Mind Media Review

The intellectual beginning of this genre of software is Paul Meehl's famous little book called Clinical Versus Statistical Prediction that was published in 1954. In it, Meehl showed that predictions by psychologists and psychiatrists were seldom as predictions based on actuarial rules.

This meant that rule based systems, such as those used by computers, could do as well or better than human beings when it came to judging behavior. Thus, there was the potential that computers could be programmed to do the work of psychologists.

The book was followed by the first really serious work in the area of mindware. Joseph Weizenbaum at MIT built a computer program called Eliza (a forerunner of Mind Media's PC Therapist now available for the Macintosh) and publicized it to whomever would listen. Shortly thereafter, Kenneth Colby at U.C.L.A. began working on computer models of mental illness. Next Ray Fowler at Alabama developed computer based test interpretation for MMPI (America's most widely-used objective personality test. And Jim Hedlund started work on a statewide computer system for Missouri's mental health program.

Each of these pioneering efforts was based on the mainframe technology of the time. Thus, these programs were relatively crude and extremely expensive. But his work was very important because it started psychologists thinking about how to use computers.

My role in the development of mindware was more a matter of happenstance than design. After a brief stint as a graduate student in philosophy at Berkeley, I ended up with a job as a systems engineer at IBM. For four years I learned to write programs and design computer systems I had left IBM to enter graduate school in psychology in 1968. Quite by accident, I chose the University of Minnesota's clinical program. Here Paul Meehl was the intellectual leader and personality testing with MMPI was the focus of the clinical training program. By the time I received my Ph.D. in 1972, I had written my first MMPI scoring program and had completed the basics for an automated interpretation program.

At about this time, Tom Williams had just become the Head of Psychiatry at the VA Hospital in Salt Lake City. He was interested in developing a computerized pre-admission screening. Results showed that our computer based approach to intake decision-making led to improvements in treatment outcome, reduced overall costs, and resulted in greater patient satisfaction.

At about the same time John Griest in Wisconsin was developing numerous computer programs for psychiatric diagnosis. Between our two research groups, we were beginning to produce a large number of scientific publications as well as generating a significant amount of general publicity. This brought students and even more mindware developments.

In 1977 Williams and I moved to Eastern Virginia Medial School with a programmer named Ken Hansen. There we started a private company in our spare time to develop and sell min-computer based assessment systems to independent psychologists and psychiatrists. By 1983 this company had mini-computers for psychological assessment (costing $20,000-$50,000 each) installed in more than 300 offices around the United States and was testing thousands of patients a week.

In 1979 I became head of Clinical Psychology at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. There many of my graduate students became interested in computers and in the development of mindware. We had ongoing research projects that ranged from computer based psychotherapy to Rorschach interpretation. Thus, the uses of computers in the area of psychology became even more widespread.

The year 1983 was a turning point for me. I was becoming more interested in microcomputers and less interested in teaching psychology. I moved to Palo Alto to start my own company, Human Edge which developed and sold mindware for the microcomputer.

Our first programs were for standard business situations such as selling, negotiation, communication and management. In each case the program asked for information from the users about themselves, the other people involved and the situation. Then the computer printed a detailed strategy report that told the user specifically how to approach (e.g. sell, negotiate with, manage or communicate with) the other person in the most advantageous way.

These programs received tremendous amounts of publicity and were featured in publication such as Newsweek, Fortune, Forbes, Time and the Wall Street Journal. And our first program, The Sales Edge became the first mindware ever to become a top seller.

In 1984 my wife Cathy and I wrote a program called Mind Prober that asked users to rate themselves or other people on a series of adjectives and it computed the results and printed a three-page report describing the person.Mind Prober became an overnight hit. It was featured on the cover of InfoWorld and numerous other publications. It sold more than 250,000 copies. And it was named the top-selling educational program of 1985. A follow up program Mindviewer is now published by Mind Media and offered for subscribing to this newsletter on the Mind Media world-wide web site. Mindviewer has sold more than 100,000 copies since its release.

