Processing Power & Modality

Jenny Balliet

Published in

Lula & CO

4 min readMar 18, 2020

02-Coaching Playbook Notes & Processing

Processing Power

As I write ‘processing power,’ I am lauging and thinking of She-Ra Princess of Power. [1] I told you I am old. Yet, there is significance to this keep reading, Grasshopper.

If things are difficult to remember have you ever pondered why? Sometimes it can be as simple as your processing modality. As in, how do you take information in most efficiently. This is more than only your “learning preferences/intelligences.” It is your “processing modality,” which is backed by neuroscience. [2][3][4]

Action & Overload

All of the signals coming from the outside world are called stimuli. You may have heard the word “sensory motor.” This is because all of of your senses are collecting stimuli or data. This data then needs to be encoded. It is encoded in your brain. How it becomes encoded and by how many neural circuits all bear weight to how quickly you can recall the information.[5]

We all forget how difficult it is to learn, if information is not processed, no learning occurred.[ 12]

Have you heard of a pen snob?

This person only prefers to write with one exact type of pen. The reason likely is that their brain takes that informtion in via proprioception. Think about completing a circuit, if you do not connect the wires, that circuit will not complete. Some people’s brains are wired like this too in that the pressure used on their stylus or pen must be perfect, or they cannot process the information as efficiently. It would be as if you were trying to save to a hard drive, but the cord was loose. Who knows what the final product would look like! Probably, a zombie corrupted file. Can you imagine how your brain feels. Next time you have a friend who is geeking out over a pen, keep calm and think it is just a proprioceptive processing issue. [6]

8 is Great- There are 8 Modalities

According to ADDCA,

“Processing modalities “influence [a lot they] guide the way you learn, and …impact the way you internally represent your experiences, the way you recall information, and even your choice of language.”
Auditory — You need to hear instructions or what is being said
Conceptual — You need to get a global understanding with all the pieces clear
Kinesthetic — You need to move so you can focus and understand
Visual — You need to see to concentrate or comprehend
Verbal — You need to talk to work out thoughts and feelings
Tactile — You need to touch or feel an object to learn
Emotional — You need a strong positive emotion to focus and learn
Intuitive — You receive or sense information in flashes” [7]

Do you know your processing modality?

N.b., there is a resource that is used to determine this, but it is not free. I am awaiting to hear back and see if they would in fact waive the fee. Stay tuned, I have not heard back yet.

BLUE SKYS FOR ALL MODALITIES:

Cost Free & Paid Versions: A favorite trick I offer my clients is a resource called Study Blue.[8] I have used this for a multitude of classes and even licensure exams such as FINRA. Study Blue allows you to make both private and public flashcard decks. Differing levels of membership have access to crowd sourced info, priceless in biochem!

A positive is that you are able to upload your notes, as a csv or excel document. A negative is the privacy aspect of uploading your notes. However, perhaps you can create an account with Apple, which would then mask your actual email.

Always read the privacy policy on sharing and data. Though, please note the disclaimers on this series. Nothing construed in any portion there of is not legal, financial, or investment advice. Privacy varies by jurisdiction.

Below is a set I made with my Daughter on Social Studies a few years ago. We uploaded voices too, at the time we made them, I read the privacy policy back then. However I should go back and re-read.

Let’s Get Physical!

If you want to get social, and are Auditory, Kinesthetic, or Intuitive, do a TikTok on each one, create them with your friends.[9]The point is that you are studying in an optimized fashion and engaging multiple neural circuits. All learning really entails is constructing these neural circuits from a dirt road to a super charged Interstate. Quite simply, the more you build, the more you learn. [10]

Hence, the more humor, emotion, or ridiculousness you throw in, the easier it will be to recall and perform other higher level cognitive processe.