MRT Skills, Unit Seven: Problem Solving MRT Trainer Instructions: Introduce Problem Solving. Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved. MRT Version 3.1 Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved.

MRT Skills MRT Trainer Instructions: Slide Builds MRT Skills MRT Trainer Instructions: Read the description of Problem Solving: Accurately identify what caused the problem and identify solution strategies. MRT Version 3.1 Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved.

Problem Solving helps to build Mental Agility. Problem Solving: B.L.U.F. MRT Skills Problem Solving helps to build Mental Agility. You first have to understand a problem before you can effectively solve it. Being a successful Soldier, Family member, or DA Civilian requires the ability to solve problems effectively without getting bogged down in old habits of thinking. The goal is to include any critical information you missed so that you can understand the problem and focus on solution strategies. MRT Trainer Instructions: Review the B.L.U.F. statements. Point out that this problem solving model focuses on accurately understanding the causes of the problem, and thus, can be thought of as problem understanding. Ask for questions/comments. Key Points: Problem Solving helps to build Mental Agility. You need to understand a problem before you can solve it. Old habits in thinking can keep you from solving problems effectively. Problem Solving allows you to consider information you missed so that you can solve problems effectively. Problem Solving allows you to engage in root-cause analysis of the problem. Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved. MRT Version 3.1 Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved.

Effective Problem Solving MRT Skills Focus on thoughts about WHY the problem happened. Identify the contributing factors that caused the problem through Critical Questions and evidence. Evaluate which factors are controllable. Develop solution strategies that will bring about positive change. MRT Trainer Instructions: Review the points on the slide to give an overview of the skill. Reinforce the key message that you can’t effectively problem-solve unless you have an accurate understanding of what caused the problem. State that Thinking Traps can get in our way of seeing a problem accurately and that Critical Questions can guide us in identifying critical information that was missed. Key Points: You can’t effectively problem-solve unless you have an accurate understanding of what caused the problem. Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved. MRT Version 3.1 Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved.

Awareness Test MRT Trainer Instructions: MRT Skills MRT Trainer Instructions: Show the “Awareness Test” clip: Prebrief: Show the clip without an introduction so that you don’t ruin the effect. Simply state that there is one new concept to cover before reviewing the steps of the Problem Solving model. Debrief: Ask how many participants saw the hidden message on the cards. Emphasize that we tend to see what we are looking for. Think about what this means for problem solving. Our brains are wired such that we go in to many situations thinking we are right, which makes it harder for us to see information that may prove that we are wrong. “We see information that supports our initial beliefs.” Key Points: 1. Our tendency to see what we are looking for makes it hard to be good problem-solvers. Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved. MRT Version 3.1 Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved.

Our mind sees what it is looking for It is hard to change our minds Confirmation Bias MRT Skills Our mind sees what it is looking for It is hard to change our minds MRT Trainer Instructions: Explain that the Confirmation Bias is the automatic process that makes us more likely to confirm that which we already believe. Point out that the Confirmation Bias makes it hard to change our minds. Key Points: Most of us do not learn about the Confirmation Bias in other settings. We will cover this new concept before going into the specific steps of the Problem Solving model. Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved. MRT Version 3.1 Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved.

What is the Confirmation Bias? MRT Skills The Confirmation Bias causes us to: VELCRO EFFECT TEFLON EFFECT It sticks It slides off Notice Remember Weigh NOT Notice NOT Remember NOT Weigh MRT Trainer Instructions: Describe the Confirmation Bias. You can refer to this as the Velcro/Teflon Effect if that language works better for the participants. Explain the metaphor. Emphasize that evidence that fits our beliefs is like Velcro- it sticks to us. Evidence that goes against our beliefs is like Teflon- it slides right off. State that the Confirmation Bias or Velcro/Teflon Effect is common and influences all of us. Emphasize that Mental Agility is needed to get around the Confirmation Bias or Velcro/Teflon Effect. Key Points: The Confirmation Bias or Velcro/Teflon Effect causes us to notice evidence that fits our thoughts and beliefs and miss evidence that contradicts our thoughts and beliefs. Testing out the accuracy of our thoughts and beliefs is not as easy as it sounds because of the Confirmation Bias or Velcro/Teflon Effect. Evidence that supports our thoughts and beliefs Evidence that does NOT support our thoughts and beliefs Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved. MRT Version 3.1 Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved.

