Increase Your Flexible Thinking Skills

Quiz 1

1. What scenario is LEAST likely to happen when workers have high levels of cognitive flexibility?

being better positioned to adapt to setbacks

sticking with the status quo because it’s easiest

creating an environment where it feels safe to take reasonable risks

adjusting more quickly to new expectations and demands

2. Your colleague Masha is really good at multitasking. Does this mean that she is automatically high in cognitive flexibility?

Yes. Multitasking and cognitive flexibility are both high signs of intelligence

No. In fact, the more you are able to switch from one task to the next, the more cognitively inflexible you are.

Yes. Multitasking and cognitive flexibility are very similar concepts.

Not necessarily. In fact, the distractions of multitasking sometimes take away from our ability to be cognitively flexible.

3. Keisha has high cognitive flexibility. What are three reason why this helps her socially and interpersonally at work? A. It helps her be adaptable when there is a change in plans. B. It helps her work faster than other people. C. It allows her to work fewer hours because she is so efficient. D. It helps her take other people’s perspectives into account. E. People find her interesting because she is spontaneous and can see the humor in many situations.

A, B, C

A, D, E

A, C, E

B, C, D

4. Cognitive flexibility is a prized skill in the workplace, and it is made up of three major components. What are they?

intelligence, adaptability, innovation

creativity, intelligence, multitasking

adaptability, innovation, self-observation

innovation, adaptability, ambition

Quiz 2

1. Which of the following behaviors is NOT associated with a higher level of cognitive flexibility?

protecting your sleepIncorrect

having regular social interaction

getting daily movement

sugar boosts in the afternoon

2. Mike is convinced that his way of pitching a new client is the best way, and so he looks for past pitches like his that have worked. He tends to overlook the instances where his previous pitches fell short. What is this an example of?

implicit bias

success fallacy

confirmation bias

all-or-none thinking

3. The more that Grace relies on her smartphone for daily tasks, the more jeopardized her cognitive flexibility may become. Why is this?

Smartphones drastically decrease creativity.

Intelligence tends to decrease with increased smartphone use.

Technology increasingly recognizes our patterns and tastes and can force us into ruts with our choices.

The average smartphone user has been shown to be less cognitively flexible than the average non-user.

Quiz 3

1. Which choice is NOT a helpful way to build your ability to innovate?

Embrace spontaneity.

Seek out novelty

Reward yourself for coming up with the right answer.

Make room for humor.

2. Which statement about staying in a rut is true?

Staying in a rut is often more comfortable in the moment, and feels safer and more predictable.

The smarter we are, the less likely we are to stay in ruts.

Ruts get a bad rap, and are often the best way to think creatively.

Staying in a rut only happens when we are lazy.

3. Let’s say you are stuck in a rut with a certain thought, like “My performance review is going to be terrible.” What would be the best way to reframe that thought in order for it to not be as bothersome, and to help you get out of your mental rut?

Distract yourself with something happy.

Avoid the thought as much as possible, and pretend it’s not there.

Change the narrative to “I’m having the THOUGHT that this review will be terrible,” recognizing that the thought may very well be a distortion.

Pick a small, simple punishment each time the thought comes up, like snapping a rubber band on your wrist.