The Agile Mind

784 Pages·2011·0.23 MB·English

by  Wilma Koutstaal

The Agile Mind
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The Agile Mind
WILMA KOUTSTAAL
1
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1
Published in the United States of America by Oxford University Press, Inc.,
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United States of America
Oxford University Press, Inc. publishes works that further Oxford University’s objective of
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Oxford is a registered trade mark of Oxford University Press in the UK and in certain other countries
© Wilma Koutstaal 2012
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of Oxford
University Press, Inc., or as expressly permitted by law, by licence, or under terms agreed with the
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at the address above

You must not circulate this work in any other form and you must impose this same
condition on any acquirer

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Koutstaal, Wilma.
Th e agile mind / Wilma Koutstaal.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-19-536718-8 (hbk. : alk. paper) 1. Th ought and thinking. 2. Creative thinking.
3. Divergent thinking. 4. Adaptability (Psychology) I. Title.
BF441.K586 2011
155.2’4—dc23
2011030843
1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

Typeset in Chaparral Pro
Printed on acid-free paper
Printed in the United States of America
Th is material is not intended to be, and should not be considered, a substitute for medical or other
professional advice. Treatment for the conditions described in this material is highly dependent on the
individual circumstances. And, while this material is designed to off er accurate information with respect
to the subject matter covered and to be current as of the time it was written, research and knowledge
about medical and health issues is constantly evolving and dose schedules for medications are being
revised continually, with new side eff ects recognized and accounted for regularly. Readers must
therefore always check the product information and clinical procedures with the most up-to-date
published product information and data sheets provided by the manufacturers and the most recent
codes of conduct and safety regulation. Th e publisher and the authors make no representations or
warranties to readers, express or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of this material. Without
limiting the foregoing, the publisher and the authors make no representations or warranties as to the
accuracy or effi cacy of the drug dosages mentioned in the material. Th e authors and the publisher do not
accept, and expressly disclaim, any responsibility for any liability, loss or risk that may be claimed or
incurred as a consequence of the use and/or application of any of the contents of this material.
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Contents

Preface xvii
Acknowledgments xix
1. Agility of Mind and the Integrated Controlled-Automatic,
Specifi c-Abstract (iCASA) Framework
3
Part One: MEMORY, CATEGORIZATION, AND CONCEPTS
2. Flexibly Using Memory and Categorical Knowledge, Part 1:
Levels of Representational Specifi city and Thinking
53
3. Flexibly Using Memory and Categorical Knowledge, Part 2:
Levels of Control, Representational Specifi city, and Thinking
90
4. Thinking with Our Senses
125
Part Two: MOTIVATION AND EMOTION
5. Action and Motivation: The Impetus for, and Enactment
of, Agile Thinking
179
6. Emotion, Self, Personality: Thought Personifi ed
238
7. Thoughts about Thoughts: The Control versus
Noncontrol of Thinking
282
v
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vi CONTENTS
Part Three: BRAIN AND ENVIRONMENT
8. Brain Bases of Levels of Specifi city and Levels of Control,
Part 1: The Frontal Cortex, and Beyond
337
9. Brain Bases of Levels of Specifi city and Levels of Control,
Part 2: Concepts and Intuition, Resilience,
Novelty, and Exploration
387
10. Making Brain Paths to Agile Thinking, Part 1:
Correlational and Longitudinal Evidence
462
11. Making Brain Paths to Agile Thinking, Part 2:
Direct Experimental Evidence
526
12. Implications and Applications of the
iCASA Framework for Fostering Agile Thinking
573
Notes 613
References 639
Index 739
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Detailed Contents
Preface xvii
Acknowledgments xix
1. Agility of Mind and the Integrated Controlled-Automatic,
Specifi c-Abstract (iCASA) Framework
3
THE INTEGRATED CONTROLLED-AUTOMATIC, SPECIFIC-
ABSTRACT (iCASA) FRAMEWORK 8
ABSTRACT AND SPECIFIC REPRESENTATIONAL CONTENT 11
LEVELS OF CONTROL AND REPRESENTATIONAL PROCESSES 15
RELATIONS BETWEEN REPRESENTATIONAL SPECIFICITY AND CONTROL 23
OSCILLATORY RANGE 25
SUPPORTING AND FORMATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL AND
PSYCHOBIOLOGICAL CONDITIONS 26
DISTINGUISHING AGILE THINKING 27
FUNCTIONAL AND CONNECTIVITY MAPPING OF THE BRAIN:
LEVELS OF SPECIFICITY AND LEVELS OF CONTROL 30
CONVERGENT THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES ON AUTOMATICITY AND
MULTIPLE GRADATIONS OF LEVELS OF SPECIFICITY 35
EMPHASIS, LIMITATIONS, AND OMISSIONS 41
STRUCTURE, TONE, AND SUCH 42
PREVIEW SYNOPSIS OF THE CHAPTERS 43
EXCURSION 1: A DUAL DIALOG AND OSCILLATORY RANGE:
WILLIAM JAMES ON LEVELS OF SPECIFICITY AND
GERTRUDE STEIN ON LEVELS OF CONTROL 49
Part One: MEMORY, CATEGORIZATION, AND CONCEPTS
2. Flexibly Using Memory and Categorical Knowledge, Part 1:
Levels of Representational Specifi city and Thinking
53
vii
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viii DETAILED CONTENTS
WHEN MEMORY IS TOO SPECIFIC: THE POSSIBLE COSTS OF SUPERIOR
MEMORY TO MENTAL AGILITY AND PROBLEM SOLVING 54
POSSIBLE MECHANISMS 57
THE CONTRARY EXTREME: EXCESSIVE RELIANCE ON ABSTRACT
CATEGORICAL THOUGHT IN CLINICAL DEPRESSION AND CHRONIC
WORRY ARE ASSOCIATED WITH IMPAIRED PROBLEM SOLVING 60
Overreliance on Abstract Category Information in
Clinical Depression 60
Reduced Concreteness of Representations in Chronic Worry 68
ENGAGING IN A COGNITIVE FLUENCY TASK THAT REQUIRES BOTH
ITEM-SPECIFIC AND CATEGORY-BASED KNOWLEDGE ENHANCES
SUBSEQUENT “ON-THE-SPOT” PROBLEM SOLVING 71
INCREASED FACILITY AT FLEXIBLY REMEMBERING RECENT EVENTS AT
DIFFERING LEVELS OF SPECIFICITY POSITIVELY CORRELATES WITH
FLEXIBLE THINKING AND FLUID REASONING 75
ADAPTIVE CATEGORIZATION AND PROBLEM SOLVING REQUIRE
FLEXIBLE USE OF BOTH HIGHLY DETAILED SPECIFIC INSTANCES
AND ABSTRACT, RULE-, OR CATEGORY-BASED KNOWLEDGE 79
The Key Role of Physical Embodiment 81
Individuals D o Often Spontaneously Reason Using
Abstract Relations and Concepts 81
Surface Information Is Often “Validly Informative” and
May Help to “Bootstrap” Abstraction; Experts Also May
Rely on Surface Information 83
Individual Differences in Emphasis on Abstract
versus Specific Information 87
3. Flexibly Using Memory and Categorical Knowledge, Part 2:
Levels of Control, Representational Specifi city,
and Thinking
90
AUTOMATIC THOUGHTS AND LEVELS OF SPECIFICITY: MINDFULNESS
TRAINING AS DISLODGING EXCESSIVE ABSTRACTION AND REDUCING
HABIT-BASED AUTOMATIC THINKING 91
RETRIEVING RECENTLY EXPERIENCED EVENTS AT A SPECIFIC
VERSUS ABSTRACT LEVEL HAS CARRYOVER CONSEQUENCES
FOR LATER RECOLLECTION — AND FOR THINKING 98
UNCONSCIOUS, UNREFLECTIVE, AND AUTOMATIC ALTERATIONS
IN THE EASE WITH WHICH OBJECTS AND EVENTS ARE
CONSTRUED AT DIFFERENT LEVELS OF SPECIFICITY 101
Environmental and Contextual Determinants of
Action Identification 101
Psychological or Temporal Distance Effects on “Construal Level” 103
The Effects of Emotion, Especially Mild Positive Affect,
on Categorization 105
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Detailed Contents ix
THE BENEFITS OF USING BOTH PROCESSING MODES: EXPLICIT
INSTRUCTIONS TO USE BOTH CONTROLLED AND AUTOMATIC
RESPONDING CAN ENHANCE CLASSIFICATION PERFORMANCE 107
ANALOGIES, SIMILARITIES, AND SUCH: NOT SO CONTROLLED
(OR AUTOMATIC) CONTRIBUTORS TO ADAPTIVELY CREATIVE
ANALOGICAL AND CATEGORICAL PROBLEM SOLVING 112
UNFOCUSED ATTENTION, CREATIVITY, AND “MIND POPPING” 117
LOOKING BACK 122
EXCURSION 2: LEVELS OF SPECIFICITY IN DOUGLAS HOFSTADTER’S
SUBCOGNITIVE MECHANISMS OF FLUID THOUGHT 123
4. Thinking with Our Senses
125
THE CENTRALITY OF PERCEPTUAL AND ACTION-RELATED
INFORMATION IN THINKING 127
Seeing with the Mind’s Eye: When 5-Year-Olds
Out-Smart (Out-See?) 7-Year-Olds 127
Supplementing and Complicating the Design
Stance Account 131
The Sensory-Perceptual Grounding of Concepts:
Cognitive-Behavioral Evidence 134
The Sensory-Perceptual Grounding of Concepts:
Further Evidence and the Issue of Controlled
versus Automatic Access 139
Perception, Perceptual Simulation, and Hypothesis Generation 141
Enacting Thinking: The Benefits of Perception and Action
in Analogical Thought 144
CURRENT PERCEPTION AND ACTION AS GUIDING — OR
PRECEDING — THOUGHT 147
Where the Eyes Go, the Mind Also (Sometimes
Belatedly) Goes 147
Many Pathways to Rigid Thinking: Not One But
Several Cues May Lead Us Astray 152
Not an Epiphenomenon: Gestures as Representational
Actors within—and Sometimes Prescient
Precursors to—Thinking 154
MAKING NEW CONCEPTS 161
THINKING IN A PHYSICAL WORLD 163
Epistemic Objects and Actions: Bringing the World
and Our Bodies into Thought 163
Words, Too, Are Physical Things—and So Are Physical
and Not Only Symbolic Shapers of Thought 166
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