How the Confirmation Bias works MRT Skills We are likely to interpret ambiguous information as supportive of our thoughts and beliefs. We don’t actively seek evidence that counters our thoughts and beliefs. We weigh evidence for and against our thoughts and beliefs differently. Once we find evidence that supports our thoughts and beliefs, we tend to stop gathering evidence. MRT Trainer Instructions: Review each of the ways the Confirmation Bias works and give an example of each. Use the situation below or use one of your own. Example: Student who doesn’t think he is smart. Ambiguous information: When the teacher says the student’s answer is partially correct, the student only hears “I’m wrong.” Don’t actively seek evidence: The student does not take the challenging classes, and when he gets one answer wrong, he does not raise his hand again. Weight evidence differently: The student’s Social Studies teacher praises him on his most recent assignment, but his English teacher tells him he needs to re-write his paper. He weights the English teacher’s comments more heavily, telling himself, “that teacher knows me better and my Social Studies teacher says nice things to everyone.” Stop gathering evidence: When the student is remembering his day, he stops when he gets to second period where he didn’t do well in class, and doesn’t think about the good work he might have done later in the day. Key Points: There are a variety of different ways that the Confirmation Bias works. All of these processes lead us to miss critical information and make it hard to see situations accurately. Give participants more information about what the Confirmation Bias leads us to do. The Confirmation Bias gets in the way of processing information accurately. It makes it hard to see situations from perspectives other than our own. Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved. MRT Version 3.1 Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved.

It is important to remember MRT Skills The Confirmation Bias is not intentional not in our awareness The stronger our belief, the stronger the Confirmation Bias We can have a Confirmation Bias for positive or negative thoughts, e.g., “I am a good leader.” “I am not a good leader.” MRT Trainer Instructions: The Confirmation Bias tends to be stronger for core beliefs (Icebergs) like, “x group of people are lazy” or “I’m a great athlete,” than it is for Heat-of-the-Moment Thoughts like “it’s hot outside today” or “I need a haircut.” Confirmation Bias can operate on both positive thoughts and negative thoughts. Either way, it can undermine resilience because it causes you to miss information and makes it hard to see situations accurately. Key Points: 1. The Confirmation Bias is not in our awareness. That is why it’s an important concept to learn. Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved. MRT Version 3.1 Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved.

“I don’t have what it takes.” MRT Skills MRT Trainer Instructions: Tell participants to imagine that their buddy says that he doesn’t have what it takes. You ask him why he thinks that and he lists supporting evidence: gained a lot of weight in past month, fell out of three PT runs, a bunch of guys in the squad grabbed lunch without him. Point out the two problems with this: You have to define what it means to not “have what it takes” (e.g., someone who is not physically fit, has no friends and never will, etc.). Once defined, you can start the evidence gathering process. What evidence did he miss because of the Velcro/Teflon Effect? He probably only noticed evidence that fit his thoughts and missed information that showed his thoughts were not fully accurate. Key Points: Be aware that the Confirmation Bias or Velcro/Teflon Effect will make it hard to see the counter-evidence. Photo © Dunca Daniel, Dreamstime.com. Used with permission. Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved. MRT Version 3.1 Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved.

