The Cognitive Crucible - Information Professionals Association

Latest Episodes:

#186 Rod Korba on Vygotsky's Inner Speech Mar 26, 2024

Show notes

The Cognitive Crucible is a forum that presents different perspectives and emerging thought leadership related to the information environment. The opinions expressed by guests are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of or endorsement by the Information Professionals Association.

During this episode, Vygotsky was a seminal figure in Soviet Psychology. His multi-staged—social learning theory of cognitive development—has influenced generations of cognitive psychologists.

Our discussion today focuses on Vygotsky's frequently overlooked and generally under-estimated concept of inner speech: or the use of internal words (and their idiosyncratic meanings) that differ in structure & function from the same words used in external speech—which are developed for public consumption.

For Vygotsky, inner speech serves as an important catalyst and a dynamic process of adaptation linking the "self" to society—not only for acquiring social or conventional word meaning in external language, but for eventually establishing private or personal word meaning—that fosters one's self identity. For Vygotsky, inner speech is the primary tool for mentation—the ability to think conceptually through language.

Vygotsky's internal language and inner speech mediate the differences between public and private thought. In this sense, inner speech is an indispensable, private tool of comprehension: a clandestine, personal shorthand that fires memory, evokes macro-concepts represented by word meanings, and serves as the catalyst for individual identity—through the continually developing concept of self.

Research Question: Rod Korda suggests an interested student investigate: a participatory way of developing a framework to measure word meaning–especially in a cultural context. If successful, this kind of tool can become an input into measuring messaging effectiveness.

Resources:

YouTube Presentation

Link to full show notes and resources

Guest Bio:

About: The Information Professionals Association (IPA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to exploring the role of information activities, such as influence and cognitive security, within the national security sector and helping to bridge the divide between operations and research. Its goal is to increase interdisciplinary collaboration between scholars and practitioners and policymakers with an interest in this domain.

For more information, please contact us at communications@information-professionals.org.

Or, connect directly with The Cognitive Crucible podcast host, John Bicknell, on LinkedIn.

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, 1) IPA earns from qualifying purchases, 2) IPA gets commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

#185 Becky Fair and Hannah Lincoln on Disrupt and Overwhelm Strategies Mar 12, 2024

Show notes

Our conversation covers Two-Six's analysis methodology for creating their biannual Media Manipulation Monitor (M3) report which chronicles China's efforts and presents strategies for achieving information advantage.

Research Question: Becky and Hannah suggest an interested student examine how China's influence online compares to everything else that's influencing other people online. Because there's a lot of evidence that China is doing a lot online to influence people's minds, but not a lot of evidence that China has been successful except in a few cases and in a few countries.

Resources:

Cognitive Crucible Podcast Episodes Mentioned
- #144 Nick Eberstadt on Demographics
Chinese Politics in the Xi Jinping Era: Reassessing Collective Leadership by Cheng Li
Middle Class Shanghai: Reshaping U.S.-China Engagement by Cheng Li
Censored: Distraction and Diversion Inside China's Great Firewall by Dr. Molly Roberts
Intelligence Matters podcast: Chinese Cognitive Warfare

Link to full show notes and resources

Guest Bio:

Becky Fair is the Vice President of Information Advantage at Two Six Technologies. She spent a decade as a CIA officer in a variety of roles and brings a deep understanding of the national security community mission sets. She was the CEO and co-founder of Thresher, a software company acquired by Two Six Technologies, that uses unique data sets and machine learning to help decision makers in government and industry detect and measure information operations. She started her career working in Russia at the International Finance Corporation, a division of the World Bank.

Hannah Lincoln is the Analysis Lead for the M3 team at Two Six Technologies. She spent a decade in China during its late economic boom years (2008-2018), where she worked in consumer research for a variety of multinational companies. Research on Chinese consumers was a natural segue into China intelligence analysis. Ms. Lincoln moved back to the US in 2018 and switched to OSINT analysis with a focus on Chinese censorship, propaganda, and disinformation at Thresher, now part of Two Six Technologies.

For more information, please contact us at communications@information-professionals.org.

Or, connect directly with The Cognitive Crucible podcast host, John Bicknell, on LinkedIn.

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, 1) IPA earns from qualifying purchases, 2) IPA gets commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

#184 Curtis Fox on Hybrid Warfare Feb 27, 2024

Show notes

During this episode, Curtis Fox discusses his new book: Hybrid Warfare: The Russian Approach to Strategic Competition and Conventional Military Conflict. Curtis Fox utilizes a series of case studies on historic Russian operations to demonstrate that while Russia's methods appear to be cloaked in a shadow of mystique, their strategic realities make them consistent and predictable.

