Your Active Listening Capability vs. AI

Will Artificial Intelligence replace active listening and inter-communication?

This article series, as an early pioneer in cognitive neuroscience, as a lay practioner, can give you, the reader, hopeful communicative insight. We can find much discourse on this topic on social media. 

There are many viewpoints to consider.

My earlier article on “Listening Success” (February 18, 2024), outlined three types of listening; passive, active, and critical. 

That being said, can Artificial Intelligence replace active and critical listening, crucial components of inter-personal communicative skills and interaction?

The answer is a resounding “no.”  Why, so?

Business, educational, medical, and technical positions will always depend upon personal interaction with feelings and intent.

 AI cannot copy this.

There will also be conferencing and working in teams that will require inter-active communication. Subsequently, inter-personal thought patterns will be outside of AI.

Active listening requires cognition. Without it, you are relegated to only visual memory and careers that utilize the visual process.

Example: Lawn businesses and factory line work require only minimal critical- active, listening. It is primarily visual work.

     i.e. I live on a street where every house employs a difference lawn landscaping company, as there are multitudes to choose from.  

The owner often entails the workload personally, as his lawn assistants cannot follow the necessary, mandatory, oral directions. (auditory memory).

To compound the situation, the lawn proprietor also has limited sequential, listening memory.

Out hiking, I noticed a homeowner giving a lawn proprietor detailed instruction. The latter looked overly confused, as he could not follow, or remember, the procedural instructions entailed.

Subsequently, the specifics were accidentally skipped. Later, the disgruntled home owner then hired another company with the same problem.

Unfortunately, the town is saturated with lawn companies. It is an easy business to acquire the necessary equipment, as failed lawn services soon go broke, (after two or three years in the red), and sell their equipment at a loss to another aspiring lawn company.

Perhaps, it would be better to acquire active listening memory ability; even if it requires some effort. For enhanced performance, The Bridge to Achievement program requires deep learning practice like athletic and musical performance.

                

t may be time to lessen time spent on visual video games, and consider listening development.

 

 

Solutions Rejected

 

A former December blog. “Memory Development for Me, revealed my pleasure in upskilling my own cognitive skills, and the mental overload relief I obtained with mental practice exercises.

 “Effective Wellness Reconsidered” talk followed  in my January post.

 Yet, today’s world generally does not embrace or recognize the concept of self-improvement through practice exercise, unless it is athletic teams whose objective design is performance. 

An individual may consider it “cool” to have a mental or physical weakness, to align with majority thought.

The new order code is “sensationalism”. All seek it. All want it. 

Many unsubstantial memory and learning companies have entered a crowded landscape promising the ill-informed individual an answer.

 Solutions, unfortunately,  can become a faulty choice. Rather than a weakness becoming “resolved” it is something to brag about.

If our weakness becomes uncomfortable, we swallow a pill, or smoke a joint. Ultimately, our health becomes at stake.

Yet, procedural learning remains critically important, beyond the pill or joint.

 Many individuals cannot embrace it or qualify for a demanding job position. Or, successfully engage in competitive athletics.

Because a good outcome takes practice, and more practice, then, some more.

Analytics become looped with the practiced outcome. Questions follow. What additionally is needed? 

Tried and True researched, clinical trials, or taking actions that work under pressure.

 Whatever the choice, it is for you to decide if  you are geared to grip technical job skills.

Finding Focus

Poor Mental Focus: The Universal Problem:

My last article reviewed how the average person can understand the mechanics of assessment, plainly known as “testing” or even “cognitive tests”. Many brain boost companies claim both recent and historic cognitive findings, some cloudy, not accurately clarified. And, most digital learning applications do not generate sustained focus.

The internet is awash with brain and cognitive articles and podcasts with many view slants. My articles are rooted as a parent of three, classroom and learning disabilities teacher, data analyst, researcher, and artistic program designer applying puppetry. 

To stay abreast with current popular thought/mind processes, and to offer understanding and desire for mental/physical wellness, I am visible on social media.

With that said, this article is on how deep learning with fixed focus affects our lives and identities.

Identity Empowerment through Focal Strength

There are many types of over- layers of our focal identities: on the family, religious, work, school, social, and emotional event-spending. 

Yet, the most important one to consider:  How to take on new tasks and ignore distractions.

My former articles have discussed how visual and auditory memory integration becomes elusive with too much addictive screen time adherence. 

