| 1. |
How valid is the NBI™? |
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The NBI™ was developed after extensive International
research since 1980 on left/right brain functions. Kobus
Neethling under the research guidance of Prof. Paul Torrance
of the University of Georgia, first developed the NBI™ for
adults before applying similar methodologies (as explained
in the research documents) to develop a number of other
whole brain instruments. More than 200,000 adults and children
from a number of countries have been profiled by means
of the NBI™. The results of research on the NBI™ have
been very significant and ongoing research at a number
of universities and institutes remains an essential part
of whole brain science.
The latest research documents can be downloaded from our
website.
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| 2. |
I’ve noticed there are a number of
instruments which purport to measure thinking preference
and brain dominance? |
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That’s true. Go to your web browser and enter ‘thinking
preference’, ‘brain dominance’, or ‘whole
brain thinking’ and you will see well over a million
sites with matching references.
The history of the development of the NBI™ is described
in 'What is a Brain Profile’ which is available for
download on our website.
In his research and in current publications, as well as
in the NBI™ profile report, Kobus Neethling acknowledges
the contribution and research of many others, including
Priscilla Donovan, Jacquelyn Wonder, Beverly Moore and
Ned Herrmann amongst others in the field.
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| 3. |
Why did The Thinking Network™, and
subsequently Whole Brain Thinking Pty Ltd., choose the NBI™ above
the other instruments currently available? |
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We are not tied to any particular source
and can therefore choose our suppliers and business partners
purely on their
merits and the potential for the relationship. We have
chosen the NBI™ based on the reliability and validity
of the instrument, the wide range of instruments and applications,
the supporting technology, the ongoing research, the business
model and the warmth, openess and cooperation evident in
our partnership with the Kobus Neethling Group and Solutionsfinding
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| 4. |
Who is Kobus Neethling? |
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As the creator of the Neethling Brain Instruments (NBI™),
Kobus Neethling received worldwide recognition for the
contribution these instruments have made towards unique
insights into the self, creativity and change. He is also
the author of more than 70 books and has written and presented
many television series.
He is also the founder and Director of the South African
Creativity Foundation and the Kobus Neethling Group. He
holds 6 University degrees (Cape Town, Potchefstroom and
Georgia USA), including two Master's Degrees, a Doctorate
and a Post Doctorate (Cum Laude) on the identification
and development of Creative Behaviour.
He is an award winning, internationally renowned speaker
in the field of creativity. He was included in the 500
Leaders of Influence by the American Biographical Institute.
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| 5. |
What do I do if a
client has used other ‘thinking
preference’ instruments in the past and now wants to
profile new additions to the team? |
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We can take the total scores from any other whole brain
instrument and from that produce an NBI™ profile. Remember
that the validity of the finished profile completed in this
way will only be as reliable as the instrument which generated
the scores in the first place. If the original profile is
more than 6 months old we would strongly recommend a new
NBI™ profile be completed.
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| 6. |
Why should I change over to the NBI™? |
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It depends on what you want to do and how much you want
to pay.
The NBI™ has a whole range of instrument available
for different situations including general adults, teachers/trainers,
students/learners, anger, negativity, creative environment
and so on.
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| 7. |
I’ve done a similar profile recently and the results would appear to be different. How do you explain that? |
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Regardless of the profile or test taken by the individual a number of things can impact on the final result including present
circumstances, mood, tiredness, speed of completion, reason for testing, positive or negative disposition – even the desire to ‘fabricate’ an acceptable profile.
One of the measures we use for reliability in testing is the test/re-test reliability factor. This measures the likelihood of a result being repeated by the same person after a specific interval. The test/re-test reliability of the NBI™ as researched in July 2004 with an 8 month interval between tests was as follows for each quadrant in the NBI™ profile:
L1 0.851
L2….0.840
R1….0.867
R2 0.918
These results fall well within the limits for this kind of measurement. For further information see the latest research report available for download under the yellow pencil ‘The NBI™ Instrument’
The NBI™ also focuses exclusively on the person’s CURRENT way of thinking and does not ask questions about historical events, past decisions and issues not related to the measurement and determination of thinking preferences. In terms of an accurate profile with any instrument, recency and currency of data is an extremely important factor. The preferences you had when you were younger, perhaps at school or maybe university, could now be radically different. This is, of course, especially true if you are in your 40s or 50s – or even older!
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| 8. |
If someone questions the accuracy
of their personal NBI™ profile how can I answer them? |
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There are two major contributing factors to the accuracy
of any profile or any other psychometric instrument for
that matter.
The first issue is the validity and reliability of the
instrument itself. The NBI has been shown to be reliable
and valid in all the research that has been undertaken.
We can supply additional information if you wish, or you can download a research report from this website under the yellow pencil labelled ‘The NBI™ Instrument’.
