The idea came directly from an experiment involving laboratory rats at the University of California, Berkeley. These rats were given special treatment, an interesting and stimulating environment to investigate and learn about—for example, ladders to climb, tunnels to explore—and other rats with which to share their fun. They were handled by laboratory workers and in all ways led a more interesting existence than their cohort rats of the control group that were kept in the usual cages and merely fed and watered.

When the rats died, scientists examined their brains. The brains of the rats that had led stimulating lives had grown and changed. The brains of the "couch potato" rats remained unchanged. There is an extra and very exciting result of this experiment: the stimulated rats also lived longer than the rats kept in cages under normal laboratory conditions.

The experimenters then decided to try the identical experiment on very old rats—rat "Methuselahs," involving only rats over 90 in human years. They were exposed to the same environment and treated the same way. The results were the same: the old rats’ brains grew and changed, and they outlived their caged counterparts.

The part of the experiment involving the old rats gave birth to this thought: Wouldn’t it be exciting if older people could benefit from a stimulating new type of environment, from something unique and challenging, that could be investigated and learned?

The problem was how to design "mental ladders and mental tunnels" and perhaps even further types of mental gymnastics that would stimulate older adults, yet provide "fun" at the same time.

A plan was set in motion and the following questions were considered.

• Who should participate in such a program?

• What kinds of activities would be challenging, stimulating, and fun?

• What type of philosophy should be utilized in the presentation of such a program?

• How should the space available be organized for optimum participation?

• What should the participants expect from the study?

• What should the gerontologists expect from the participants.

MIND WORKS was the result of this planning, which evolved over the next 14 years (and is still evolving!).

 MIND WORKS OBJECTIVES

The objectives of MIND WORKS are:

A. To build mental fitness.

B. To encourage all types of thinking and learning.

C. To introduce diverse types of thinking.

D. To introduce new and unusual mental activities

BASES FOR THINKING AND LEARNING

There are seven basic processes of thinking and learning (designated by the California State Board of Education as processes of science). These processes are progressively more difficult to achieve. Therefore, they develop at progressively later ages. The first basic process is observation, which an infant begins to demonstrate shortly after birth. The sixth and seventh processes (inferring, applying) do not begin to develop until near adolescence, typically 12 or 13 years. Indeed, some individuals never master these complex final two processes which require abstract thinking. Once a process is mastered, it continues, with usage, throughout one's lifetime.

MIND WORKS participants are reintroduced to these basic processes through activities that specifically address each one. The processes are described briefly below in the order in which they are developed. Some examples of appropriate activities are also mentioned. Mastery of at least most of these processes is essential for adequate problem solving which is necessary for making competent decisions and maintaining control of our lives.

a. Observation

The most basic process that we all must master at a very early age is Observation. Only by using our five senses, sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell can we learn about the world around us. As babies, we touch everything within reach and taste nearly as much. A good bit of it is inappropriate. By looking, listening, and smelling as well, babies eventually get to know the world as a place they recognize and comprehend. A review of Observation is presented in Chapter l: Awareness.

b. Communicating

The next process that appears is Communicating. After we have "observed" our surroundings, we begin to talk and ask about them. Our first sounds are experimental and, in time, become words. From then on, our speech development continues to grow, and we learn to understand what we hear. Needless to say, communication abilities continue to grow, as do all thinking and learning processes. Communication is described in Chapter 2: Communication, with activities that help us keep our sharing abilities sharp.

c. Comparing

The third process is Comparing. It develops at approximately the same time as communication. Involved are comparisons of size, quantity, shape, position, and all sensory differences. We learn to arrange items in order by length, width, thickness, and any number of sensory variations. Shape, size and color are other simple comparison variables. As we gain experience in comparing everyday items, it becomes a challenge to find minor differences and smaller variations.

d. Organizing

Organizing, the fourth process, starts to develop somewhat later than the first three. It involves grouping, sequencing, and classifying. This process helps us to arrange our environment in ways that are advantageous, more convenient, perhaps, or comfortable, or even energy-saving. Information is organized in ways that help us to solve problems more easily. Some methods may involve simple, ordered thinking, making a list, or sketching a grid. Logic plays a role in organization, therefore the pursuit of logical thinking methods becomes a valuable activity.

Some MIND WORKS participants have made it a point to mention that they now approach the personal problems of their daily lives by using the organizing

methods they learned during classes. By considering such problems as a MIND WORKS challenge, they can think of many ways to attack them. 

MIND WORKS selects numerous, varied problems that involve many kinds of organization for their solutions. Participants learn to approach each type of problem with the appropriate organizing procedure.

 e. Relating

The fifth process, Relating, develops at approximately the same time as organizing. Relating involves using time-space relationships, controlling and manipulating variables, formulating hypotheses, and experimenting. While most of us will not use this process for these particular purposes, some of us will be interested in knowing exactly what can be done with it.

The process of relating begins to mix concrete and abstract ideas. By that I mean real, everyday, touchable items and imagined, unseen, unexperienced situations, as ways to solve problems. (This is the first process to involve some abstractions.) Finding relationships between seemingly unrelated items or situations also helps us to understand and deal with far more difficult problems. For example, getting answers to "What if?" questions is a good way to understand some real-life situations.

Defining exact relationships between items or situations, as in analogies ("AIDS is the bubonic plague of the new millennium."), results in clearer understanding. By considering all possibilities, you are able to come to some conclusions. Here’s a way to diagram the AIDS analogy:

Analysis of similes ("My love is like a red red rose.") and metaphors ("That lineman is a brick wall.") or making up your own examples, is entertaining as well as a good thinking exercise.

f. & g. Inferring & Implying

The final two processes, Inferring and Applying, require the use of abstract thinking. The development of abstract thinking is the result of going through all the processes that preceded it. Abstract thinking involves using information that has not been presented outright, but has been "inferred" or "deduced." A chess game involves decisions based upon what you believe your opponent will do. Great chess players envision many future moves of both themselves and their opponent before continuing a game.

Being able to imagine things that will never be seen, such as molecules and atoms, is completely abstract. Experimentation of various kinds suggested the models for molecular configuration. Physicists created them by using experimental results.

The information that allowed scientists to develop such models as these is then used to generate even more information. This involves the process of Applying. The invention of a new idea or product involves applying information gained from inferences, and problem solving.

Advanced logic problems are solved by inferring information that is not presented. Logic problems involve interpretations of clues that are presented, but which are purposely not explained in full, and therefore require making some deductions.

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