Kevin McGrew IM Keynote Oct 2012. Use of movement in slides is not present in this static SlideShare show ..the red circle bounces around in the live presentation.

1. “I Think…
Therefore IM”
Kevin McGrew, PhD.
Institute for Applied Psychometrics (IAP)
www.themindhub.com

2. René Descartes
“I think…therefore I am”
(Cogito ergo sum)

3. A more accurate title might be
“IM…Therefore I Think—Better”

4. Kevin McGrew Affiliations
Institute of Applied Psychometrics (IAP)-Director
Woodcock-Munoz Foundation – Research
Director
Measurement Learning Consultants - Associate
Director
University of Minnesota - Visiting Professor
(Educ. Psych.)
Interactive Metronome - Director of Research
and Science (External Consultant) *
* Conflict of interest disclosure: Financial relationship and
interest in IM

5. Additional info re:
Kevin McGrew and IAP
can be found at the
MindHub™ web portal
www.themindhub.com

6. Relevant Blogs

7. Primary goal of presentation:
To provide an understandable research-based
explanation of one of the key cognitive benefits of IM
Importance
icon

8. My 2006/2007 IM presentations focused primarily on
mental time-keeping (brain clock)
Still critically
important but the
focus today will be
different. The brain
clock research is at
a different
explanatory level
So much research
and theory…so little
time 
Increased brain clock temporal resolution?

9. Will not deal with important motor, gait, stroke, etc.
IM implications and explanations….sorry

10. White matter matters!
(UK CONNECT brain
white matter micro-atlas)

11. Other possible titles (advance organizers)
Quieting the busy mind
On demand focus
A wandering mind is an unfocused mind
Better thinking through brain synching
When you must ponder…your mind must not wander
You must train to gain
Train and maintain a “focused brain”
Detect and deflect distractions and TUTs (task unrelated
thoughts)
Engage in focus…disengage from distractions
Focus like a laser beam…that is the key
Lock on the tone to think in the zone
Fine tune your brain networks
Is the P-FIT it?

12. Brief Tribute to the Original
Time Doc – Jim Cassily
”If I have seen farther,
it is by standing on the
shoulders of giants”
As stated by Isaac Newton
in a letter to Robert
Hooke in 1676:

13. The Original Time Doc – Jim Cassily

14. The Original “Time Machine”

15. The Original Purpose + Serendipity
To help athletes and musicians improve
their timing, rhythmicity, coordination and
focus. However, it was quickly discovered
that training with this physically and aurally
interactive version of the traditional
metronome yielded unprecedented
improvement in children with debilitating
cognitive, as well as, physical based
disorders.” (Jim Cassily, 1993)

16. Why I (like all of you) am a part of the IM Family
Purpose, Passion and Serendipity

17. My Brief Personal and
Professional IM Journey
Many a scientific adventurer sails the uncharted seas and sets his
course for a certain objective only to find unknown land and
unsuspected ports in strange parts. To reach such harbors, he
must ship and sail, do and dare; he must quest and question.
These chance discoveries are called “accidental” but there is
nothing fortuitous about them, for laggards drift by a haven that
may be a heaven. They pass by ports of opportunity. Only the
determined sailor, who is not afraid to seek, to work, to try, who
is inquisitive and alert to find, will come back to his home port
with discovery in his cargo (p. 177)

18. How can this…
Etc.
…produce positive outcomes
across such diverse domains?

19. Two IM reading
achievement
studies

20. IM Must be Impacting a Domain-General
Cognitive/Learning Mechanism
The quest to find a domain-general
cognitive learning mechanism that can be
manipulated has been one of the major
goals of cognitive and educational
psychology

21. Some aspect(s) of IM
must be increasing the
ability or efficiency of
some domain general
learning mechanism (s)
•There is a long-standing tradition within psychological research
to search for general principles or cognitive mechanisms that
can be used to address all aspects of behavior and cognition.
•Not tied to any specific content or domain.
•An underlying mechanism that can be applied to a wide range
of novel problems and domains of performance
•“Jack-of-all-trades” mechanisms (Chiappe & McDonald,2005)

22. (feedback loop)
Sensory Cognitive Abilities
Perceptual & Executive Cognitive
Systems Functions (control) Performance
Cognitive Processing
Speed
Visual
Cognitive Processing Speed
Auditory Motor Speed &
Environmental input
Timing
Attention Motor
Working Motor
Tactile Performance
Memory Control
Kinesthetic
Storage efficiency (feedback loop)
Olfactory Retrieval fluency
Most likely domain general
mechanisms IM effects.
Motor Motor Verbal Due to increased temporal
Verbal
Sequences Sequences (how) resolution of the brain
(what)
(what) (how)
clock(s)
Etc. Etc. Reading Reading
(what) (how) (what) (how)
Etc. Etc.
(what) (how)
Motor Cognitive
Kevin McGrew Acquired Knowledge Systems (aka, long-term memory)

