alternative solutions;
- provides prevention of Alzheimer's disease, senile dementia and many other brain diseases;
- improves a person's communication skills;
- allows you to set goals better and more carefully and achieve them;
- promotes communication with other people by helping to take into account their values, beliefs, points of view, ideas and views.
When a person performs a complex task, his behavior must be adapted to the conditions of the environment in which the task is performed. However, these conditions continue to change as the task itself evolves, so to be flexible, he must pay attention to them regularly. To adapt his behavior to changed realities, he needs to restructure his knowledge to effectively interpret the new situation and new task requirements [International encyclopedia of ergonomics and human factors, 2006].
Thus, cognitive flexibility depends on attentional processes and knowledge representation. When detecting any changes in the need for a non-standard reaction, a higher level of attention control is required when a person evaluates new conditions and plans the necessary actions.
What is cognitive rigidity?
Cognitive flexibility goes through different stages of development. As an infant exploring the world, a person already begins to train flexible thinking and continues to do so. Its full formation occurs around the age of 20, but can continue until the end of life, provided that the person does not stop learning and learning something new.
The prefrontal lobe of the brain is responsible for this function, the development and maturation of which takes longer than all other zones in time. For example, young children often throw tantrums over the loss of a toy, because they have not yet learned to see other alternatives or solutions to the situation [CogniFit, 2021].
Although flexibility can be an adaptive ability in humans, this adaptation does not always occur. It is important for a person to be flexible in order to cope with changes in the environment, but when he does not have the opportunity to do this, we can talk about cognitive rigidity, which arises from the brain's attempts to maintain stability and certainty [International encyclopedia of ergonomics and human factors, 2006].
An example of a lack of flexible thinking is when actions that have proven effective in previous situations are persistently performed in new cases, even when they are not at all effective. For example, continuing to persistently pull the door towards you, unsuccessfully trying to open it, instead of trying to push it away from you or find the key to unlock the lock.
Rigidity can often be observed in people:
- with low concentration;
- those who have received a traumatic brain injury;
- have had a stroke;
- those suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder and other neuropsychiatric disorders;
- in older people suffering from diseases caused by brain aging.
Such people, as a rule, find it difficult to find alternative ways to solve familiar problems and adapt to changes. Adapting to change is much more difficult for them than for others.
This violation can lead to deviations in a person’s behavior - he will get stuck on the wrong emotions and continue to use useless and sometimes destructive strategies.
A scientific view of emotions
The brain consists of two main structures.
The first is the limbic system, which controls emotions and behaviors and triggers the sympathetic nervous system response when we are under stress. It's part of the fight-or-flight response, an instinctive physiological pathway the brain takes to try to protect us if it senses we're in danger.
Have you ever felt nervous before an important presentation? — say thank you to the limbic system for jitters and sweaty palms. If you were cut off by some reckless driver on the highway, and your cheeks began to burn and your heart began to pound wildly, it was the limbic system that felt a threat. In general, this reaction helps us survive.
But the second system, the prefrontal cortex, has gone through a longer evolutionary path. If someone advises us to “think with our heads,” they most likely mean it—the conscious part of the brain, thanks to which we know how to reason, delay gratification, and sense the meaning behind emotions.
The limbic system is important because it is responsible for survival, but if it controls behavior for too long, problems can arise:
“When caught in the grip of fear, anxiety, depression, or chronic stress, a person is unable to make a realistic assessment of the situation,” writes Dave Gray, author and visual thinking coach. “In this case, the prefrontal cortex “turns off.” Creative thinking, resourcefulness—all high-level brain functions are suppressed.”
How to find balance?
If the limbic system in the brain acts as a gas pedal, then the prefrontal cortex is more of a brake: it helps to slow down, assess the situation and respond appropriately to emotions.
Learning to put on the psychological “brakes” is the first step towards emotional regulation (the ability to control the response to one’s own feelings) and an important stage in personal growth on the path to well-being.
Theories of cognitive flexibility
There are theories of cognitive flexibility that suggest that people who are able to view a task from different perspectives can easily interpret situational changes in the environment and therefore exhibit greater cognitive flexibility. Thus, they have the ability to quickly restructure their knowledge, thereby adapting their reactions to radically changing situational demands [International encyclopedia of ergonomics and human factors, 2006].
