... it isn't gender specific. It's nurture. People generally can do either one and it's a preference which way they are most comfortable.
The deep focus is what takes training. Otherwise, most folks are pretty shallow (pun intended), because they are tracking many different threads simultaneously. It is pretty exceptional to find someone that can both code a FFT and manage a department at the same time. The transition from designer to manager requires learning to track many different processes and being willing to forego the single in-depth cognitive process.
It's a workload thing. Higher IQs can handle higher workloads, but intense focus puts all of that into a single task. The IQ level tells you how much effort can be brought to bear. That same person is also capable of handeling more tasks, but the trade-off is that they won't be able to focus on any of them to the same degree. But, that transitioning capability does not occur without some intense training. Many of y'all get such training in university, whether you realize it or not. This is why humanities and general ed classes are shoved down engineeer's throats. As a society, we don't really want to create idiot savants.
This is also the reason that idiot savants can excel at their talent. Simply, that is all that they do. BTW, this is also why the Mensa tests are worthless. There are no time limits. An average person, with proper training, can pass any single question on the mensa test at will. All they have to do is to make that question their entire compulsive/obssesive existance until it is solved. Most people are not trained to bring that level of focus to bear on anything.
end of cognitive psych 101. |
