Week 4 Log 1

I found the structure levels very interesting- IE - Wide structure, shallow, and narrow. I play chess and never thought of all the possible combinations that could be imagined. Deep structure is a vast decision tree of possibilities. The counter move of one player always alters the next possible number of combinations, and so on... DOET describes this as, "... a vast, spreading network of possibilities..." It is true that everyday activities don't require this kind of complex decision making.

 This is where a menu at a restaurant comes in. It can be described as a shallow structure. This is because the possible number of decisions is much smaller. I sometimes find myself looking at a menu for a long time - I have trouble making decisions. But in chess - it seems that I make the next move fairly quickly, almost on instinct. 

The lowest on the levels is a narrow structure, like a recipe in a cookbook. Though there may be many steps, the possible deviation from the recipe is very small. 

It is as if the brain needs to work faster when engaged in deep or wide structure decision making. I believe this is why the creative process often uses deep structure - This is why it can be described as "creative" and is usually not boring.