We have three new mindware products currently published by Mind Media. Compatibility Prober tells you how you will relate to another person on the job, in love or as friends.IQ SMARTS is a program that tests IQ, gives you an IQ score and then tells you how to raise it. Dream Analyzer allows you to take a checklist of dream elements and offers a interpretation.

Probably the most significant development in mindware is Mind Media, the on-line version of the Mindware Catalog. Finally, there is a single place for all these programs to be featured and sold. With this e-newsletter and Mind Media's web site, things should really begin to happen!

About the Author:
Dr. James Johnson is widely regarded as one of the founding fathers of what we now call mindware. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota and has worked as a systems engineer for IBM, Director of Clinical Psychology at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago and founder of Human Edge Software. Currently he is CEO of TexGen Systems.,

My idea of an advanced evolutionary machine is a laptop with: An 8.5x11 portrait screen, 32 megabytes of RAM, a 600 megabyte ROD (Rewritable Optical Drive), a built-in, high resolution ink-jet plain paper printer, a built in cellular phone/modem/fax, an infra-red cordless lightpen-mouse, with a touch-screen interface that can also respond to the user voice commands and translate writing with he lightpen. The laptop would have Flash RAM instead of BIOS chips. The operating system BIOS would load from the optical disk, so the machine could use any operating system the user desired.

All of these feat ures are available now or will be within the next few years.But, as fantastic as the machine I have described, I still consider it to be an evolutionary advance in computing. "So what do I consider to be a "revolutionary" advance in computing" I believe that using a computer to enhance human thinking is the next revolutionary advance. The type of software that does that is what I call "Thinking Tools." This is not software that processes data faster. It is not software that causes the computer to mimic human thinking. Rather, it is software that helps people develop and use their own intellect in a more powerful way.

So far, in my thoughts about this type of software, I've identified four categories into which the programs might be grouped:

• Hyperlinking
• Decision Analysis
• Creativity Enhancement

Let me briefly describe each of these categories.

HYPERLINKING
Researchers believe that human memory and thought is organized by three-dimensional links of association of neurons and synapses. In that model,main avenues of thought often have side streets and cul-de-sacs. I know I think in that manner. Even as I'm writing this there are all sorts of tangent thoughts popping in my head. The task of prioritizing, sorting and presenting these thoughts to readers cogently is part of what makes a writer--in Isaac Asimov's words--"A thinker on full overload!"

Hyperlinking software allows a writer to hide tangent thoughts, explanations,definitions and the like behind linear text or graphics. It allows me to transfer the structure of my three-dimensional network of thoughts to a medium I can present to others. Hyperlinking software also allows the persons to who I've presented my thoughts to absorb those thoughts in their own manner.As they are viewing the structure of my text or graphics they can understand the tapestry of ideas in large bolts of thought, stopping where necessary to gather details thread by thread.

DECISION ANALYSIS
We all make many decisions, every day of our lives. Some are small, such as which shoes to wear. Others, can be more important, such as whether or not to change jobs. For the important decisions we want to make the best choice possible. Decision analysis software can help us do that. Making decisions entails analyzing various factors and the relationship among them. Sometimes the factors are known quantities and the relationships are clear; other times some of the factors are unknown and the relationship vague. Most mix known and unknown quantities, clear and vague relationships.

Decision analysis software can help us discover and look at these factors and relationships from many different angles. Different types of decision analysis programs employ different methods. Some of the common methods are decision matrix, pairwise comparison, decision tree, linear programming,Monte Carlo and Hypercube simulation.

Space doesn't permit me to go into depth about the details of each type of method. Let me state the basic criteria for which type to choose. When the decision involves judging tangible attributes of alternatives, use a decision matrix program. If the attributes are intangible, depending upon personal preferences, then use a pairwise comparison program. If the decision depends on variables with known values and relationships, use linear programming software. If the decision depends upon uncertain events in the future with quantifiable values, use a decision tree program. When the relationships are known, but not the values, use simulation to find the values, which then can be plugged into decision tree or linear programming software or use as weighting factors for attributes in a decision matrix model. Just remember that decision analysis software doesn't guarantee the user will make the best decisions. This type of software can only hope the user explore all the information and attempt to analyze it in an more intelligent and sensible manner.