Resources:

Cognitive Crucible Podcast Episodes Mentioned
- #144 Nick Eberstadt on Demographics
Hybrid Warfare: The Russian Approach to Strategic Competition and Conventional Military Conflict
About Curtis Fox
Hybrid Warfare: The Russian Approach to Strategic Competition and Conventional Military Conflict by Curtis Fox
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared M. Diamond

Link to full show notes and resources

Guest Bio:

Curtis Lee Fox is the son of a West Texas cotton farmer and a Kentucky kindergarten teacher. He was raised in Texas and Virginia, and studied Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech, where he lived next door to his future wife Katie.

They eventually met after Curtis volunteered to help Katie's roommates move furniture. Despite being accepted to the graduate engineering program at Virginia Tech under a research assistant-ship, Curtis chose to enlist in the Army. He was selected to attend the Special Forces Qualification Course, learned to speak Russian, won his Green Beret, and served in the 10th Special Forces Group.

After completing his time in service, Curtis studied at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business, earning a Master's of Business Administration. Curtis and Katie married in 2017, and they now reside in Northern Virginia where Curtis works as a systems engineer and project manager. They celebrated the birth of their daughter Ginny in 2021.

As believing Christians, Curtis and Katie are involved in their Church.

"We change the world by changing ourselves. It's only by letting go of grand-scale visions, the need to re-make the world 'as it should be', and by focusing on the development of our own consciences that our families and communities begin to transcend the meager existence that is man's inheritance on Earth. The alleviation from unnecessary suffering, or perhaps from the habits of mind that produce suffering, is a direct result of the redemption of each individual human heart."

For more information, please contact us at communications@information-professionals.org.

Or, connect directly with The Cognitive Crucible podcast host, John Bicknell, on LinkedIn.

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, 1) IPA earns from qualifying purchases, 2) IPA gets commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

#183 Julie Janson on Air Force IO Talent and Strategy Feb 13, 2024

Show notes

During this episode, Julie Janson discusses the founding of the US Air Force's Information Operations (IO) career field, professional military education, sending a message, and the need to keep pace with the ever-evolving information environment. Julie observes that IO and PSYOP practitioners are continually evolving engagement tactics; accordingly, large, cumbersome acquisition programs tend to be too slow and ineffective for today's fast-paced fight. Julie also encourages IO and PSYOP practitioners to think outside the box and consider tradecraft from non-traditional sources–like magicians.

Research Question: Julie suggests an interested student examine: How might we develop tailored and actionable information strategies among the services while remaining integrated to account for a global information environment?

Resources:

Cognitive Crucible Podcast Episodes Mentioned
- #22 James Mulvenon on Our Peer Adversaries
- #174 Kara Masick on Assessment Insights from Program Evaluation
US air force says fighter jet test is 'coincidence' after Trump's Iran threat
Language Enabled Airman Program (LEAP)
[3-min Youtube] The Wisdom of Psychopaths: Kevin Dutton
The Wisdom of Psychopaths: What Saints, Spies, and Serial Killers Can Teach Us About Success by Kevin Dutton
F.I.R.E.: How Fast, Inexpensive, Restrained, and Elegant Methods Ignite Innovation by Dan Ward

Link to full show notes and resources

Guest Bio: Julie Janson is a US Air Force Information Operations officer, planner and strategist. She is a subject matter expert in Operations in the Information Environment (OIE) and IO. One of the founders of the 14F IO specialization. Lead author and tiger team lead of the Air Force's OIE Strategic Plan. Graduate of the Multi Domain Operations Strategist Program.

For more information, please contact us at communications@information-professionals.org.

Or, connect directly with The Cognitive Crucible podcast host, John Bicknell, on LinkedIn.

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, 1) IPA earns from qualifying purchases, 2) IPA gets commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

#182 Ben Kessler on the OEO Model of Measurement Jan 30, 2024

Show notes

During this episode, Ben Kessler discusses Meltwater's methodology and models for Owned, Earned, Organic (OEO) measurement of activities within the information environment.

Research Question: Ben Kessler suggests an interested student ask the question: Where is the diaspora of opinion and content going as we mature as a digital society from centralized "town squares" to "closed door" networks?

