Yeah, That Was Not So Good
I took a sample version of the Wonderlic test today.The Wonderlic test is a timed test used to evaluate the mental acuity of NFL prospects at the NFL Draft Combine.
Or something.
It's only 50 questions, so it's hard to understand what they could actually find out. Still, though, it's kind of a big deal. They've been giving the test since the early 1970s.
Who had the highest score? A punter, Pat McInally (Harvard), who has the only perfect score (50) in the history of the test.
So I took the test (again, a sample version). 50 questions. 15 minutes.
I scored a 43.
In actually, that was shitty. I thought I would miss all the problems where they show you a 2D layout of a 3D image, and you have to "fold" it together and figure out which lettered corners touch. My spatial understanding is very poor, so I figured I was dead on all of those.
I only missed 2, somehow.
Instead, I missed 5 not difficult questions because the time deadline was pressuring me, I thought. I actually finished with almost 2 minutes left, so I had more time than I thought, but man, I missed some simple stuff just because I didn't read closely enough.
That made me start thinking about time pressure, and how it affects our decision making.
It's been a long time since I've thought about this. I have been very fortunate in that time pressure in my life has decreased significantly as I've gotten older. I have time to think. I'm able to plan. I feel like I generally make good decisions because I'm able to be methodical.
Of course, I wasn't like that before Eli 18.8 was born.
Being a parent will teach you about being procedural, because your child will closely model your behavior. All the time. So in trying to model good behavior, particularly in terms of making decisions, I actually started making good decisions. I learned how to be methodical, and how to plan.
Eli taught me some of that, too. He always had this meticulous side of his personality (still does) that was incredibly effective (still is), and I tried to learn as much as I could from him.
All of this makes me wonder how many people are making bad decisions just because of the time pressure they find themselves under. Making decisions with incomplete information in a limited time frame is both difficult and stressful, and the stress can lead to bad habits and bad choices.
Not a reflection of the person, but a reflection of their situation. It's easy to label people as unsuccessful or poor thinkers or whatever, but nobody lives in a vacuum.
It also makes me wonder if some kids who struggle are struggling because they're trying to make decisions in time frames that don't suit their personality.
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