“I don’t have what it takes.” (continued) MRT Skills Velcro Teflon Came in last on two ruck marches Finished in top ten on six ruck marches Fell out of three PT runs Finished all PT runs this week A bunch of guys in the squad grabbed lunch without me twice this week I grabbed lunch with guys on the squad four times this week 1SG called me “Tubby Tubby” last week I’ve lost five pounds and it’s only been two weeks MRT Trainer Instructions: Use this chart to summarize the story of your buddy who thinks he doesn’t have what it takes from the previous slide. Explain to participants how the information in the Velcro column is what your buddy told you when you asked why he thinks that he doesn’t have what it takes. Tell the participants that had your buddy been filmed, they would indeed see what was listed under Velcro, but that they would also see what was listed under Teflon. Those pieces of evidence didn’t register, however, because of the Confirmation Bias or Velcro/Teflon Effect. In this case, your buddy was being accurate, but not thorough. Reinforce that your buddy is not just saying these things from the Velcro column to be difficult—the Velcro/Teflon Effect is probably not something he is aware of. Ask participants for examples of the Confirmation Bias or Velcro/Teflon Effect from their own lives. Reiterate that everyone is affected by the Confirmation Bias or Velcro/Teflon Effect. Key Points: We are Velcro for evidence that fits our beliefs and Teflon for evidence that goes against our beliefs. Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved. MRT Version 3.1 Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved.

Fight the Confirmation Bias or Velcro/Teflon Effect MRT Skills Tips to fight against the Confirmation Bias or Velcro/Teflon Effect: Distance yourself from your thought. Write it down. Ask fair questions to gather the evidence for and against your thought. Consult with others. MRT Trainer Instructions: Review the strategies for fighting the Confirmation Bias or Velcro/Teflon Effect. Underscore the difficulty of asking fair questions. The tendency is to ask leading questions such as: “How many times were they fighting?” or “How many times do they not follow orders?” Examples of fair questions are: “How did they do on the PT tests over the last year?” or “What percentage of orders do they follow adequately and inadequately?” Emphasize that asking others to help you evaluate the accuracy of a thought is helpful because they don’t have the Confirmation Bias for your thoughts. They have the Confirmation Bias for their own thoughts. Key Points: There are strategies you can use to fight the Confirmation Bias or Velcro/Teflon Effect. These strategies help you to see the situation accurately. Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved. MRT Version 3.1 Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved.

Problem Solving Steps Participant Guide pages 78-79 Slide Builds MRT Skills Step Key Word Step 1: What’s the problem you’re trying to solve? Objective Step 2: What caused the problem? Why Step 3: What did you miss? MRT Trainer Instructions: Ask participants to open their Participant Guides to the pages listed on the slide. Review the Problem Solving steps. Ask participants to write down the key word for each step in their Participant Guide, and explain why each key word is important to the Problem Solving model: Step 1: Objective: One needs to be able to accurately and objectively describe the problem before one can start to solve it. Step 2: Why: In order to solve the problem, one needs to identify the initial thoughts about why the problem occurred. Step 3: Flexibility: In order to solve the problem, one needs to use the Critical Questions to identify the additional factors that might have caused the problem that were missed initially. Step 4: Accuracy: In order to solve the problem, one needs to accurately identify the true causes of the problem and work against the Confirmation Bias by weighing the evidence to determine whether or not each factor identified in Steps 2 and 3 contributed to the problem. Step 5: Clarity and Control: In order to solve the problem, one needs to have a clear understanding of the multiple causes and identify which causes one can influence, leverage, or control. Step 6: Positive Change: In order to solve the problem, one needs to identify the actions one will take to help solve the problem by creating Action Statements. Emphasize that the Confirmation Bias for our beliefs makes accuracy difficult in Step 4. Note that Steps 3 and 4 will both be completed with a partner. Flexibility Step 4: What’s the evidence that each factor contributed to the problem? Accuracy Step 5: What really caused the problem? Clarity and Control Step 6: What can you do about it? Positive Change Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved. MRT Version 3.1 Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved.

Describe the problem objectively. Step 1: What’s the problem you’re trying to solve? Who, what, when, where MRT Skills Describe the problem objectively. Who, what, when, where MRT Trainer Instructions: Describe the process of describing the problem objectively, using the language of “who, what, when, where.” Key Points: Emphasize that they already have practice describing problems objectively from the “A” of the ATC model. Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved. MRT Version 3.1 Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved.