It will destroy visual and auditory integration (necessary for deep understanding/comprehension).

Once you completely “understand” a situation, and apply rationale, your stress level lowers.

But, instead, we react impulsively. We all “obey” our screens with compulsivity. Marketing strategies depend upon our compulsive natures that we will react instantly to their clever lures. Ads pop up continuously, diverting our thoughts and concentrated attention. 

We apply cell phone “Focus” settings to turn out the distractive onslaught of visual images. But, even then, we still do not focus on new learning tasks optimally.

Engulfed by distractions, we multi-task that further diverts the concentration at hand.

Creating Purposeful Goals to Sustain Focus

We may additionally have weak visual and auditory working memory to focus effectively. Thereby, we may not integrate properly for good reasoning capability. This soon unites with mental depression, ignited by constant screen adherence.

Furthermore, instead of creating a unique personal identity to formulate the joy of our own being, we spend excessive amounts for concert entertainment.

This brief surge of excitement does not compensate for our lack of mental focus, or a sense of purpose, we sorely need for today’s survival. Yet, we become addicted to this sketchy lifestyle expenditure pattern.

We Search for this Elusive, Desired, Focusing

A recent neuroscience article stated findings re visual stimuli and fighting distractions called “Beta Bursts,”and how they appear from sustained, continued focus. [1] 

Brain frontal cortex neurons create “Beta Bursts” through visual movement and fixed attention. To personally obtain a visual Beta Burst, you must forcibly be directed towards a goal, rather than distractions.  Brain neurons can be re-directed to an important task, but it does take an enormous amount of determined energy to do so.

Okay, how do we create these goals for fixed focal attention?

Solution: Daily, Progressive Procedural Learning.

But, which one? 

There are many brain development choices: stimulation devices, (but will not improve current cognitive levels), medical drugs, pills, various digital, brain programs, (few will improve the critically needed auditory sequencing capability), diets, all designed to reduce brain fog and create learning prowess.

But, these varying choices do not necessarily make you adept in following and retaining sequential, skill-set procedures, nor last.

My digital solution is a worthy consideration: The Bridge to Achievement has 42 years in published, juried, Beta research and development. [2]

1.       Musical, rhythmical, facial focus with chunking – visualization – pattern finding operations, is a good option to obtain fixed attention for deep learning,

2.       Consecutive, determined practice is the next requirement.

3.      The lessons must then build on each other in difficulty level with purpose. 

4.      Then, the learner should recognize their progressive improvement, and keep going.            

5.      Finally, the rhythmic, timed, visual and sound adherence will re-formulate one’s brain cognition and integration. Improvement is “not a quick fix”, but you can see improvement gradually, peaking in a year or two, if you are motivated, and determined, with a goal-set.

UTube: Jankuypererland1111

 Now, you can recognize and resolve your insidious mental focus limitations, so you can take action to alleviate stress, depression, and confusion.

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[1]   Odorczyk, Kelsey. (August 11, 2023). Brain’s Traffic Directors: Neurons that Keep Us Focused on Tasks. Neuroscience News, University of Pennsylvania, School of Medicine.

 [2]  Erland, J. K. (© 2008). Downloadable, unpublished report. Five Generations, 27-years of iterative Brain-Based Accelerative Learning Experimentation Demonstrate Cognitive Skill Improvement Enhances Academic and Career Goals. (https://memspan/jalt).

Erland, J. K. (Fall 2000). Brain-Based Longitudinal Study Reveals Subsequent High Academic Achievement Gain for Low-Achieving, Low Cognitive Skills, Fourth Grade Students. Journal of Accelerated Learning and Teaching. 25, (3&4) pp. 5-48. ERIC ED # 453-553. & # CS 510 558. https://Books.Google.com/jankuypererland pages 41, 44

Erland J. K. (c 1989), Hierarchy of Thinking. Mem-ExSpan, Inc.Erland, J. K. (© 2008). Downloadable, unpublished report. Five Generations, 27-years of iterative Brain-Based Accelerative Learning Experimentation Demonstrate Cognitive Skill Improvement Enhances Academic and Career Goals. (https://memspan/jalt).

Erland J. K. (c 1989), Hierarchy of Thinking. Mem-ExSpan, Inc.

