Lesson 7: Whole Brain Theory

 Paul Broca conducted a study on the language and left-right brain specialization on a patient who
had problems with language then theorized that language functions reside in the left side of the
brain.
 Dr. Roger Sperry conducted a study for epilepsy (1981 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine).
He explained that the left and right side of the brain has different functions. The left hemisphere
of the brain is for tasks that are more intuitive, creative and synthesizing; while the right
hemisphere of the brain was for functions such as analytical, logical, reasoning, and critical
thinking. – “Split-Brain Theory”
 Dr. Paul MacLean came up with a theory that identified three distinct parts of the Brain –
Neocortex, Limbic System, and Reptillan Cortex – “The Triune Brain Theory”
o Neocortex or the rational brain – intellectual tasks (language, planning, abstraction, and
perception)
o Limbic System or the intermediate brain – motivation and emotion (feeding, reproductive
behavior, and parental behavior)
o Reptillan Cortex or the primitive brain – controls the self-preservation and aggressive
behavior of humans similar to the survival instincts of the animals
 General Electric, Nad Herrmann – “Brain Dominance Theory” – human body does not function
equally. People normally have a more dominant body part. He extended his theory to the brain
which he concluded that the brain has four parts – upper left and right hemisphere, and the lower
left and right limbic halves. He is regarded as the “Father of Brain Dominance Technology”.

Herrmann’s Four Dominant Quadrants

 The Four Quadrants
o Upper Left (A) Cerebral Mode – ANALYTICAL
o Lower Left (B) Limbic Mode – ORGANIZED
o Lower Right (C) Limbic Mode – INTERPERSONAL
o Upper Right (D) Limbic System – IMAGINATIVE
 Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI) – a 120-question survey instrument that
measured the preference strengths of the four quadrants.
 He is pointing out the preferences of styles in thinking.

Quadrant Key Words Preferred Responds Vulnerabilities Typical

Activities Well To Occupations
A– Logical, Collecting Technical or Too focused, may CEO of
Analytical factual, data, listening financial miss synergistic technical
Thinking critical, to information, opportunities, organizations,
technical, informational theories, charts favors individual stock market
quantitative, lectures, and graphs, vs, group work, broker,
abstract, reading formal tends to place chemist,
impersonal textbooks, approach, data facts over people, computer
judging ideas heavy content problems with programmer,
based on facts, delegating finance
criteria, and manager
logical
reasoning
B– Conservative, Following Agendas, goals, Reluctant to Technical
Sequential structured, directions, and objectives, changes, tends manager,
Thinking organized, repetitive simple graphs miss the bigger operations
detailed, detailed and picture, does not manager,
planned homework presentation, miss the big bookkeeper,
problems, time stickler for time, picture, does not drill sergeant,
management step-by-step appreciate supervisory
and schedules, procedures innovative ideas, nurse,
planning and before avoids dynamic construction
organizing concluding situations engineer
C– Emotional, Listening to Creative and Dislike for routine Marketing,
Inter- spiritual, and sharing, free flowing and structured sales, real
personal feeling, looking for activities, activities, estate,
Thinking sensory, personal experiential tendency to be elementary
kinesthetic meaning, activities like impulsive and school
sensory input, music and art, emotional, often teacher, social
teamwork, people-centered misses out on the worker,
win-win activities, and details counselor,
situations discussions secretary
D– Visual, Looking at the Fun activities, Can be Artist,
Imaginative holistic, big picture, humor, future impractical, tend entertainer,
Thinking intuitive, taking oriented to overlook musician,
innovative, initiative, activities, details, may tend entrepreneur,
conceptual b simulations, experimentation, to procrastinate strategic
visual aids, thought especially if they planner,
appreciate provoking and do not like what creative
beauty of a challenging they are doing like writer, film
problem, questions, repetitive tasks, director
brainstorming, visuals difficulty in
visionary prioritizing
 Quadrant A Learners
o Logical thinking
o Analyzing information
o Understand better when presented with number and quantities
o Good in concluding based on facts and information
o Expects exact information that are straight to the point
o Wants to be fed with lots of theories, numbers, data, logical explanations and researches
o Find it hard to express inner thoughts and emotions
o Have struggle with unclear or undefined concepts or ideas
 Quadrant B Learners
o Easily grasp things in sequence
o Enjoy organizing ideas and things
o Assess situations and information
o Apply what they learned into practice
o Demands for clear instructions and directions
o Find it hard to understand concepts without any examples to show how these things are
applied
o Challenge in taking risks and doing things that are not clearly defined to them
 Quadrant A and B Learners are often characterized as practical, reality-based, and down-to-earth
persons.
 Quadrant C Learners
o Very sociable learners
o Enjoys learning with groups
o They are very focused when trying to learn something
o Tends to reflect on what they understood and acquired
o Uses their bodies and movement while learning
o Bored in intellectual and data discussions without activities or participations
o Emotional
o Personal feedback is important to them
 Quadrant D Learners
o Curious people – discovering, experimenting, and exploring
o They are good in conceptualizing, and putting seemingly unrelated parts and connecting
these parts together
o Synthesizers
o Creating new ideas and concepts
o Enjoys games and surprises
o Needs different varieties of approaches in learning
o Spontaneous
o Difficulty in meeting deadlines and rigid environments
 Quadrant C and D Learners are often characterized as fun, flexible and open-minded persons.
Mind Mapping
 A diagram used to represent ideas or information branching from a central key word or idea and
used as an aid in study, organization, problem solving, decision making, and writing.
 Developed by Tony Buzan
 Useful visual tools that help in linking together concepts and information in such a way that the
interconnection and inter-relation of these are clearly laid out and easily accessible to help in
problem solving and for reference and review,
 Useful during brainstorming sessions, making decisions, organizing information, simplifying
complex ideas, note-taking, and even for personal use.
 Characteristics of mind mapping:
o The center image represents the main idea, subject or focus.
o The main branches radiate from the central image.
o The branches comprise a key image or word drawn or printed on its line.
o Twigs represent the lesser topics.
o The branches form a connected nodal structure.
 Steps in creating basic mind maps:
o Write the title of the subject you are exploring in the center of the page and draw a circle
around it.
o Draw lines out the center circle to label major subject matters about your topic.
o Draw additional lines that will connect to the lines to the major topics.
o For individual facts or ideas, draw lines out from the appropriate heading line and label
them.
o As you come across new information, link it in to the mind map appropriately.
 Using mind maps effectively
o Use single words or simple phrases
o Print words
o Use color and shapes to separate different ideas
o Use symbols and Images
o Use cross-linkages