Step 2: What caused the problem? Slide Builds MRT Skills Next you’ll list your Heat-of-the-Moment Thought(s) about what caused the problem and pie chart those thought(s) so that the more the factor(s) contributed to the problem, the bigger the slice. MRT Trainer Instructions: Describe the process of identifying Heat-of-the-Moment Thoughts. Tell the participants that when problems arise, most of us have immediate thoughts that pop into our heads about what caused the problem. These thoughts can be inaccurate and incomplete, and when they are, we undermine our ability to solve the problem effectively. Key Points: When a problem happens we have immediate thoughts about what caused the problem and those thoughts are sometimes inaccurate or incomplete. We need to be accurate in our understanding of the causes of problems in order to effectively solve problems. Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved. MRT Version 3.1 Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved.

Step 3: What did you miss? MRT Skills Then, with your partner, you’ll use three Critical Questions to identify other factors that might have caused the problem. How did others or circumstances contribute? How did I contribute? What specific behaviors contributed to the problem? MRT Trainer Instructions: Explain that the Critical Questions (from the skill of Avoid Thinking Traps) can be used to identify important information that we missed about what caused the problem. Review the three Critical Questions that are particularly helpful in identifying the causes of problems. Point out that participants can use the Critical Questions in whatever order makes sense. Key Points: The Critical Questions will help you notice information about what caused the problem that you didn’t notice initially. Use the Critical Questions in any order. Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved. MRT Version 3.1 Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved.

Step 4: What’s the evidence that each factor contributed to the problem? MRT Skills Then, with your partner, you’ll gather evidence to determine whether or not each factor identified in Steps 2 and 3 contributed to the problem, and record that evidence in the chart. Once you have gathered the evidence, put a check next to each factor in Steps 2 and 3 that the evidence shows contributed to the problem. MRT Trainer Instructions: Describe the process of working with a partner to gather evidence. Tell participants that they can take notes on the Practical Exercise during the discussion, but that they should leave room so they can write in the chart after the discussion. Key Points: Working with a partner is helpful because your partner won’t have a Confirmation Bias for your thought or belief (unless, of course, they share your thought or belief). Your partner might see information that you have missed. “Consult with others” is one of the tips to avoid the Confirmation Bias. Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved. MRT Version 3.1 Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved.

Step 5: What really caused the problem? Slide Builds MRT Skills Then you’ll list the factors you found evidence to support, and pie chart the factors so that the more the factor(s) contributed to the problem, the bigger the slice. Put a star (*) next to factors you can control or influence. Compare your Heat-of-the-Moment and accurate pie charts. MRT Trainer Instructions: Tell participants that after they identify new factors that caused the problem and test them with evidence, they will create a pie chart that reflects the actual causes of the problem. Ask participants to put a star (*) next to the factors that are under their control because this will help them to focus their efforts on the factors with which they have the most leverage. Key Points: Create a new pie chart that reflects the true causes of the problem and indicate which you can control. This will help you plan out solution strategies. By taking the time to identify the causes of the problem and evaluate the accuracy of those causes we gain a more thorough and accurate understanding of the situation. An accurate understanding of the situation enables us to identify solution strategies. Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved. MRT Version 3.1 Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved.

Step 6: What can you do about it? MRT Skills Based on your new and more accurate understanding of the problem, briefly identify Action Statements for solving the problem. Make sure the solutions you identified in your Action Statements map onto the causes on the pie chart. MRT Trainer Instructions: Based on the new pie chart, explain that participants will come up with a few ideas for ways to solve the problem. Remind participants to make sure the Action Statements identified map onto the causes on the pie chart. Key Points: Focusing on factors they can control or influence will help participants to generate realistic solutions. Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved. MRT Version 3.1 Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved.

Problem Solving Case Study Participant Guide pages 76-77 MRT Skills You’re assigned your first duty station as an 11B in the 82nd Airborne Division having arrived approximately two weeks ago. You took thirty days leave between Jump School and permanent party and showed up to your company overweight. You had struggled through basic, AIT, and Jump School but worked hard to meet the standards to graduate. Despite your better judgment, while on leave you ate heartily, drank a lot of beer, and did little PT. You barely passed your inprocessing APFT, came in last on a few ruck marches, and have fallen out of a few PT runs. You miss your fiancé, Sally. The 1SG calls you “Tubby Tubby” and tells you that you don’t have the heart to be a paratrooper. He says “you’ll be back in leg land in less than six months.” MRT Trainer Instructions: Refer participants to the Problem Solving Example Practical Exercise in the Participant Guide. Ask a participant to read the case study aloud. See the MRT Demonstration Instructions on the following slides for guidelines on presenting the Problem Solving case study. As you review each step, make sure participants are following along in their Participant Guides and have them recite each of the key words and write them down. This demonstration should take approximately 14-16 minutes. Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved. MRT Version 3.1 Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved.