Resources:

Cognitive Crucible Podcast Episodes Mentioned
Meltwater
Carpe Datum
Cambridge Disinformation Summit
UK RESIST 2 Framework
World Economic Forum

Link to full show notes and resources

Guest Bio:

Ben Kessler is the Head of Enterprise Strategy & Public Sector at Meltwater. He brings 11+ years of experience in the application and adoption of data and insights from the Information Environment. Ben has supported Civilian, DoD, IC, and Joint Forces / Coalitions in leveraging Meltwater's world-leading media intelligence suite to enable contextualized mission decisions - from risk assessments to strategic communications, public affairs, mis/dis/malinformation, narrative analysis, and real-time critical workflows. Over the past decade, Ben has seen first-hand the evolution of the Media Intelligence space to a critical decision making capability with direct impact to senior leadership.

Meltwater's goal is to harness PAI to deliver a unique capability measuring the impact of narratives, missions, audience cohorts, campaigns, and/or outbound efforts. We provide access to the world's largest corpus of PAI data across the global information environment, tracking over 300,000+ news sources (including online, print, broadcast, and podcasts), and over 300 million social media data points including Reddit, Meta (Facebook + Instagram), Twitter/X, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Twitch, Forums, Deep Web, Message Boards, Comments, Review Sites, and blogs.

Meltwater's datalake spans Western and non-Western platforms, in over 100+ languages including character-based languages, and local in-market content. We process approx. 1.5B documents / day, each enriched with over 170+ AI and LLM powered metadata points for sophisticated analysis, detection algorithms, alerting workflows, network visualizations, and more. Meltwater has a commercial in-market presence in over 120+ countries that drives local requirements to support a global customer base.

For more information, please contact us at communications@information-professionals.org.

Or, connect directly with The Cognitive Crucible podcast host, John Bicknell, on LinkedIn.

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, 1) IPA earns from qualifying purchases, 2) IPA gets commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

#181 Melissa Giannetto on Media Literacy Jan 16, 2024

Show notes

During this episode, US Marine Corps Major Melissa Giannetto discusses her Master's thesis, which is an analysis on the media literacy efforts of Finland, Sweden, and Norway. Major Giannetto is currently an exchange student with the Norwegian Armed Forces.

Resources:

Media Literacy Index
Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects Our Minds and How to Build Immunity by Sander van der Linden

Link to full show notes and resources

Guest Bio:

US Marine Corps Major Melissa Giannetto is currently a Masters of Military Studies student at the Norwegian Defense College. Prior to this assignment, she was a Psychological Operations officer and Influence Cell OIC, Information Maneuver Branch, Information Environment Division, Marine Forces Pacific. She was also the PYSOPs officer for Pacific Fleet Command, US Navy.

Her primary MOS is 6002 Aircraft Maintenance Officer. She is a native of Rochester, New York and graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in May 2010 with a BS in Aerospace Studies. She is currently working on her Masters of Military Studies at the Norwegian Defense College.

She has attended The Basic School, Aviation Maintenance Officer School, Expeditionary Warfare School (Blended Seminar), U.S. Marine Corps Command and Staff College (Non-Resident), the Psychological Operations Qualification Course and the Norwegian Defense Staff College 22-24. She is also a graduate of the Joint Information Operation (IO) Planners Course, Intermediate MAGTF IO practitioner's Course, Joint Aviation Supply Maintenance Management course.

Her service in the Operating Forces includes: Ground Support Equipment Division Officer in Charge (OIC), Airframes Division OIC, Aviation Life Support Systems OIC with Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron-16 (MALS) , Production Control Officer with MALS-16 FWD, Maintenance Material Control Officer with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 466 (HMH), Detachment OIC and Executive Officer with Psychological Operations (PSYOP) Company, Marine Corps Information Operations Center, Executive Officer with Marine Wing Support Detachment 24, Assistant Aviation Maintenance Officer with MALS-24, PSYOP Officer and Influence Cell OIC with Marine Forces Pacific and PSYOP Officer for Pacific Fleet.

Maj Giannetto has deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM 12.1 with Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron-16 FWD and Operation ENDURING FREEDOM 14.1 with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron-466. She deployed to Iraq in support of Operation INHERENT RESOLVE 16.2 as part of CJTF-OIR CJ39 Information Operations division overseeing an IO train and equip program in Baghdad and Erbil, Iraq.

Maj Giannetto's personal awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Commendation Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (Gold Star in lieu of second award).

For more information, please contact us at communications@information-professionals.org.

Or, connect directly with The Cognitive Crucible podcast host, John Bicknell, on LinkedIn.

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, 1) IPA earns from qualifying purchases, 2) IPA gets commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

#180 Tanna Krewson on Cognitive Warfare and Global Conflict Analysis and Resolution Jan 02, 2024

Show notes

During this episode, Tanna Krewson discusses her research related to cognitive warfare, global conflict analysis, and resolution. Our conversation unpacks foundational brain science principles that underpin our susceptibilities to cognitive warfare, how those vulnerabilities manifest in society. how modern conflict evolved within societies due to the influence of cognitive warfare, and societal dynamics at play.

Resources:

Cognitive Crucible Podcast Episodes Mentioned
- #85 Josh Kerbel on Complexity and Anticipatory Intelligence
- #176 Bob Jones on Special Operations at a Crossroads and Strategic Influence
Subliminal: How Your Unconscious Mind Rules Your Behavior by Leonard Mlodinow
Emotional: How Feelings Shape Our Thinking by Leonard Mlodinow
The Hidden Persuaders by Vance Packard
Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects Our Minds and How to Build Immunity by Sander van der Linden

Link to full show notes and resources

Guest Bio:

Tanna M. Krewson, M.A. is a seasoned, senior-level cognitive security subject matter expert, researcher, and sociocultural psychologist specializing in cognitive warfare, the Information Environment, and the impact of narratives and group identity on conflict, violence, and decision-making.

Having accumulated expertise through work with several prominent international NGOs, universities, private sector companies, and the U.S. Army, Krewson has managed programming across various countries, collaborating with national governments, local populations, and indigenous communities in conflict and post-conflict settings. These efforts have included developing and leading research in partnership with universities, governments, and local populations focused on effective justice, the impact of economic initiatives on refugees, national identity, and social norms change. Her work in these contexts has emphasized non-violent community engagement; women, peace, and security; global conflict resolution, and the importance of understanding indigenous communities.

Currently, Krewson is making significant contributions to the growing field of cognitive security, leading the development and drafting of NATO's cognitive warfare concept and wargame exercise. Krewson has also provided specialized training for U.S. and allied special forces on the sociocultural drivers of conflict, emphasizing the importance of understanding human factors and the role of cognition, emotions, and perception on behavior. She has been invited to guest lecture at Nova Southeastern University and Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and recently served on the board of directors of the Peace and Justice Studies Association.

Academically, Krewson holds degrees in cognitive psychology (B.A.) and peace studies (M.A.) and is currently completing a Ph.D. (ABD) in Global Conflict Analysis and Resolution. She is presently completing her doctoral research, focusing on the impact of emerging and disruptive technologies on Ukrainian women's participation in governance during the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War.

For more information, please contact us at communications@information-professionals.org.

Or, connect directly with The Cognitive Crucible podcast host, John Bicknell, on LinkedIn.

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, 1) IPA earns from qualifying purchases, 2) IPA gets commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

Re-release: Joseph Lee on Jung and Archetypes Dec 26, 2023

Show notes

Can archetypes be modeled, analyzed, and applied in support of national security? During this episode, Joseph Lee discusses Carl Jung, collective consciousness, and archetypes. Our wide ranging discussion covers a comparison between Jung and Freud, Joseph Campbell's work on myth and the hero's journey, the Marvel universe as a modern day collection of stories about gods, the power of rituals, and archetype emergence.

Resources:

Cognitive Crucible Podcast Episodes Mentioned
- #77 Paul Lopata on Quantum
The Jungian Life Podcast
Episode 179: The Archetype of War
Joseph R. Lee's Webpage
DreamSchool
The Philadelphia Association of Jungian Analysts
Apotheosis of Washington Mural
Century of the Self
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari

Guest Bio:

Joseph R. Lee is a Jungian Analyst in private practice in Southern VA. He is co-host and co-creator of This Jungian Life podcast, as well as the online learning program DreamSchool, where people learn how to interpret their own dreams. He is president emeritus of The Philadelphia Association of Jungian Analysts that provides analytic training.

For more information, please contact us at communications@information-professionals.org.

Or, connect directly with The Cognitive Crucible podcast host, John Bicknell, on LinkedIn.

#179 Brian Russell on The Tie that Binds Dec 19, 2023

Show notes

During this episode, Brian Russell returns to the Cognitive Crucible to discuss his latest article: The Tie that Binds – Cyberspace as the Core of All Domain Maneuver Warfare.