 

Following Oral and Written Directions

 

Following Oral and Written Directions[1]

 By Jan Kuyper Erland

My former articles have related on my 5-generational researched and developed puppetry film project. Artificial Intelligence (AI) could try to mimic The Bridge to Achievement’s (BTA) layered components effectively. 

But, are positive longitudinal cognitive outcomes with AI possible?

That will be determined through heavy data mining. 

Subsequently, this article will review the root of my long research project, which was my 1980 University of Kansas masters project. The design reviewed whether puppets or peer models could enhance the ability to follow oral directions.

The outcome showed that peers and puppets were equally effective as role models in delivering instructional directions. And, with further research assessment applications at thirteen test sites, the ability to follow procedural instructions maintained over time.

And, that visual and auditory integration were necessary cognitive components in the process. They should work at the same speed level for understanding to ensue. 

But, unfortunately, the advancement of multi-screen addiction has changed all of that, as we become more and more visually oriented.

We wind up with hard wired visual speed with quick images.

 Additionally, many brain games measure visual memory speed primarily, in repeated replicated – isolated patterns, but are not integrated with listening memory. 

As a result, we now experience national low school reading and math scores underscored with thr inability to follow procedures.  Screen skill speed games may be the culprit, dumbing down the brain. 

Inadvertently, a skilled workforce shortage results that can not follow or remember detailed instructions and procedures.

Inadvertently, we achieve the inverse of what we are trying to accomplish through heavy visual adherance. We pull the visual memory segment faster, and out of sync with the overly needed auditory processing.

The two memories, then, do not integrate properly for applied conceptualization.

Unfortunately, the critical auditory memory transfer process has been overlooked.

Data Outcomes Summary

Rumelhart, D. E., McClelland, J. and the PDP Research Group. (1986).  Parallel distributed processing:  Explorations in the micro structure of cognition.  Cambridge, MA: MIT Press    

Erland, Janis L. (February 4, 1986; copyright TXu 225 862). Contrapuntal Thinking and Definition of Sweeping Thoughts.

Erland, J. K. (1980). Vicarious modeling using peers and puppets with learning disabled adolescents in following oral directions. The University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas

Erland, J.  K.  (Fall, 1998).  Cognitive skills and accelerated learning memory training using interactive media improves academic performance in reading and math.  Journal of Accelerative Learning and Teaching,  23, (3 & 4), 3-57.

Erland, J. K. (© 2008). Downloadable, unpublished report. Five Generations, 27-years of iterative Brain-Based Accelerative Learning Experimentation Demonstrate Cognitive Skill Improvement Enhances Academic and Career Goals. (https://memspan/jalt).

5 Erland, J. K. (Fall 2000). Brain-Based Longitudinal Study Reveals Subsequent High Academic Achievement Gain for Low-Achieving, Low Cognitive Skills, Fourth Grade Students. Journal of Accelerated Learning and Teaching. 25, (3&4) pp.5-48. ERIC ED # 453-553. & # CS 510 558. https://Books.Google.com/Resourses ineducation/jankuypererland pages 277, 41. 

https://www.google.com/books/edition/Resources_in_Education/y2a2DbUyQ1QC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=google+books++jan+kuyper+erland&pg=PA277&printsec=frontcover

Erland J. K. (c 1989), Hierarchy of Thinking. Mem-ExSpan, Inc.

 

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"Cracking Math and Science"

Why Students May Not Perform Well in Science and Math

Unfortunately, there is a reason learners may not progress in science and math as expected. Many do not have enough underlying memory capacity to learn the varied sequential information and then apply it logically.

Furthermore, assuming this, students are unable to understand and follow procedural instructions basic to conceptualizing mathematical and scientific information.

Why is this?

Numerical arithmetic is taught in grades one to three, and there is a major shift in the curriculum in grade four. Right-brain spatial numbers shift into left-brain sequencing with advanced concepts. National test scores show that math scores, including advanced concepts, drop off  beginning in grade four.

Understanding science requires not only doing simple experiments and reading scientific stories out of textbooks, but requires procedural, stepwise learning.

Procedural learning requires the mastery of learning step-wise procedures. Following directions is usually taught with simple question and answer digital question/answer assignments taught by animated characters that may speak and move too quickly for the necessary absorption needed.

Why do we fall behind other foreign countries -- how can these children encode-decode information while ours do not? Perhaps their students have more musical training and learn foreign languages that train auditory (listening) memory, critically needed for learning technical sequences.

What is missing?