Step 1: What’s the problem you’re trying to solve Step 1: What’s the problem you’re trying to solve? Who, what, when, where MRT Skills I’ve been coming in last in ruck marches, falling out of runs, and not keeping up with my peers in other physical activities. MRT Demonstration Instructions: Remind participants that the key word for Step 1 is “OBJECTIVE.” Ask the participants to describe the problem in the case study and give you the who, what, when, and where. Correct any inaccurate descriptions of the problem, particularly if thoughts creep into the description. Point out that the problem is described objectively. Key Points: An objective, accurate description of the problem is essential for problem-solving. Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved. MRT Version 3.1 Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved.

Step 2: What caused the problem? MRT Skills Next you’ll list your Heat-of-the-Moment Thought(s) about what caused the problem and pie chart those thought(s) so that the more the factor(s) contributed to the problem, the bigger the slice. MRT Demonstration Instructions: Remind participants that the key word for Step 2 is “WHY.” Identify the Heat-of-the-Moment Thoughts. Emphasize that these are thoughts about WHY the problem is happening. Emphasize the difference between “Why” thoughts about the problem and “What next” thoughts about the problem. Give participants a few sample thoughts for each and make sure they can identify the difference. “Why” thoughts (why did the problem happen?): “I don’t have what it takes.” “What next” thoughts (what do you think will happen next now that the problem happened?): “I’ll never get promoted” and “This is never going to improve.” Point out that the slices on the pie chart represent how much this Soldier believes each factor contributed to the problem. Key Points: In Step 2, capture Heat-of-the-Moment Thought(s) about WHY the problem happened (i.e., what caused the problem). #1: I don’t have what it takes. This is your brain. Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved. MRT Version 3.1 Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved.

I spent leave drinking beer and laying around and I got out of shape. Step 3: What did you miss? MRT Skills Then, with your partner, you’ll use three Critical Questions to identify other factors that might have caused the problem. How did others or circumstances contribute? How did I contribute? What specific behaviors contributed to the problem? I spent leave drinking beer and laying around and I got out of shape. I don’t get enough sleep. I lack the motivation that Soldiers need. Some of the guys on my squad are just naturally physically stronger than me. MRT Demonstration Instructions: Point out that this is where participants will start working with their partners when they do the Practical Exercise. Remind participants that the key word for Step 3 is “FLEXIBILITY.” Review what was learned by the Soldier when he used the Critical Questions. Emphasize that in Step 3 we are using Critical Questions to generate more possible causes of the problem. These might be considered hypotheses. Key Points: Use Critical Questions to identify factors you might have missed about what caused the problem. Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved. MRT Version 3.1 Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved.