CREATIVITY ENHANCEMENT
Creative thinking is part of the process of discovering and communicating meaningful new associations. Creativity Enhancement software helps the user to think of many new and unusual possiblities, to enrich our experiences by embracing diverse points of view.

This class of software is fairly new, but is growing quickly and changing constantly. Some programs in this class put the user in role-playing modes and ask what alternatives people in that role would suggest. Other programs provided idea stimulating words and ask what comes to mind. Some as insightful questions. One provides a thesaurus of associates based upon the user-provided words and has a databank of pertinent questions. Seeing the words associated with the provided words triggers new thoughts and ideas. The human mind does pattern recognition better than it does memory retrieval. People often have difficulty remembering facts or relationships out of the blue, but can easily recall those same facts or relationships if they see a related word or phrase. This type of software can help the user remember or discover the non-obvious. It promotes lateral thinking and creativity. (See Mind Media's Creative Whack Pack for Windows and Macintosh, ThundertTought Creativity Pack, Brainstorm-IdeaGen).

CONCLUSION
I believe that in the future the ability to innovate will be a very important resource in world trade. Businesses need to recognize and find ways of enhancing and using this resource. In any endeavor, people are ultimately the most important asset. In today's fast-paced, competitive environment; people, organizations, and even governments are dependent on the thinking power of their managers and leaders. An investment in enhancing thinking is insurance against decline and failure and an investment in the future.This type of software is not a necessary ingredient, nor one that can guarantee success, but I think it is one that can make the dough rise faster.

Authors Biography:
Paul Anakar has a BA in Mathematics from UCLA and a Doctrate in Law from Southwestern Universitity. He is a chairman of Lawyers in Mensa International, Technical Editor at PCAI Magazine and a columnist for CD-ROM Enduser magazine.

Uncover People's Real Personality with the Skill of a Professional!

Professional Analyst represents a milestone in the history of personality evaluation software.

Use this software for doing professional evaluations, selecting job applicants, counseling students, or in your personal life. Professional Analyst gives you a total picture of another person's psyche without generalizing, glossing over details or sounding like a newspaper horoscope.

Professional Analyst lets you discover people's real personality on 19 separate scales including narcissism, depression, mania, recent stress, childhood neurosis, marital problems, delinquency, anxiety, conscientiousness, paranoia and many others.

Professional Analyst is based on research begun in 1972 by Dr. James Johnson. It required 17 years and development costs approaching $1 million. It's easily the most sophisticated computer program on the market for the assessment of people.

Professional Analyst is a comprehensive assessment system that delves into many facets of personality and integrates this information into two distinctly different reports.

General Report:
Gives you information on day-to-day functioning, current mood, ways of thinking, major defenses, habit structures, life needs, social relationships, hobbies, vocational interests and motivational requirements.

Clinical Report:
Reports on the presence of psycho pathology and how to treat it. This report is written in cold clinical language that may be offensive to some. You should be prepared to deal with the clinical facts about how people think, dream and act. The Clinical Report is intended for the person who is serious about understanding human behavior and motivation (Note for professionals: You'll even get a DSM-III-R diagnosis on both Axis I and Axis II.)

Professional Analyst also has these important features.

• Test consisting of 335 true/false questions that can be administered in front of the PC or by printing forms.

• Detailed manual that offers complete explanations of the documentation of the software's scientific validity.

• Professional Analyst scores the individual for dishonesty, disagreeableness and potential for substance abuse. This is the kind of information you might want for hiring, supervising and counseling.

This program was developed by Dr. James Johnson and his wife Dr. Kathy Johnson. Dr. Johnson's story is detailed elsewhere in this newsletter. Dr.Johnson has declared, "Professional Analyst is the most powerful package I have ever developed. The underlying research is more extensive and the interface design is more sophisticated than any personality program on the market."

Dr. Johnson sells this program to professionals for $995. But to put this important software in the hands of as many people has possible, he has allowed us to cut he price by more than 90% for an introductory offer to the general public.

The program can be used on as many people as you like without paying costly processing fees such as programs like the MMPI charge.