What is Key to Learning and Creativity?
IQ is often regarded as a crucial driver of success, particularly in fields such as science, innovation and technology.
Many of these characteristics are embedded in what scientists call “cognitive flexibility” — a skill that enables us to switch between different concepts, or to adapt behaviour to achieve goals in a novel or changing environment.
Cognitive flexibility provides us with the ability to see that what we are doing is not leading to success and to make the appropriate changes to achieve it. If you normally take the same route to work, but there are now roadworks on your usual route, what do you do? Some people remain inflexible and stick to the original plan, despite the delay.
Cognitive flexibility may have affected how people coped with the pandemic lockdowns, which produced new challenges around work and schooling. Some of us found it easier than others to adapt our routines to do many activities from home.
| A．It also supports academic and work skills such as problem solving. |
| B．In fact, many people have an endless fascination with the IQ scores of famous people. |
| C．More flexible people adapt to the unexpected event and try every means to find a solution. |
| D．It is essentially about learning to learn and being able to be flexible about the way you learn. |
| E．That’s because people who are cognitively flexible are better recognising potential faults in themselves and using strategies to overcome these faults. |
| F．Such flexible people may also have changed these routines from time to time, trying to find better and more varied ways of going about their day. |
