Researchers at Vanderbilt University say they can jolt your workers into high productivity and performance, essentially making them “oops”-proof. But you may have to change your dress code to do this.
Vanderbilt psychologists Geoffrey Woodman, assistant professor of psychology, and PhD candidate Robert Reinhart have published a study that says the medial-frontal cortex brain can be selectively manipulated with “gentle” applications of negative voltage to affect the part of the brain that creates the “oops factor” and allows us to learn from our mistakes. By increasing the reaction to mistakes, the researchers found they could enhance learning from experience and thus decrease mistakes.
Research subjects wore caps soaked in saline solution that contained electrodes. The caps had flaps that touched the wearer’s cheeks.
The subjects were then given simple computer tasks to learn and perform, but with “Simon Says”- type signals when not to perform. The tasks were given in 1-second intervals to increase the possibility of errors.
Researchers monitored the brain’s reaction when an error was made, and then began to administer the negative voltage. The subjects subsequently made fewer errors and learned more quickly from their mistakes, according to a Vanderbilt news release, which quoted Reinhart as saying “… we can make you more cautious, less error-prone, and more adaptable to new or changing situations—which is pretty extraordinary.” The response also transferred to other tasks.
While the short-term implications of the findings may help people with performance deficits such as ADHD, one can only ponder the long-term possibilities in the workplace. Logo caps for everyone?
Seems like basic B.F. Skinner stuff. Also sounds very hard to implement in a workplace!