Dr. Lee Pierson

Dr. Lee Pierson holds a Ph.D. in cognitive psychology from Cornell University, and presents seminars on Focused Thinking and other topics to a variety of clients in the United States and Canada. Dr. Pierson has helped students of every kind, from junior high schoolers to corporate executives to retirees, to hone their thinking skills. He is Director of the Thinking Skills Institute of Fairleigh Dickinson University New College of General and Continuing Studies.

Going Beyond the "Bell Curve":
Making the Most of Your Thinking Ability with Focused Thinking

Why do we use only a fraction of our thinking abilities and what can we do to use more? Not surprisingly, studies have found that intelligence (even as measured crudely by IQ) is a major determinant of job and school performance, especially in more complex jobs. But it is activated intelligence that directly impacts performance, not mere potential, and focused thinking (sufficient thinking about the key issues of a situation to resolve them satisfactorily) is required for activating intelligence optimally. Focused thinking is not achieved by simply trying harder. This lecture will show you when and how to refocus your thinking (identify and bridge important gaps in it) so that you can stay focused and develop the mental flexibility and toughness required for unlocking more of your thinking potential whenever you need it: at school, on the job, and elsewhere.

Reading Your Own Mind: How to Think About Your Thinking

This lecture will explicate introspection and its crucial role in optimal mental functioning. It will include a brief history of introspection in psychology, what introspection is and what it is for, types and techniques of introspection (including monitoring, "introspection lite"), introspection and automatization as complementary processes, and the value of introspection as illustrated in Atlas Shrugged.

 

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