Step 4: What’s the evidence that each factor contributed to the problem? MRT Skills With your partner, you’ll gather evidence to determine whether or not each factor identified in Steps 2 and 3 contributed to the problem, and record that evidence in the chart. Then, put a check next to each factor in Steps 2 and 3 that the evidence shows contributed to the problem. Evidence For: Evidence Against: 1. I came in last on 5 out of 6 ruck marches and got the bare minimum on my APFT. 1. I made it through jump school. I got praised for my land navigation skills, and my 1SG told me good job after a field training exercise. 2. I gained 7 pounds on leave and only went running once. 2. I’ve already lost 4 pounds and it’s only been two weeks. 3. I’ve slept about 3-4 hours a night since I returned from leave because I’m worrying about Sally. Even after I fall asleep I wake up a lot. 3. No evidence. 4. My battle asked me to work out with him a few times and I didn’t. I told myself I would go to the gym at night and I didn’t. 4. I did extra reading to prepare for an upcoming training exercise, and I talked with a battle about tips on improving my land navigation skills. 5. Even when I was in my best shape, those guys still beat me. 5. No evidence. MRT Demonstration Instructions: Remind participants that the key word for Step 4 is “ACCURACY.” Review what was learned by the Soldier when he looked for evidence to determine whether or not each factor identified in Steps 2 and 3 contributed to the problem. Point out that the evidence for and against the factors is very specific. Emphasize that you are testing the accuracy of the possible contributing factors generated in Step 2 and Step 3 by collecting evidence for and against each possible contributing factor. Emphasize that in order to accurately evaluate whether the factors they identified in Steps 2 and 3 contributed to the problem, they’ll need to use the tips to avoid the Confirmation Bias. Note that participants do not need to come up with one piece of evidence indicating that the factor contributed to the problem and one piece of evidence indicating that the factor did not contribute to the problem for every possible contributing factor. There might be times, for example with factor 3, “I’ve slept about 3-4 hours a night,” where there is no evidence against a factor. Point out that participants will complete this section based on their discussions with their partners. Participants should write down the raw data from the discussion on a separate piece of paper before summarizing the data on the chart. Key Points: Working with a partner, look for evidence to determine whether the factors you identified in Steps 2 and 3 contributed to the problem to help you understand the problem accurately. Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved. MRT Version 3.1 Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved.

Step 5: What really caused the problem? MRT Skills Then you’ll list the factors you found evidence to support, and pie chart the factors so that the more the factor(s) contributed to the problem, the bigger the slice. Put a star (*) next to factors you can control or influence. MRT Demonstration Instructions: Remind participants that the key words for Step 5 are “CLARITY AND CONTROL.” Review the new pie chart with the participants. Indicate that what is on the pie chart reflects factors generated through the Critical Questions and is supported by evidence. Emphasize that the only causes that make it to Step 5 are those you found evidence for in Step 4. Explain that there are two logical ways to decide which factors should be included in Step 5. Present both ways to participants and tell them that they can choose the model that makes the most sense to them. The two ways are: (1) If the weight of the evidence shows that the factor did not contribute to the problem, then it is not accounted for in Step 5. (2) If there is any evidence to show that the factor was a cause of the problem, it is accounted for in Step 5. The size of the slice reflects the degree to which the individual believes it caused the problem. In this model, if Step 4 showed that there was also some evidence indicating that a factor did not contribute to the problem, then this will be accounted for by making the slice of the pie smaller. Point out that it is possible to write something down in Step 5 that was not in Steps 2 or 3, if a new or revised factor emerges in the exploration of the data in Step 4. For example, a factor from Step 2 might be, “I don’t have what it takes” In the course of evaluating evidence in step 4, the Level 1 participant might narrow down or revise this factor to “I am below standard in ruck marches and in my APFT scores.” The revised factor “I am below standard in ruck marches and in my APFT scores.” would be written down in Step 5. Remind participants that they will put a star (*) next to the factors that are under their control, and make sure participants agree that the factors marked with a star (*) are things the Soldier in the case study can control or influence. Key Points: Only factors that the evidence shows contributed to the problem should be included in the second pie chart. Identify which factors you can control or influence so that you invest your problem-solving energy in the right places. #5: The other guys are naturally stronger #1: I am below standard in ruck marches and on the APFT* #4: I haven’t been motivating myself enough* #2: I’m out of shape* #3: I’m not sleeping enough* Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved. MRT Version 3.1 Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved.

Heat-of-the-Moment Chart and Accurate Chart MRT Skills MRT Demonstration Instructions: Review the two pie charts. Ask participants what they notice when they compare the “post pie chart” to the “pre pie chart”: The second pie chart includes more information about what caused the problem. The second pie chart enables you to identify more potential solutions. Note that our thoughts in the moment lead us to inaction: What can you do with the thought, “I don’t have what it takes?” Can you turn yourself into a new person? The second pie chart identifies what you can control. Key Points: Comparing the two pie charts provides a good snapshot of how you understood what caused the problem initially versus how you understand what caused the problem after using the Problem Solving skill. Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved. MRT Version 3.1 Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved.