23. IM Task Analysis: It is Measuring and Impacting
an Important Human Ability:
Attentional Control (Focus)

24. IM Long Form Assessment “Norms”
The core of IM therapy is measuring a human
ability that follows a developmental pattern
similar to other abilities (intelligence; physical
growth). Such curves are believed to be due,
depending on the specific ability, to the influence
of education and experiences as well as
genetically-driven biological maturation of the
central nervous system (CNS).
(Rotated version of original plot above)

25. Examples of cognitive ability (IQ) and
physical development norms
WJ III Tests of Cognitive Abilities

26. The primary cognitive goal of IM is to stay in “right on” zone
IM “out of zone” feedback
Out of zone
IM “right on” feedback
Right on zone

27. “It is quite difficult to force your brain to stay on
task and to shut of extraneous thoughts”
(Scientific American-Mind, 2012; Dr. Barry Gordon, John Hopkins)
This is HARD to do. Research suggests a
maximum of 20-30 minutes of true
focus or controlled attention
Focus of attention
Difficult due to constant presence of
external and internal distracting stimuli
that results in attentional capture
Attentional Pirates
•People vary in this ability
• Atypical development is associated
with a variety of clinical disorders (e.g., ADHD)

28. IM provides millisecond feedback. When not in synch
(due to attentional pirates) performance feedback trains
person to get back “on target”
Focus of attention
Attentional Pirate
“Attentional capture”
pulls mental target
out of focus of
attention – attentional
pirates

29. IM and Focus, Controlled Attention,
Working Memory and Executive Functions
Positive IM effects on cognitive and
learning tasks (e.g., reading fluency/rate
and comprehension) can be explained as
increasing the efficiency of working
memory and executive functions — all due
to enhanced attentional control (focus)

30. Extensive intelligence research has suggested a strong relationship
between working memory and general intelligence and reasoning

32. Extensive intelligence
research has suggested a
r = .82 strong relationship between
working memory and general
intelligence and reasoning
r = .50
r = .98

33. Executive attention, controlled attention, attentional
control have been implicated as the fundamental core
mechanism of effective working memory

34. Positive IM effects on reading fluency/rate and comprehension can be
explained as increasing the efficiency of working memory and executive
functions—all due to enhanced attentional control (focus)
Will explain via the information processing model in next slide
In the next slide
consider the red circle
as a sentence of text a
child has just read

35. Efficiency of Attentional Control (Focus) = Working The goal is to maintain task critical information in attentional
focus zone – in activated working memory to allow efficient
Memory Capacity  Complex cognitive processing learning to occur. Information in activated working memory (e.g..,
reading a sentence) can then be connected with prior knowledge
from long-term memory---therefore reading comprehension
Sensation Perception Long-Term Memory
Storage Retrieval
Central
Executive
Focus of (Executive
???? attention functions or
control?
• Inhibit
•Shift
•Update
Working Memory
Notice the strong parallel of IM task demands and prominence of Decisions
attentional control (focus) in information process models of intelligence Output
where activated working memory space is key ability domain
Schneider & McGrew (in press)

36. Two major threats to controlled attention
(focus)—Attentional Capture: One from without
External
attention
pirates
Focus of
attention
Decisions
Output

37. Two major threats to controlled attention
(focus)—Attentional Capture: One is from within
Internal
attention pirates The Default Brain Network
(40-50% of the time is active)
• REST: Rapid episodic
spontaneous thinking
• TUT’s: Task unrelated
thoughts
• Mind Wandering
Focus of
attention
Decisions
Output

38. Comedian Steven Wright said it best
“I was trying to day dream, but my mind
kept wandering”

39. Efficiency of Attentional Control = Working Memory Attentional Pirates
Capacity  Complex cognitive processing.
Sensation Perception Long-Term Memory
Storage Retrieval
Central
Executive
Focus of (Executive
Attention functions or
????
control?
• Inhibit
•Shift
•Update
Working Memory
Efficiency of learning is impacted by ability to maintain focus and to detect and
deflect distractions (attentional pirates—that displace task relevant information) Decisions
from capturing or entering the focus of attention in activated working memory Output

40. IM trains the brain to shut down the attentional
pirates…and increases cognitive efficiency
External attention Internal attention
pirates pirates
Decisions
Output

41. IM trains the brain to detect and deflect distractions…like a
cognitive force field
Internal attention
External attention pirates
pirates
Sustained &
contained focus
Repel…so you can excel
Decisions
Output

42. •Focus
•Attentional Control
•Working Memory
•Executive Functioning
“Quiet the busy mind” to maintain focus on task relevant information
Central
Executive
Focus of (Executive
Major attention functions or
hypothesis: control?
This is (these • Inhibit
•Shift
are) the •Update
domain
general
cognitive Working Memory
mechanism(s)
trained by IM
Consistent with McGrew (2006, 2007) and Taub & McGrew (2007)

