The Cutting Edge - Article 13 - Enhancing cognitive performance in our clients to facilitate decision making during difficult economic times

Operators To OWNERS

Full article available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23234490

Today more than ever we are seeking tools and answers for our producers. These are unprecedented times with unprecedented decisions. I have been involved in many calls, discussions and interactions that have sought a solution to theses problems. The ultimate conclusion is that there is not one single answer.

For some producers there will just be pain and potential loss, some extreme hardship they can persevere through and others will be able to make it through unscathed. But each operation has many tough decisions ahead and we are responsible for helping them make these decisions. It is for this reason I present this study today as a means to help you, help each of your producers come to the realization of what they need.

Pain, fear, depression and anxiety are powerful emotions and can cloud the human mind to available options in a time a crisis. It is my hope that you can use the information in this study to cause a shift in your client’s mind and help them come to the unique solution that might only work for their operation but WILL WORK and WILL GIVE THEM A PLAN!

Ultimately, we as consultants may not be able to provide any plan for an operation, much like a placebo pill we will have no solution, BUT the act of saying the operator can create a plan to survive may cause a mental shift and thus lead to a positive impact or solution being generated on our clients operations.

Article Summary:

Mobilizing unused resources: Using the placebo concept to enhance cognitive performance

Published by U.W. Weger and S. Loughnan

Objective: The main objective of this study was to explore whether the placebo principle can be used outside the medical setting to enhance cognitive performance.

Hypothesis: The author hypothesized that participants in the placebo condition who believed that they had been exposed to the correct answers would subliminally score higher than participants in the control condition.

Location: University of Witten-Herdecke Germany and University of Melbourne Australia

Methods: To do so, we employed a modified placebo induction—a bogus priming method that we told participants would unconsciously enhance their knowledge and that they should hence trust their skills in an upcoming knowledge test.

Outcomes: Participant performance was indeed enhanced, compared to a group that did not think the priming process would improve their knowledge. The study documents the relevance of the placebo effect outside the medical and therapeutic setting.