Originally published: . Volume 1, No. 9. Source pages: 1, 5, 6.
“We do have two minds,” said Dr. Robert Mathews, LSU-BR Chair and Co-director of Office of Applied Cognition (OAC), referring to findings that there are two mental systems which operate by different rules. “Not only does implicit learning exist,” he explained, “but it may be the primary way we learn.” Working with colleagues Dr. Sean Lane at LSU and Ron Sun at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Bob and his team ferret out complex interactions between our dual learning systems, sometimes called explicit and implicit, or rational and intuitive, and sometimes willful and nonconscious.
Bob’s work involves the complex interactions between the two systems: learning and decision- making, how to enhance training, methods to develop expertise, and ways to understand errors in work performance and judgment. His current research focuses on the conditions that facilitate the best interaction between the two different aspects of the mind. “With the right training,” he explained, “we can harness the synergy of both implicit and explicit minds.”
The research team has discovered some interesting complexities in how the two systems work. “Both systems of thinking have certain power and certain limitations,” Bob noted. “The trick is in getting the two to work together effectively to maximize good decisions. For instance, model-based or rationale thinking is easily overwhelmed by information overload,” he pointed out.
“Research in psychology has demonstrated that it is not the amount of practice,” Bob said, “but the type of practice that leads to high-level expertise.” He and his group plan on applying what they’ve learned to facilitate the synergy of the rational and the intuitive systems, thus allowing people to learn more effectively.”
In one track they are helping to discover methods to facilitate expertise in math and science teachers, with the goal of improving STEM disciplines in the Louisiana educational system, a three-year study funded by NSF.
Another important track of investigation, funded by the Army Research Institute, is medical decision-making. It has been estimated that 44,000 people die each year from medical errors in hospitals. So the team is investigating related cognitive variables, using computer simulations. In the research, participants role-play as a nurse or physician, and are confronted with a typical day, information flow, and requirements for quick decisions on patients’ health.
“The good news,” Bob explained, “is that they often choose effective treatments. The bad news is that they are generally unaware of bad side effects and often unconsciously merge side effects with their judgments about the efficacy of treatments on the main output variable.” He noted that, “They also too often prescribe ineffective treatments and believe individual differences exist when there are none.”
“We have only scratched the surface in this research that we hope will lead to reduction in costly medical errors. There are many unexplored variables such as amount of individual differences, delay of feedback, and format of records that remain to be explored,” he noted. “We are also studying the effects of various types of cognitive aids such as graphs, charts, and color coded flags for marking side effects.”
This innovative research tracks other advancements in cognitive psychology, and supports new theories of the mind. The potential for improved decisions, and enhanced learning, could have profound economic and quality of life benefits.
Along with his duties as department chair and co- director of OAC, Dr. Matthews is Chairman of IRB. He received his doctorate from Yale. He can be reached at 225-578-8745. For more information see OAC website: http://www.lsu.edu/psychology/ oac/.
Dr. Darlyne Nemeth (far left) talks with Vickie Dischler (wife of Bob Mathews), Dr. Bob Mathews, and Dr. Sean Lane both of LSU,at the Pro Psych Party. Dr. Mathews is chair at LSU and with Dr. Lane, manages the Office of Applied Cognition.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.