43. Mind wandering
The unquiet mind
TUTs

44. Mind wandering
The unquiet mind
TUTs

45. Mind wandering
The unquiet mind
TUTs

46. Mind wandering
The unquiet mind
TUTs

51. • There is a stable, general mind wandering
propensity
• People who mind wander a lot while reading
also mind wander a lot on other everyday tasks
• WMC is related to reading comprehension partly
because WMC reflects an executive ability to regulate
and control thought while reading
• Executive-attention theory
• Attention-control capability (focus) is a
domain-general system that controls both WMC
and TUTs

52. •Focus
•Attentional Control
•Working Memory
Executive control theory
•Executive Functioning
Central
Executive
Focus of (Executive
attention functions or
control?
• Inhibit
•Shift
Working Memory •Update

53. Time Doc Bytes
When you must ponder…your mind must not wander
• A wandering mind is an unfocused mind
• Quiet the busy mind
• On demand focus
• Train and maintain a “focused brain”
• Engage in focus…disengage from distractions
• Detect and deflect distractions

54. IM and Meditation: An important link?

55. IM and Meditation: An important link?

57. IM and Meditation: An important link?

58. IM and Meditation: An important link?

60. IM and Brain Networks and Neural Efficiency
(A few very brief “teaser” comments)
More for your
later review

61. Time Doc Bytes
• Better thinking through brain synching
• Fine tune your brain networks
• Neurons that fire together…wire together
• White matter matters
• Is the P-FIT it?

62. Increasing brain or neural efficiency or synchronization
• Building more brain network communication connections
• Increasing efficiency of existing brain network communication
Central
Executive
Focus of (Executive
attention functions or
control?
• Inhibit
•Shift
•Update
Working Memory
Hypothesis: Increased brain clock temporal resolution facilitates neural
efficiency and synchronization which in turn increases efficiency of working
memory and executive functions

64. • Default mode network
• Salience network
• Central-executive network

65. The network model (vs.
modular) of the brain is
Click for video – start at
30 second mark)
important
Click for “brain duet” video –go to 6:58)

66. White matter matters!
Click for brief video

67. Is the P-FIT It?
IM and The Parietal-Frontal Integration
Model of Intelligence
The Frontal (esp., DLPFC) and Parietal
lobes have been repeatedly linked (via
research) to the cognitive constructs
of controlled attention, working
memory and executive functions
general intelligence and higher level
cognition

68. The Brain and Working Memory: The Evidence-Based P-FIT Model
Frontal Lobe
(DLPFC) Adapted from Hunt
(2011)
Focusing
attention
internally
Focusing
Parietal Lobe
attention T
externally
Working General
Memory reasoning
Short-term
storage
Procedural &
Response Declarative
selection know.
Anterior
cingulate gyrus

69. Controlled attention (focus) is the minds gold/treasure
(limited attentional resources)
Internal attention
pirates
Focusing
attention
internally Key cognitive
ability for cognitive
and motor learning &
Focusing
performance
attention T
externally
Working General
External attention
pirates Memory reasoning
Short-term
storage
Procedural &
Response Declarative
selection know.
The P-FIT Model

70. The P-FIT Model

71. The P-FIT Model
Arcuate fasciculus tract

72. White matter matters!

73. Three biomarkers of white matter integrity
Indicators of g-factor were
WAIS-III Gs tests (Symbol
Search, Digit Symbol),
Gsm tests (Digit Span-
Backwards; Let-Num. Seq),
Gf test (Matrix Reasoning),
and Gv test (Block Design).
Indicators of g-speed were
measures of reaction time
(Gt) – simple reaction
time, four-choice reaction
time, inspection time)
CHC test classifications
not by article authors but
by Kevin McGrew as per
CHC theory
White matter matters!

74. Two IM reading
achievement studies
White matter
related?

75. White matter matters!

76. White matter matters!
arcuate fasciculus tract

77. White matter matters!

78. White matter matters! Very interesting
common white matter tract finding in P-FIT and
recent reading research
arcuate fasciculus tract

79. Increases the temporal resolution
(faster clock speed) of the brain
clock(s) which improves neural
efficiency of the brain
The observable IM
Frontal Lobe
treatment Parietal Lobe
(DLPFC)
Improves brain network
communication efficiency via
white matter tracts, Network
particularly between the communication
parietal-frontal regions (P-FIT
neuro-model of intelligence)
White matter tracts
(brain network
communication infrastructure)
Working memory
Improves focus (attentional control that
maintains goal related information focus
active in working memory) which in turn
Cognitive improves efficiency of working memory,
performance
(reasoning,
the most central cognitive ability for
new learning and performance Knowledge in long-
comprehension,
term memory.
etc)
Cognitive abilities.
Exec functions
The observable
positive outcome
Hypothesized IM effect at different “under the hood” explanatory levels
(based on brain clock and IM-specific research and theory)