Questions from Cognitive Dominance Symposium:
1. Why is a brain 101 CRS needed by the Army? Like sleep (cultural challenge) (Reason I argue for this
course is the Army leaders do not understand the biological aspects involved in Leadership/decisionmaking/trust, etc., and we need to “educate” the leaders to the same level they understand physical
domain.
2. What role do we see for the emerging 3-D Story Telling Technology in training leaders?
3. What are the “intangibles” you are assessing for U.S. Cadet Command and how are you quantifying?
4. a. The HD CDTF White Paper recommends the conduct of a workshop following the HD Cognitive
Dominance Symposium. Outputs of this workshop are defined on pages 29 & 30 of the White Paper.
When will this workshop occur and who is invited?
b. How do we arrive at a definition of good decision making and evaluate good decision making in a
complex world/environment? (see page 29 of the HD CDTF – most critical component to improve
decision making.
5. What types of decision theory are we educating and training Army leaders to make?
6. a. How do we prevent cognitive bias from an environment that offers ‘overmatch’ of information,
technology, and social interaction and shape the cognitive behavior of the eight year old of today that
will be the 18 year old Soldier of 2025 and beyond (2025B).
b. While implementing a plan under the Human Dimension Strategy to maintain the 18 year old
Soldier of today that will be the leader of 2025B and develop a plan to sustain the 28 year old leader of
today who will be the 38 year old Soldier transitioning to be a veteran in 2025B?
c. What is the role of industry, academia, and military, and society?
7. a. Has there been any effort put into collecting / coding critical incident descriptions to identify the
frequency with which specific categories of the biases occur as primary factors leading to negative
outcome?
b. Can we prioritize the categories of biases that need to be addressed with training / other
interactions?
8. What is the panel’s opinion on the use / consumption of specific brain nutrients like deliberate dosing
of Omega 3 Fatty Acids?
9. Will cognitive dominance be able alone to keep up with automated decision making? If no, what are
the solutions? AR? Robotic Weapons? Is there equal attention being given in Army Training and
operations to Human-Machine Integration “The Singularity”, Kurzweil, to maximizing Cognitive
Dominance of Soldiers?
10. Of the current brain trainers available, which one(s) do you recommend we start using at
Soldier/unit level? [GEN Milley has charged us to consider Lumosity]
11. Are we building a better brain structurally or are we building better cognitive strategies for
performance in the game? Video games, Sniper Elete, Lumosity
12. Coach K @ Duke states his team showed “grit” in winning NCAA Championship Final.
a. Is grit a learned behavior?
b. Can you assess “grit” as part of a recruitment process?
13. a. How do we match or rather overmatch the ideological commitment grit / drive of opponents like
ISIL / Taliban / Al-Quada?
b. How do we cognitively overmatch?
14. In your opinion, what are some of the key performance dimensions that make up cognitive
dominance?
15. a. What are other countries doing to achieve cognitive dominance?
b. Aren’t there other explanations for the perceived requirement than information overload?
c. What are the sources of cognitive “bottlenecks” in man-machine teams?
d. What strategies do we employ to resolve them – other than sleep, nutrition, and activity?
16. Regards issue of achieving human cognitive dominance (2025) – discuss the downstream (aka 2nd
and 3rd order effects) of increased “workload” on the human cognitive/neuronal mechanics chemical
system…increased work = increased load system decline = increased need for understanding and
augmentation @ sociopolitical, strategic, tactical, and individual level
17. Ongoing research in “spiritual fitness”, how it fits into performance triad and cognitive dominance
18. “Gamers are fast thinkers” a faster thinker at games or like games that they’ve spent 10,000 hours
on? Clarity vs. Lumosity
19. a. A Mission Command Question: Surely if Mission Command and emotional commitment is made to
work cognitive improvements will follow on?
b. A Cultural Question: In societies characterized by ‘round’ cheetahs how might we ‘incentivize and
reward’ our people to be hungry to learn and think critically?
20. a. What performance triad resources are currently available through OTSG, etc., to leaders and
Soldiers and families?
b. What resources are being developed?
21. Given long term effects of TBI, what are DoD’s plans to optimize cognitive fitness for service
members exposed to in Garrison concussion (MTBI) or OIF/OEF/TBI in conflicts, how strudiral
injury/gliotz scars (DAI) can these service members return to duty adequate physical / cognitive fitness.
To achieve emotional resilience / increased motivation plans how to address exposures to blasts injury.
22. At what point does the reliance on technology meet physiological needs compromise our already
boarder line ability to be mindful or aware of the biological cures innate for behaviors to optimize
performance
23. a. Any negative aspects of video gaming, (ie, a downside?)
b. How can we break the “train as you fight” tradition as it relates to sleep loss?
24. a. How do we put ourselves in the “shoes” of the E2s, etc. who have a working spouse, 2-3 kids, and
have to live 45 min from post in affordable housing?
b. How do we help THEM achieve “cognitive dominance?”
25. a. What does the Army know about brain development in U.S. and International millennial learners?
b. What are the associated implications for our cognitive dominance theory?