Research Question: Brian Russell asks the following: how to assess the effectiveness and risk of employing AI generated cyber weapons: AI on the AI so to speak. There are two resources:

Phoenix Cast Cyber Fires Episode
Dr. Christopher Whyte's piece in the latest Cyber Defense Review titled Beyond "Bigger, Faster, Better:" Assessing Thinking About Artificial Intelligence and Cyber Conflict.

Resources:

Cognitive Crucible Podcast Episodes Mentioned
- #13 Brian Russell on Behind Enemy Lines
- #132 Brian Russell on OIE Truths
The Tie that Binds – Cyberspace as the Core of All Domain Maneuver Warfare by Brian Russell
Joint Cyber Warfighting Architecture (JCWA)
Expeditionary Cyberspace Operations, Paul Schuh, Cyber Defense Review
Beyond "Bigger, Faster, Better:" Assessing Thinking About Artificial Intelligence and Cyber Conflict by Dr. Christopher Whyte
Cyber Fires, Phoenix Cast
PW Singer and Emerson T Brooking, Foreign Affairs) Gaza and the Future of Information Warfare
Wiring the Winning Organization: Liberating Our Collective Greatness through Slowification, Simplification, and Amplification by Gene Kim and Steven J. Spear
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

Link to full show notes and resources

Guest Bio: Brian Russell is the founder of Information Advantage and a Key Terrain Cyber Senior Fellow. He is a retired Marine Corps artillery officer, with previous assignments as the commanding officer of II Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group (II MIG) and 1st ANGLICO. His combat deployments include serving as the Military Transition Team Leader in Habbaniyah, Iraq, the executive officer of Brigade Headquarters Group in Helmand Province, Afghanistan and Plans Director in Bagram, Afghanistan. Some of his notable staff assignments include: Operations Directorate at Marine Corps Special Operations Command, Operations Directorate at United States Cyber Command, and U.S. Plans Directorate at Marine Corps Forces Cyberspace Command. He recently joined Peraton as a Cyber and Information Warfare subject matter expert.

For more information, please contact us at communications@information-professionals.org.

Or, connect directly with The Cognitive Crucible podcast host, John Bicknell, on LinkedIn.

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, 1) IPA earns from qualifying purchases, 2) IPA gets commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

#178 John Davis on Four Operational Rules of the Road Dec 12, 2023

Show notes

During this episode, John Davis recaps Four Operational Rules of the Road, which are intended to prevent miscalculation and unintended escalation. John synthesized these Rules based upon many years experience in military uniform and after many conversations with global leaders and academics. Briefly, they are: transparency, SOPs for oversight, sharing threat intelligence, and banning third party actors. We also revisit some of the topics from John's first Cognitive Crucible appearance.

Research Question: John Davis asserts that there's been a lot of recent reporting about China's onslaught of disinformation oriented toward Taiwan and in the run up to the January elections. Reporting indicates that there may be important lessons in how Taiwan has handled this onslaught, including public education efforts with support from international media literacy partnerships as well as more active countermeasures by mature communities of fact-checkers, government investments and law enforcement investigations. He believes it would be a great research project to examine the techniques and capabilities employed by Taiwan and analyze the effectiveness, or lack thereof, to assist the U.S. in preparation for the 2024 presidential elections as well as our overall national effort to combat the information warfare efforts aimed at the country by Russia, China, Iran, North Korea and all of their surrogates.

Resources:

Cognitive Crucible Podcast Episodes Mentioned
- #24 John Davis on Modern Warfare, Teamwork, and Commercial Cognitive Security
- #166 John Agnello on Information Advantage
Army Doctrinal Publication 3-13 INFORMATION, Nov 2023
Cybersecurity First Principles: A Reboot of Strategy and Tactics by Rick Howard

Link to full show notes and resources

Guest Bio: Retired U.S. Army Major General John Davis is the Vice President, Public Sector for Palo Alto Networks, where he is responsible for expanding cybersecurity initiatives and global policy for the international public sector and assisting governments around the world to prevent successful cyber breaches. Prior to joining Palo Alto Networks, John served as the Senior Military Advisor for Cyber to the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy and also served as the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber Policy. Prior to this assignment, he served in multiple leadership positions in special operations, cyber, and information operations. John earned a Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College, Master of Military Art and Science from U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, and Bachelor of Science from U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

For more information, please contact us at communications@information-professionals.org.

Or, connect directly with The Cognitive Crucible podcast host, John Bicknell, on LinkedIn.

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, 1) IPA earns from qualifying purchases, 2) IPA gets commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

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