Step 6: What can you do about it? Slide Builds MRT Skills - Stop eating junk food immediately and do extra PT 3 times a week. - To help me sleep, practice Mental Games and Hunt the Good Stuff for 30 minutes before falling asleep each night. - Email Sally right after dinner instead of late at night so I can get to sleep at a reasonable time. - Lose 2 pounds a week until I’m back to a healthy weight, and ask my battle to work out with me and remind me of my goal daily. - To keep myself motivated, keep track of my goal of 3 extra PT sessions a week on a chart I post on my door and update it daily. MRT Demonstration Instructions: Remind participants that the key words for Step 6 are “POSITIVE CHANGE.” Review the Action Statements the Soldier identified based on the more accurate understanding of the problem. Emphasize that with this new information in mind, you are able to come up with a wider range of solution strategies. These solution strategies should be written as SMART Action Statements. Key Points: Taking the time to use this skill might yield solution strategies you didn’t think of initially. Identifying at least one possible solution can be the difference between hopelessness/helplessness and hope. Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved. MRT Version 3.1 Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved.

Problem Solving Key Principles MRT Skills Slow down: For problems that don’t require quick solutions, slow down and get more information. Identify the causes: Use the Critical Questions to identify causes that you initially missed. Avoid the Confirmation Bias (or Velcro/Teflon Effect): The Confirmation Bias can interfere with accuracy, so work around it. Mental Agility: Mental Agility is a primary target of Problem Solving. MRT Trainer Instructions: Review the Key Principles. Ask for questions or comments. Clarify any misconceptions. Ask participants if there are any other Key Principles they would add to the list. Reinforce that Problem Solving helps to build the MRT competency of Mental Agility. Key Points: Problem Solving helps to build the MRT competency of Mental Agility. Critical Questions help us to identify causes of the problem we initially missed. Fighting the Confirmation Bias or Velcro/Teflon Effect enables us to test the accuracy of our thoughts. Through this model you will have a more accurate and complete understanding of a problem and will be in a better position to solve it. Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved. MRT Version 3.1 Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved.

Problem Solving Practice Participant Guide pages 78-79 MRT Skills Practical Exercise: Step 1: What’s the problem you’re trying to solve? Step 2: What caused the problem? Step 3: What did you miss? Step 4: What’s the evidence that each factor contributed to the problem? Step 5: What really caused the problem? Step 6: What can you do about it? Total recommended time: 60 mins Setup: 3 mins Practice: 45 mins Debrief: 12 mins MRT Trainer Instructions: Refer participants to the Participant Guide. Set up the Practical Exercise for Problem Solving as described in the MRT Practical Exercise Instructions below. Make sure that participants use appropriate kinds of problems for the skill of Problem Solving. The following are criteria for good examples: Good examples are often interpersonal problems. Participants have some control over the problem. Participants have time to think about the problem (i.e., it doesn’t require an immediate fix). Good examples are complex enough to have multiple causes. The scenario might be an example of a recurring problem. The scenario is a problem the participant is dealing with him or herself (i.e., it’s not someone else’s problem). Participants might also think about if there is a goal that they are having trouble achieving. They can use that as a problem to solve (e.g., why am I not sticking to my weight loss plan?). Emphasize that participants might not have time to complete both partners' Practical Exercises in their entirety, and that they should make sure to complete one Practical Exercise through all 6 steps. MRTs will help choose which of the participants' examples will be more fruitful to work through. MRT Practical Exercise Instructions: Once you have reviewed the Problem Solving case study using the instructions outlined in the MRT Demonstration Instructions, briefly review the instructions for completing Step 1. Then tell participants to get started and that you will be around to help them. If there is a need to give instructions on every step of the Problem Solving Practical Exercise, see the brief notes that are on the Practical Exercise within the Practical Exercise Setup Instructions handout. Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved. MRT Version 3.1 Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved.