When a person lacks cognitive flexibility, he or she cannot cope with situational demands and will often act erroneously. For this reason, various fields of research have used this phenomenon to explain the errors of specific experts. Some authors have concluded that experts may be less cognitively flexible, and empirical research has shown that inflexibility and competence are inextricably linked [International encyclopedia of ergonomics and human factors, 2006].
Experts change their mental representations of problems less often than novices. When a person knows that he is skilled, he is less likely to change his strategy after discovering significant changes. Moreover, according to the researchers, it is experts who are less likely to detect such changes.
Some authors in the field of cognitive psychology advocate the opposite hypothesis. For example, one study found that an outstanding expert characteristic is the ability to manipulate multifaceted representations, which allows better adaptation to environmental changes and more effective transfer of knowledge between tasks [International encyclopedia of ergonomics and human factors, 2006].
Experts may have more difficulty paying attention to and perceiving environmental changes, but once they notice them, they can more effectively modify their mental representations to adapt their behavior to them.
Some theories suggest that cognitive flexibility depends on whether the environmental changes a person encounters are relevant to the particular strategy they developed during learning. Only those of them that are truly significant can influence his work.
This hypothesis is based on an ecological theory of expert knowledge known as the constraint binding hypothesis. She suggests that skill acquisition should be understood as adaptation to environmental constraints. People develop different strategies to adapt to these constraints, and each of them depends on various characteristics of the external world. Therefore, only those changes that affect the specific strategy used by a person can affect his performance [International encyclopedia of ergonomics and human factors, 2006].
Another theory of cognitive flexibility is the cultural-historical theory of the Russian scientist Lev Semenovich Vygotsky. He devoted his life to the study of psychology and pedagogy, paying special attention to the peculiarities of teaching children with developmental disorders. He was confident that any teacher in his work must be guided by psychological knowledge, which subsequently led to the emergence of such a branch of science as psychological pedagogy.
The scientist developed a theory of cognitive development, which, in his opinion, was presented as a natural process. Lev Semenovich identified cultural factors, for example, signs and language, as defining moments. He believed that the main source of human cognitive development is culture and the totality of “historically developed tools, systems of signs and other means of activity” [V.S. Goncharov, 2005].
Vygotsky is the author of a cultural-historical theory that assumes that all the child’s internal mental processes (attention, speech, thinking) are interconnected with the world around them. In his opinion, the child is able to assimilate a number of artificial stimuli, with the help of which he will subsequently control his behavior and attention.
Instead of output
Being flexible and open is a constant effort, but it is worth it. Cognitive flexibility is necessary for better stress resistance of each individual, as well as for the creative prosperity of society as a whole.
However, this skill should not become an end in itself. As neuropsychologist Daria Maslennikova says, “on the one hand, cognitive flexibility gives us adaptability, and on the other, fluidity.” Therefore, in order not to be a weathervane in the wind, you need to balance cognitive flexibility with critical thinking and developed communication skills.
Then it will be like a navigator that shows how many ways you can get to the final point, and provides confidence and scope for action. Ultimately, it’s about perceiving the world and people from different perspectives and, without abstracting from personal experience, taking a couple of steps back - after all, as Yesenin wrote, “big things are seen from a distance.”
Photo: @ziqianqian
Tests to determine cognitive flexibility
Flexibility testing is carried out in different fields: medicine, psychology, conflict management, sociology. We invite you to get acquainted with some of the most popular ones.
Stroop test
One of the simplest and most accessible is the Stroop test, which is often used in neuropsychological studies to measure response inhibition and cognitive flexibility. Doing well on a test requires strong concentration and self-regulation [SharpBrains, 2019].
The subject's task is to name the colors in which the words are written. It is important to read not the words themselves that represent the colors, but only the colors of the ink used to write them. For example, if the word "green" is printed in blue, the correct answer would be "blue".
An important element of the test is the time during which the test taker passes it without errors. You can try to do this online by typing “Stroop test online” into a search engine [SharpBrains, 2019].
Exercise "Alphabet"
Another great test of cognitive flexibility is the Alphabet exercise, which is also used to enter a state of high productivity. On a large sheet of whatman paper you need to draw a table, in each of the cells 2 letters will be written: in the upper part - a letter of the alphabet, in the lower part - one letter “P”, “L” or “O”.
The participants’ task is to read only the top letter, and respond to the second by raising their hands (“P” - right, “L” - left, or “O” - both). At first, the subjects get confused and confused, either calling the wrong letter or raising the wrong hand. But if you make such training permanent, then very soon you can read the entire alphabet without a single hesitation. For fans of the online format, the exercise is also available online.
Multitasking test
The subject's task is to follow the movement of the white ball, while paying attention to the words that appear in the center of the screen. As soon as the word that appears matches the color in which it is written, you must give an answer.
This task is aimed at testing attentiveness, hand-eye coordination, reaction speed and the ability to change strategy [CogniFit Research, 2021].
The advantage of these tests and exercises is their simplicity, convenience, and the fact that they can be used not only to determine the level of cognitive flexibility, but also to train it [FootHills Academy, 2020].
The Art of Emotional Flexibility
No one is born with the ability to self-regulate: babies can't sleep until they're rocked to sleep, and older kids can't calmly wait in line at the grocery store. Children communicate through emotions.
By school age, most of us already know how to restrain emotional reactions in difficult situations - by using positive thinking or being distracted by something.
We understand that we can control our emotions and that they do not have to control us - which is the most important aspect of well-being. It's fair to say that emotional regulation is a vital part of social maturation and one of the pillars of mental health.
However, simply overcoming emotional reactions and managing emotions
- this is not the same thing at all. Emotional regulation is aimed at preventing a negative reaction, and managing emotions helps to use them for personal and professional growth.
Psychologist and Harvard Medical School professor Susan David calls the practice of managing emotions through mindful interaction with them “emotional flexibility.”
“Unlike positive thinking and avoidance, which place excessive emphasis on thoughts, emotional flexibility is a set of skills based on the ability to perceive one’s emotions, label and understand them, and then move forward mindfully,” David writes.
“It is the ability to recognize stress and the ability to step out of it and decide how to act in a way that aligns with your personal values and goals.”
If emotional regulation is a science, then emotional flexibility is an art.
With the ability to strategically perceive and manage emotions, we can develop creative, communication and leadership abilities. Sociologist Joseph Grenny also writes about this.
He says, “The ability to recognize, shape, and control emotions is a fundamental skill that will help you deepen intimacy with loved ones, increase your influence at work, and develop the ability to turn ideas into results.”
How to improve cognitive flexibility?
Cognitive flexibility and cognitive rigidity are only a small part of the mental characteristics known to us. The human brain, despite thousands of studies, still remains one of the most mysterious and unexplored objects. You can lift the veil of secrecy a little and get acquainted with the pitfalls of our main body by completing the online program “Cognitive Science”. In it, we looked at the basic nuances of perception, the principles of how the brain works, and the main techniques and styles of thinking that will help you not only in your studies, but also in your work and personal life.
Research shows that cognitive training has a positive effect on neuroplasticity [CogniFit Research, 2021]. Fortunately, the ability to think flexibly can be developed. We have prepared some recommendations for you on how to do this.
Audit situations with repeating patterns
Try to track all the situations in which you repeat familiar, but perhaps no longer effective and expedient scenarios. To do this, ask yourself the following questions:
- What scenarios do I repeat most often?
- How often do I repeat them?
- Why am I doing this?
- What is the result of my actions?
- What alternative scenarios can I choose?
- What results will I get if I act differently?
Conduct such an audit regularly – at least once every six months. This way you can monitor ineffective algorithms in a timely manner and make adjustments to them.
Add variety to your usual rituals
Neuroplasticity develops through the emergence of new neural connections, which in turn are formed through learning unfamiliar scenarios. You can add variety to your usual routine quite easily without spending a lot of time and effort.
For example, you can choose a new dish for breakfast every day or take a variety of routes to get to work. Brushing your teeth or drawing with your unaccustomed hand is also great for developing the opposite hemisphere of the brain.
The more similar experiments you conduct, the more neural connections you will form, which, in turn, will have a beneficial effect on cognitive flexibility.
Play out different scenarios
Make it a rule that every time you encounter a new problem, think through at least three different options for solving it. This will develop your ability to look at a situation from different perspectives.
Speak out loud and model even the most incredible options. Brainstorming on any topic is perfect for this. You can also pause while watching a movie and try to simulate several outcomes of the scene you watched.
Expand your horizons
New activities and hobbies have a positive impact on the formation of flexible thinking. Fortunately, today there are a large number of free courses, trainings and educational videos on the Internet.
Make it a habit to read at least 30 minutes a day. And if you regularly add previously unknown topics to familiar and beloved literary genres, this will not only develop cognitive flexibility, but will also serve as an excellent protection against falling into the filter bubble.
Don't stop learning
The interdisciplinary knowledge gained during training will allow you to develop and strengthen the neural connections that are so necessary for the formation of flexible thinking. Moreover, numerous studies support the benefits of education in preventing brain diseases.
Use terminology or strategies used in one discipline to solve problems in another.
Use different ways to work and memorize material
When teaching new concepts or skills, try to present the content in more than one way. For example, use puns and riddles when teaching new words that reveal different contexts and meanings. When solving math problems, use number lines, diagrams, manipulatives, and real-world problems in addition to abstract written calculation strategies.
Work in teams
Use teamwork in peer learning strategies. Students who move easily from task to task can be excellent mentors for students who need a little help to get the job done.
Brainstorming sessions are also great for developing flexible thinking because they allow you to push the boundaries of what is familiar and look at familiar things in an unconventional way.
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Struggle and resistance are always a waste of energy. Moreover, if we fight, then the enemy exists; if we stop fighting, then the enemy disappears. Psychological flexibility - lack of internal struggle. If we fight something within ourselves, resist something, then we will never win. But the enemy will still remain inside? There can be no enemies inside. We just need to digest this part of ourselves that is initially unacceptable to us, literally become it, become our opposite, even if only for a while. The essence of paradoxical intention is precisely not to fight what torments you, but to indulge, facilitate, and agree. The absence of resistance will stop the war, the war will stop - there will be no casualties. And this is not capitulation. Is it possible to lose a war to a phantom, just as it is possible to win against him? After all, a phantom is a ghost. But this ghost can be a powerful clot of energy within us and against us if we are at war with it. Any fear living in us is unreal. Real fear is short-lived and is a reaction to an attack. But life cannot constantly attack. And if it seems to you that life is constantly attacking you, then you do not have internal flexibility, you are fighting phantoms. This is a kind of psychological aikido. The essence of Aikido is avoiding the fight, using the opponent's strength and throwing him off balance. This is true psychological flexibility. Don't fight fear, but laugh at it, submit to it and it will cease to exist. Internal psychological flexibility is also necessary in external life. Why argue with a boor who insults you? The boor, not feeling resistance in the form of your indignation, will be disarmed. If you agree with him and his rudeness, he will be confused. He expects struggle, resistance. I repeat: this is not capitulation; will your opponent really believe that you actually agreed with him? This is such a phantom in external life. Ham is a primitive example. Flexibility is also necessary in more complex situations, say in relationships between spouses and children. Aggression causes aggression, flexibility and softness, respectively, peace and balance. I don't want to say that this is easy to apply. Let's say, if you are a hot-tempered person, then it is difficult for you to restrain yourself. You definitely won’t let the boor down, although in vain. But in a family, even after an outburst of anger, you can switch to a flexible position, a position of agreement. By agreeing, you are disarming. Try it, the benefits are obvious. It is better not to incite conflicts, both internal and external, through resistance and struggle! We must allow the evil energy to come out and finish itself off. Just like in Aikido! Here is the book: Litvak M.E. “Psychological Aikido”
Psychological (verbal) aikido: basics, rules, moves...
“By yielding, you pass the test, they say in the East. Give in to reduce resistance, Buddhists teach. Don't fight, for you inevitably become what you fight against. Too much force backfires. Learn to be a leader in order to lead others.” In situations of dispute, negotiations, professional and other debates, when it is necessary to show common sense and calmness of spirit, when it is necessary to convince, convince and do it in such a way that the opponent does not feel disadvantaged, does not blush and does not stamp his feet, but quite the opposite, with feeling I followed your position with deep satisfaction - the techniques of the so-called “psychological aikido” method work effectively. Litvak M.E. Psychological foundations of verbal aikido Verbal aikido is one of the most flexible and at the same time very effective tactics of behavior in a situation of dispute, persuasion, especially when the active resistance of a communication partner is encountered along the way. Hence, psychological aikido is based on two fundamental principles of countering verbal attacks: 1) before going on the attack (beginning, for example, to bend your line, to persuade), it is necessary to extinguish the enemy’s attack, relieve tension - his desire to attack, to prove something , object, namely, relax, win over, make friendly, understanding... 