The Value of ACEs

Why should anyone think about developing their Abstract cognitive enablers (ACEs)? Besides being the most advanced and well-developed thinking abilities that we can obtain, they have real-life value as well. The ACEs include:

·????? Critical thinking

·????? Abstract reasoning

·????? Hypothetico-deductive reasoning

·????? Complex inductive reasoning

·????? Advanced understanding of logic

·????? Creativity

·????? Metacognition

The development of these ACEs affects every area of life. From the obvious advantage in academic fields to a decrease in the re-occurrence of depression and reduced anxiety. The following is a non-exhaustive list of evidence-based benefits to developing these skills:

·????? Increased problem-solving abilities

·????? Quicker recognition of and innovation with efficiency gains

·????? Insights into dealing with challenges and problems

·????? Increased problem-solving abilities

·????? Flexibility in thinking

·????? Divergent problem-solving abilities

·????? Accurate knowledge of the availability of our cognitive skills and when they should be used

·????? Double the intellectual ability of what is expected from an IQ score

·????? Deep reasoning

·????? An understanding of what we know and what we don’t know about something, including what we need to know in order to better our understanding

·????? Increased rational thinking and understanding

·????? Bringing creativity into every aspect of life

·????? Recognition of the positive and negative aspects of critical innovations

·????? Increased mindfulness – being aware of our own thought processes in the moment

·????? Increased awareness of what is going on around us

·????? Significant reduction in depressive relapses

·????? Improvement in general feelings of wellbeing

·????? Enables the development of abstract moral and ethical development

·????? Reduced state anxiety in situations requiring thinking

·????? Increased understanding of the implications of actions

·????? Improved planning abilities including better predictive ability of outcomes

·????? Improved pattern recognition increasing the ability to detect trends and patterns in activities

·????? Improved critical analysis of evidence

·????? Improved ability to focus attention

·????? Increased persistence when needed

·????? Improved ability to see both the wider picture and attention to detail depending on the need

When properly developed, these abilities transcend the context within which they are learned. Not only are these abilities available in an occupational world but are available for use wherever they are needed in every aspect of life. They can be used in situations ranging from problem-solving at work, understanding and improving relationships, and understanding social complexities in general. How can anyone put a value on these abilities?

As the final stage in cognitive development (Piaget’s Formal Operational Stage of Development), learning abstract cognitive enablers is the only stage of development that does not express itself naturally. The capacity emerges, but there is no organic change in thinking which is why most people are very concrete thinkers. Abstract thinking skills rarely develop without instruction. Because of the way our minds work, once they are learned, they are usually context-dependent and are not available for other aspects of life.

The pattern of brain development physically precludes the full development of abstract cognitive enablers until late adolescence and early adulthood. Although there is a need for instruction, this is best developed through peer interaction.

The acquisition of any one of these ACEs is an achievement, but there are other milestones to work toward. The first is to make whatever skill you have developed agnostic. That is to decontextualize it from a particular discipline or subject. This is more difficult to do than you might think. It can be done and moving in this direction is when you begin to realize your full potential – at least where the one ACE is concerned.

The other milestones are the acquisition of several or even all the ACEs, decontextualizing them, and welding them together as thinking processes that provide you with a strength that reflects the abilities listed above.

I believe that this is what Maslow was talking about when he stated that self-actualization is the final developmental stage in meeting our needs. Sought by many but achieved by so few.

It is time for you to begin to realize self-actualization. You can never be too old, too young, too sophisticated, or too na?ve. Read the list of evidence-based advantages to having well-developed ACEs and ask yourself if it is worth it.

With the instructive methods developed by Dr. Jesse Martin, there can be a noticeable difference in thinking within a few weeks of initial engagement. The initial differences are very real but can be fleeting. Working two or three hours a week can develop the general enablers to a level of basic competency over the course of about a year. As with any skill acquisition, the longer the engagement the higher the level of proficiency that is achieved. Self-actualization isn’t a game or a pill. It is the pursuit of a lifetime, and I don’t believe that we will ever see AI self-actualized. That is ours and ours alone.

With fewer than 5% of the university-educated population showing even a modest development of these enablers on graduation, the room for individual development for most of us is extensive.

To learn more, contact Dr. Jesse Martin at [email protected].

Heather E. McGowan Donna Patricia Ann Eiby John Reaves Jim Bruner Michael Strong Bridgette Morehouse Espinola Woolfolk Chris Shipley Roger Prentis Ken Carroll Jessy Watmough Chasen Miko Bailey Way Shiela Chipman Paul Petillot Marina Gorbis Ken Mellendorf Gabriella Kovacs MA, PCC Harriet Thompson, PhD, MBA Sue Fewster Muneer Gohar Babar Kristopher Stewart, PhD Patrick Young John Allen Washington Binu Zachariah Amy Buttell Fay?al S. h Cristina Sim?es Bryan Quibell Maria Calkins Annalies Corbin Annalie Killian Stephen Spinelli Amy Beard Karen Rivoire ?????? Susan S. Shannon Lucas Umbereen S. Nehal, MD, MPH, MBA Tim S. James Johnson Rachel Happe Tonya Allen Enrique Rubio (he/him) Jennifer Sertl Jenni Clark John Hagel Mike Vacanti Lauren Mason Carris ? Cindy Lenferna de la Motte Jan Owen AM Hon DLitt Peter Hinssen Dianne Millard John Lowman Dr Shaukat Ali Maria da Gra?a Moreira da Silva Patricia Kimberley Robert Wuagneux Jacqueline Rice Joey Grace John Vokey