The second issue involves the person completing the instrument – what
mood are they in, are they telling the truth, why are they
completing the instrument, are they trying to create a ‘special’ profile
to match someone’s expectations, and so on.
A number of people have questioned the difference between
the NBI™ profile and other profiles on thinking preferences.
In most cases they have reported that their NBI™ profile
fits well with their personal perceptions and self awareness.
The NBI™ has a very high level of face validity.
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| 9. |
I reckon I could give myself the
sort of profile I want by answering the questions in a certain
way. How do I know that the profile is an accurate one? |
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Certainly anyone fully conversant with any instrument
can create a ‘designer’ profile. But what’s
the point? It doesn’t then describe a real person,
only the person you imagine yourself to be. When you meet
others and work in teams the ‘real’ you is bound
to emerge through your behaviours.
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| 10. |
How can I use Whole Brain Thinking
to help grow my business? |
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There are a huge number of options with the NBI™ material.
Using, say, just the adult profile can help individuals
to work together as a team, or deal better with clients,
or even help with decision making processes amongst others.
NBI™ profiles have been used throughout the world
with companies of all sizes to improve teams, develop leadership
skills, improve sales and customer relationships, and introduce
creative problem solving and innovation.
By combining the NBI™ adult profile with the new
job profile and the skills profiles organisations can accurately
determine job fit for applicant. Individuals can help tailor
their job for maximum productivity.
The Organisational Wellness Instrument can be used before
and after major organisational changes to measure improvements
and get instant feedback on the state of the organisation.
The possibilities with the NBI™ are literally endless.
We can work with you to assess your
circumstances, determine if the NBI™ is a suitable tool and decide which
approach would offer the most benefits.
There are currently 15 different NBI™ profiles available
for special applications. For the complete up-to-date listing
see our website. Further applications are under research
right now.
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| 11. |
What about more personal applications? |
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On a personal level the NBI™ can help with understanding
partners, improving family relationships, developing better
understanding and reducing conflict.
The two NBI™ student instruments can help with subject
and career choices at an early stage and increase the likelihood
of personal success and satisfaction.
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| 12. |
So Whole Brain Thinking can apply
to education too? |
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Most certainly! A number of schools have had great success
with adopting whole brain teaching and learning strategies.
The possibility of combining the results from the teachers,
students, and parenting NBI™ profiles is currently
being considered by a number of forward thinking schools.
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| 13 |
How do you score the NBI™ to
produce the profile? |
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There are a number of advantages to completing and scoring
the NBI™. There is no need for any special software
and you won’t be tied to one scoring computer. In
fact the NBI™ can be completed on-line and the results
produced and the profiles printed from ANY computer ANYWHERE
IN THE WORLD which has access to the Internet and a colour
printer available
Corporate clients access the NBI™ through one of
the licensed NBI™ practitioners. Private individuals
can complete the NBI™ on-line at our website using
a credit card.
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| 14 |
What about recent job focus? I
have spent the last month managing a project. Would that
tend to be reflected in my profile? |
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It could be. If you previously had a relatively low R2
score and had to use a lot more R2 skills in the project
management job you may have grown to like that way of working
thereby possibly creating a shift in preference as a result
of new experiences.
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| 15. |
Does my profile change over time? |
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Again this depends on the individual – it’s
quite possible and perfectly natural for people to change
their view of the World as they grow older, particularly
if they have changed jobs, partners, countries or personal
beliefs.
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| 16. |
I am already licensed to use other thinking preference assessment tools and a couple of personality and ability tests too. Is there any problem with me using the NBI™ as well? |
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Of course not! Regardless of whether the other tool you have in mind is a measure of thinking preferences or any other variable, the choice of which instruments you use in your organisation or your consulting business is entirely yours.
Many of our existing licensed NBI™ practitioners use a range of other tools, choosing as and when required what they see as the best tool for the job.
We will, of course, do our best to demonstrate the benefits of the NBI™ in a range of situations. With 16 different versions of the NBI™ currently available and more under research right now the range of applications is pretty wide and varied. But we would be the first to admit that the NBI™ may not be the best choice for what you specifically have in mind.
As someone once said, ‘If the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem becomes a nail!” I wonder if anyone REALLY said that?
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| 17. |
Our company has been using the MBTI®. How does that differ to the NBI™? |
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The Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI®) is a measure of personality type, presenting the questionnaire results in terms of 16 different personality type sets, each with its own particular characteristics.
After more than 50 years of research and development, the current MBTI® is one of the most widely used instruments for understanding normal personality differences as opposed to personality disorders.
READ MORE >>
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| 18. |
Any more
questions? |
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If there is anything else you need to know about the
Neethling Brain Instruments (NBI™) or Whole Brain Thinking
Pty Ltd, please fill in this request form and we will be
delighted
to help in any way we can.
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