Students may be unable to listen to complex instructions (teachers spend hours daily repeating directions continuously). Subsequently, students work in teams where one member does the application "thinking" and fills out the required responses on devices. Others work in small tutorial groups with simple assignments that can be below grade level work. These students may then "fall through the cracks" with their math instruction and output.

Every student processes information differently, with different learning styles and capacities. The missing link is teaching students how to encode and decode sequential information with "mental toughess training", and expand their visual and listening memories an underlying requirement for conceptualizing formulas and mathematical equations.

Yet, teachers do recognize each child's proficiency level in math and science. Unfortunately, completion demands may be placed upon students who naturally lack the necessary "brain-power" to sequence and code math and science instructions.

Yet, we need to understand and expand our technological capacities with performing students in science and math.

Parents can now help fill in this gap - the missing link. There soon will be more parent "how to" information readily accessible through digital learning. Applications will be pleasurable, scientifically tested, and learning will be fast.

The ability to encode/decode sequential information will be taught through specific, scientifically tested training regimens. It might be something for all of us to consider. Let's look to future, innovative possibilities to foster advanced learning in science and math.

"The Necessity of Understanding Procedural Instructions"

Why Students Do Not Perform Well in Science and Math

President Obama recently encouraged students to enroll in science in math, stating that it was "cool" to do so. What is not understood with this statement is that there is a tragic paradox. There is a reason many learners do not enroll in these subjects. Most do not have enough underlying memory capacity to learn the complex information and then apply it.

Furthermore, assuming this, students are unable to understand and follow procedural instructions basic to conceptualizing mathematical and scientific information.

Why is this? Numerical arithmetic is taught in grades 1-3, and there is a major shift in the curriculum in grade 4. Right-brain spatial numbers shift into left-brain sequencing with advanced concepts. National test scores show that math scores, including advanced concepts, drop off beginning in grade 4.

Understanding science requires not only doing simple experiments and reading scientific stories out of textbooks, but requires procedural, stepwise learning.

Procedural learning requires the mastery of learning step-wise procedures. Following directions is usually taught with simple question and answer worksheets, or now, with online question/answer assignments laced with cartoons.

Nationally standardized test scores do not change for the better. Textbook companies scratch their heads. Innovators come up with practice applications. Still, "No Go."

Why do we fall behind other foreign countries -- how can these children encode-decode information while ours do not? Do they have more stringent learning practices requiring focus and sequencing of difficult material? Do they learn more foreign languages that require intrinsic symbolic encoding/decoding applications? Do they study more musical instruments that require focus, practice, with encoding/decoding? Both musical training and learning a foreign language trains auditory (listening) memory, critically needed for learning technical sequences.

What is missing?

If students are unable to listen to complex instructions (teachers spend hours daily repeating directions over and over), and students then work in teams where one member does the application "thinking" and fills out the responses - even on the computer, how are the others learning? Somewhat? Many are working in small tutorial groups with simple assignments far below grade level work.

The missing link is teaching students how to encode and decode sequential information, and expand their visual and listening memories an underlying requirement for conceptualizing formulas and mathematical equations.

This is done through cognitive skills training, although this is not available in the typical school classroom. Every student processes information differently, with different learning styles and capacities. The teacher can not begin to test and measure every child's cognitive skills, nor are they qualified to do so. It is also expensive and time consuming to have them measured and evaluated through private practitioners.

Assignments will not be learned as expected, and there is much time spent "How to take the interim benchmark tests, or "teaching to the test" for the final end-of-year nationally standardized achievement tests that include reading, math, and science scores. Classrooms spend hours teaching how to select and fill in multiple choice answers on the computer. Pressure is placed upon students who naturally lack the necessary "brain-power" to sequence and code instructions.

Is this fair? Of course not. We are training test-taking robots, not how to assimilate and learn science and math required for understanding and expanding our technological capacities.

How can we attack and get around this, if the necessary brain skills are not taught in schools or in most computer software skill drilling programs? Students are learning only pieces of the information, not complex series that are fundamental to learning science and math needed for technologies.

Parents can now help fill in this gap - the missing link. There soon will be more parent "how to" information readily accessible through internet learning. Applications will be pleasurable, scientifically tested, and learning will be fast.

The ability to encode/decode sequential information will be taught through specific, scientifically tested training regimens. It might be something for all of us to consider. Let's look to future possibilities.