2) and then you can convince... You can convince... > quickly and logically - this is your clear, convincing and reliable argument, > quickly and beautifully - using for example, truisms and metaphors > long and beautiful, pushing “fiery”, persuasive and inspiring speeches... > deftly, using various tricks and deceptive moves > or you can flexibly and technically, smoothly destroying your opponent’s position and just as smoothly leading to your own conviction, position, proposal ... In other words, you don’t immediately go against your opponent’s position, but join it, like “I understand you, now you understand me too...” (“give and take” psychology), and after that, move on to your convincing arguments. The result is your superiority in establishing new positions, mutual respect, strengthening relationships and, most importantly, no conflicting, stressful, annoying communication. In a nutshell about the effectiveness of such behavior from the point of view of psychology. There are 2 mechanisms by which our consciousness works. 1) a person’s consciousness resists when it encounters something alien to its beliefs, principles, ideas on its way... 2) a person’s consciousness reaches out to what is related, to understanding, respect, recognition... That is, when they expect a retaliatory blow from you, counter-objections, and in return they receive exactly the opposite, then a “miracle” occurs - a person who was initially belligerent instantly turns into an understanding, friendly, agreeing person... Hence, the first and main rule of psychological aikido: if you want to influence another, change his point of view, his conviction - don’t be zealous , proving that you are right, but join the position of your opponent, become the same as him - start thinking like him, feeling like him, wanting like him... And then he himself will warm to you and want to listen to what you want to offer. Tactical techniques of psychological aikido step 1. How you can join the position of a communication partner Agree with everything that is said to you, or part of what they are trying to convey to you. - I certainly agree with you... - Yes, I agree, there is a certain logic in this... - I agree, I would also think if I were you... - That’s right, it’s impossible to say more precisely..., moreover... Understand and express your understanding. - I understand... - I understand, in a situation of choice there is always a need to think... - I understand very well that you could have such an impression... - I understand, you are very upset, anyone in your place would be upset... Retell your opponent’s position better than he himself represents her, tell his thoughts, feelings, desires as clearly as possible. The brighter and more emotionally you can retell them, the more impression you will make on him. Such communication evokes pleasant emotions, makes you listen, understand, understand... How else can you join the position of the opposing side? - Emphasize the commonality - “I think so too...” - Compliment the objection: “Great! I’m glad you think so... It’s always nice to deal with a practical, knowledgeable person...” - Clarify...: “I understand..., do you mean...?” - Sorry if you made a mistake: “I’m sorry..., I’m sorry that I upset you with this” - “What do you mean upset, you just killed me!” - “Yes, maybe... You’re not ready to hear my explanations now, but believe me I had no intention of upsetting you in any way...” An example of communication between a seller and a buyer Buyer: “I want to say that your products are defective!” Seller: “It’s nice to see a caring buyer. Thanks for the signal. The client's wishes are always the law for us. We strive for such service that all customers are happy, otherwise we will simply go bankrupt, because you will leave us for other stores. There is no way to do without marriage. And our task is to be more attentive to our products. But despite all the thoroughness of the check, some things are overlooked, and your signal could not have come at a better time. Thank you for coming back, we will now solve your problem." Step 2. How to further advance your position? Joining + counterargument (the so-called “yes..., but..." technique) “Yes, perhaps this thing is not cheap. But, you have mentioned more than once that the quality, reliability, and prestige of the model are very important to you... Moreover, these jeans paired with, for example, this shirt, will further emphasize your individuality and irresistible style.” “Yes, this is possible, I understand your concern and the doubts caused in this regard,” but in this case there can be no doubt. These jeans are the perfect model that will withstand any load thanks to the triple seam and fabric composition. It was these indicators that once brought Levi Straus to the leading positions in world rankings...” Or you can join your opponent’s position, start asking clarifying questions about how he came to such conclusions, then with leading questions, lead him to the fact that he is most likely mistaken in his position... And then he should have a natural the desire to find out how everything really is, and you, in turn, are precisely the bearer of this reliable, objective information... Tell it professionally, so that your opponent does not have any doubts about what is happening... “ Boomerang” technique - Your devices look somehow unattractive. - I agree, that’s why I want to tell you why they need such an appearance... - Your product is too expensive... - Precisely because it has such a price, I would like to tell you why it is like this, how this product differs from analogues and what it guarantees... Remember the movie “Prisoner of the Caucasus”: Shurik: - “But I don’t drink at all, I don’t have the physical ability...” “Usatiy”: - “That’s exactly why my first toast: My great-grandfather said, I have the desire to buy a house, but I don’t have the opportunity, I have the opportunity to buy a goat, but I don’t have the desire. So let’s drink to ensure that our desires coincide with our capabilities” - and no objections...