Problem Solving Debrief Participant Guide page 81 Flip Chart MRT Skills What did you learn through this exercise? MRT Trainer Instructions: Ask participants what they learned from this Practical Exercise and record critical points on a flip chart. Remind participants to record debrief points on the Debrief and Applications page in the Participant Guide. Ask participants whether the second pie chart looked different from their first pie chart. If so, ask them to share what they took away from that. Ask participants whether new solution strategies emerged by working through this process. Point out that using the skill of Problem Solving does not guarantee that you will be able to solve the problem, but it does help you to see problems accurately so that you can focus on possible solution strategies and increases the likelihood that you will be successful. Point out that some problems are not solvable; however, this process is still useful because even if there’s nothing you can do directly, going through this process can help you to identify other resources (e.g., someone who might be able to solve the problem), and it can also give you confidence in your knowledge that you haven’t ignored potential solution strategies. Emphasize that the Confirmation Bias is common in our day to day lives. Ask participants if any of them have a story of how the Confirmation Bias caused them to miss crucial information. Key Points: The Problem Solving model is not incompatible with the Army problem solving model. It’s a different emphasis with a different goal in mind. The MRT Problem Solving model focuses more on recurrent, and often interpersonal problems. Solving problems effectively is best accomplished if the causes of the problem are known. This is called root cause analysis. It is tempting to go from Step 1 to Step 6. For many problems, it is worth taking the time to look for other possible causes by going through all of the steps because this will increase the likelihood that you will identify factors that you can control or influence. The Problem Solving model does not replace SOPs. For problems that have a clear and prescribed solution, that is the way to go. Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved. MRT Version 3.1 Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved.

Problem Solving Applications Participant Guide page 81 MRT Skills How is your knowledge of the Confirmation Bias important in your role as a Soldier, friend, or family member? How are flexibility and accuracy important in your role as a Soldier, friend, or family member? How can Problem Solving be used in the Army to improve performance and build stronger relationships? MRT Trainer Instructions: Discuss the application ideas generated by the participants. Remind participants to record application ideas on the Debrief and Applications page in the Participant Guide. Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved. MRT Version 3.1 Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved.

Problem Solving: Check on Learning Slide Builds MRT Skills What is the skill? Use Problem Solving to increase flexibility and accuracy in thinking about the causes of problems and to develop effective solution strategies. When do I use it? Use Problem Solving when you are confronted with a situation that requires a thorough understanding of its causes in order to most effectively solve the problem. How do I use it? Use the Critical Questions from Avoid Thinking Traps to identify the factors that caused the problem. Use the tips for avoiding the Confirmation Bias or Velcro/Teflon Effect to gather evidence to determine the accuracy of your thinking. Create a pie chart and develop Action Statements to target what is controllable. What is the skill? Use Problem Solving to increase flexibility and accuracy in thinking about the causes of problems and to develop effective solution strategies. When do I use it? Use Problem Solving when you are confronted with a situation that requires a thorough understanding of its causes in order to most effectively solve the problem. How do I use it? Use the Thinking Trap Critical Questions to identify the factors that caused the problem. Use the tips for avoiding the Confirmation Bias or Velcro/Teflon Effect to gather evidence to determine the accuracy of your thinking. Create a pie chart and develop solution strategies to target what is controllable. MRT Trainer Instructions: Ask each question. (Note that the slide builds.) Check to make sure the participants are giving accurate answers. Clarify misconceptions as necessary. Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved. MRT Version 3.1 Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved.

Problem Solving: Check on Learning Participant Guide page 13 MRT Skills MRT Competencies Self-awareness Self-regulation Optimism Mental Agility Strengths of Character Connection Goal Setting Hunt the Good Stuff ATC Energy Management Avoid Thinking Traps Detect Icebergs Problem Solving Put It In Perspective Mental Games Real-Time Resilience Character Strengths Assertive Communication Praise and Active Constructive Responding MRT Trainer Instructions: Refer participants to the Participant Guide. Ask participants to put a check in the boxes to indicate which MRT competencies are developed through Problem Solving. Ask participants to describe how Problem Solving builds the competency/competencies they checked. Note that many of the skills build several different competencies. Indicate that Mental Agility is a primary target of Problem Solving. Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved. MRT Version 3.1 Copyright © 2014 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved.