This makes sense to me a little. As our brains become more exhausted I could see how filtering out seemingly unnecessary information, like full processing of colors, could be beneficial for maintaining more critical functions. Still, whether I'm understanding it correctly, it is pretty freaky.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Teens are not morning people
Teen automobile crash rates are higher when school starts earlier
Every shred of research and evidence out there points more and more to the fact that high-school aged kids should NOT be starting their day too early. Let the poor little dweebs sleep for crying out loud! Which, if you can believe it I actually say in all seriousness. It is incredibly pervasive how much better teens do when they are allowed to sleep a little longer.
Every shred of research and evidence out there points more and more to the fact that high-school aged kids should NOT be starting their day too early. Let the poor little dweebs sleep for crying out loud! Which, if you can believe it I actually say in all seriousness. It is incredibly pervasive how much better teens do when they are allowed to sleep a little longer.
Fool your ears
Listening to illusions of sound
I'm a sucker for a good illusion. Auditory illusions are some of the most fun. Kinesthetic illusions are the absolute pinnacle of weirdness.
I'm a sucker for a good illusion. Auditory illusions are some of the most fun. Kinesthetic illusions are the absolute pinnacle of weirdness.
Singing in a metal tube
Opera singing in the brain scanner
As an (former) opera singer myself, this is totally cool. Your habits and your hobbies and interests shape your brain. Always.
As an (former) opera singer myself, this is totally cool. Your habits and your hobbies and interests shape your brain. Always.
Mozart Effect = BOGUS
The Mozart effect doesn't work
Anyone who paid attention to the original study knows that it is bunk. The only reason Mozart was chosen was because the head researcher liked it. They didn't do comparative studies using Jazz or Rock - just Mozart. But still, a nice rundown of the history and current findings is always good to see.
Anyone who paid attention to the original study knows that it is bunk. The only reason Mozart was chosen was because the head researcher liked it. They didn't do comparative studies using Jazz or Rock - just Mozart. But still, a nice rundown of the history and current findings is always good to see.
You don't know about vision
Everything we knew about human vision is wrong
Seriously, every time you turn around they are making some kind of crazy new realization about our capabilities as humans. It's truly astonishing how little disagreement there is about even seemingly simple things like "vision" - which is why it's so exciting to study the brain. It is what makes all the weirdness possible.
Seriously, every time you turn around they are making some kind of crazy new realization about our capabilities as humans. It's truly astonishing how little disagreement there is about even seemingly simple things like "vision" - which is why it's so exciting to study the brain. It is what makes all the weirdness possible.
Go outside. Boost your self-esteem
Five minutes in the green can boost self-esteem
Hardly a surprising result, but still - a good reminder for everyone. Being outside occasionally is a good thing. So, if you live in the desert like I do, is it "five minutes in the tan/brown"?
Hardly a surprising result, but still - a good reminder for everyone. Being outside occasionally is a good thing. So, if you live in the desert like I do, is it "five minutes in the tan/brown"?
Prayer shuts your brain down?
Study shows that listening to prayer halts brain activity
So, no - prayer doesn't halt brain activity, listening to someone else did specific areas of the brain "deactivate" - but I'm not sure they got the whole picture here. "Only in the devout volunteers did the brain activity...deactivate" If you've ever witnessed a prayer circle (or something similar) with devout religious people the whole point is that the people participating in the prayer allow the speaker to be the voice and unite their thoughts together. Of course you're going to shut down some of your skepticism and vigilance brain areas - that's the entire point.
The question should be, is that a bad thing? Also, would you see the same kind of deactivation in, for example, a choir performance as the choir acts in synchronicity with the choir director in a nearly hypnotic state? How about adults reciting the pledge of allegiance? Or singing the national anthem? There is a lot of room here for study of other similar effects in markedly different settings.
UPDATE: more here
So, no - prayer doesn't halt brain activity, listening to someone else did specific areas of the brain "deactivate" - but I'm not sure they got the whole picture here. "Only in the devout volunteers did the brain activity...deactivate" If you've ever witnessed a prayer circle (or something similar) with devout religious people the whole point is that the people participating in the prayer allow the speaker to be the voice and unite their thoughts together. Of course you're going to shut down some of your skepticism and vigilance brain areas - that's the entire point.
The question should be, is that a bad thing? Also, would you see the same kind of deactivation in, for example, a choir performance as the choir acts in synchronicity with the choir director in a nearly hypnotic state? How about adults reciting the pledge of allegiance? Or singing the national anthem? There is a lot of room here for study of other similar effects in markedly different settings.
UPDATE: more here
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Brain-training bunk
No IQ boost from brain training
This is something that has been very popular lately - all of the "brain training" games and software. They're a big business. There is evidence that very specific types of brain training can increase things like selective attention skills, pattern recognition skills, some short-term memory enhancement - but that's about it. They certainly don't make you "smarter" - you may feel that way, but it's just because that's what you are being told.
This is something that has been very popular lately - all of the "brain training" games and software. They're a big business. There is evidence that very specific types of brain training can increase things like selective attention skills, pattern recognition skills, some short-term memory enhancement - but that's about it. They certainly don't make you "smarter" - you may feel that way, but it's just because that's what you are being told.
Proactive or reactive brain?
Two views of brain function: reflexive/reactive or intrinsic/proactive?
This is an excellent article that actually feeds into the whole "Free Will" debate. It seems our brains are much more proactive than we give them credit for. Keep in mind that we still don't really understand what we mean when we say that we see "activity" in an fMRI - but the activity definitely is pointing towards a pattern that shows our brains as being prepared for action as opposed to simply reacting to stimuli.
This is an excellent article that actually feeds into the whole "Free Will" debate. It seems our brains are much more proactive than we give them credit for. Keep in mind that we still don't really understand what we mean when we say that we see "activity" in an fMRI - but the activity definitely is pointing towards a pattern that shows our brains as being prepared for action as opposed to simply reacting to stimuli.
Let them play
The criminalization of natural play
While not 100% true, it certainly is becoming more true every day. My wife works as an aide at our neighborhood elementary school. The stories she tells me of the increasingly limited amount of time kids are given to play or even relax, and the increasingly stringent rules regarding what kinds of play they can and cannot. And that's just at school. Society is equally restrictive in general.
While not 100% true, it certainly is becoming more true every day. My wife works as an aide at our neighborhood elementary school. The stories she tells me of the increasingly limited amount of time kids are given to play or even relax, and the increasingly stringent rules regarding what kinds of play they can and cannot. And that's just at school. Society is equally restrictive in general.
Attention = Intelligence
Attention and Intelligence
Well, not exclusively, but our ability to more accurately use selective attention, the more we're able to focus on a problem and get better results. Intelligence is largely determined by problem-solving skills, so the better ability you have to pay singular attention to something, the more chance you give your brain to dedicate the adequate resources necessary to resolve the problem.
Well, not exclusively, but our ability to more accurately use selective attention, the more we're able to focus on a problem and get better results. Intelligence is largely determined by problem-solving skills, so the better ability you have to pay singular attention to something, the more chance you give your brain to dedicate the adequate resources necessary to resolve the problem.
Decision Paralysis
With more information people make worse choices?
This is more than just decision paralysis (a very real thing) but goes to the idea that if you have too many choices you tend to choose short-term benefits with smaller rewards over long-term benefits with greater rewards that require more patience and fortitude.
This is more than just decision paralysis (a very real thing) but goes to the idea that if you have too many choices you tend to choose short-term benefits with smaller rewards over long-term benefits with greater rewards that require more patience and fortitude.
Mindset
Your mindset can determine genuine success
For anyone that studies motivation, this is seriously non-surprising. Your mindset determines all kinds of aspects of our lives, and it is surprisingly easy to manipulate those mindsets in some respects. This is not to say that the whole "You're a good person, and, darn it, people like you!" kind of pump-you-up-with-false-self-esteem thing. It goes much deeper than that, to things like mastery of fear-of-failure mindsets and other related core elements of personality.
For anyone that studies motivation, this is seriously non-surprising. Your mindset determines all kinds of aspects of our lives, and it is surprisingly easy to manipulate those mindsets in some respects. This is not to say that the whole "You're a good person, and, darn it, people like you!" kind of pump-you-up-with-false-self-esteem thing. It goes much deeper than that, to things like mastery of fear-of-failure mindsets and other related core elements of personality.
You don't understand memory
Inaccurate beliefs about learning and memory
This is actually an incredibly true statement about most of our "common sense" knowledge about learning and memory. They don't function at all the way we perceive they do. The fun part is: once you learn how they actually do work you can do all kinds of things to make yourself more effective at either one.
This is actually an incredibly true statement about most of our "common sense" knowledge about learning and memory. They don't function at all the way we perceive they do. The fun part is: once you learn how they actually do work you can do all kinds of things to make yourself more effective at either one.
Meditation = more willpower
Meditate your way to more willpower
I did mention that meditation is getting lots of attention lately didn't I? It's almost like a superpower or something.
I did mention that meditation is getting lots of attention lately didn't I? It's almost like a superpower or something.
Improvement through meditation
Cognition is accelerated by just 4 days of meditating 20 minutes per day.
That's a pretty astonishing result. Meditation is getting a lot of attention recently, and with studies like this it's not hard to see why.
That's a pretty astonishing result. Meditation is getting a lot of attention recently, and with studies like this it's not hard to see why.
Race and empathy
Race and empathy matter on neural level
Not surprising really, but I would like to see if this was also tested for other racial profiles?
Not surprising really, but I would like to see if this was also tested for other racial profiles?
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
The Stanley Milgram Game Show!
A French game show recreated the infamous Milgram experiments in the form of a game show. Participants and observers reacted much the same as the participants in the original experiment.
Personally I find it incredibly instructive and rather hilarious. Let's face it, this is just the (nearly) ultimate extension in the current trend in game shows. More risk, more life-threatening circumstance and/or violence. To have people shocked (pun unintended) by this is quite funny. Also, Darren Brown did a much more accurate re-creation of this experiment for one of his shows in England several years ago (a quick YouTube search will find a generous portion of clips).
Anyone paying attention to psychology over the past 50 years would have known exactly how this was going to go down. But they still pretend to be surprised. It's not unexpected that there would be cries about ethical concerns, there has been plenty of that since the first experiment by Stanley Milgram. Again, the studio must have been aware of the pitfalls so, whatever consequences befall them, they shouldn't be caught unawares.
Still, doing a variation of the experiment as a game show....brilliant. You could not hope for a more electric show (pun intended this time). Notice how I tried not to use the word shocked too much.
Personally I find it incredibly instructive and rather hilarious. Let's face it, this is just the (nearly) ultimate extension in the current trend in game shows. More risk, more life-threatening circumstance and/or violence. To have people shocked (pun unintended) by this is quite funny. Also, Darren Brown did a much more accurate re-creation of this experiment for one of his shows in England several years ago (a quick YouTube search will find a generous portion of clips).
Anyone paying attention to psychology over the past 50 years would have known exactly how this was going to go down. But they still pretend to be surprised. It's not unexpected that there would be cries about ethical concerns, there has been plenty of that since the first experiment by Stanley Milgram. Again, the studio must have been aware of the pitfalls so, whatever consequences befall them, they shouldn't be caught unawares.
Still, doing a variation of the experiment as a game show....brilliant. You could not hope for a more electric show (pun intended this time). Notice how I tried not to use the word shocked too much.
Facebook makes us productive
Social Networks can make us more creatively productive.
I, for one, welcome our new social networking overlords. New research like this is cropping up all the time. Turns out that we're social creatures and allowing us social and creative outlets enhance our sense of well-being and provide a better sense of autonomy which enhances our performance.
[sarcasm] Decades of research all pointing to the same thing. Who knew? [/sarcasm]
I, for one, welcome our new social networking overlords. New research like this is cropping up all the time. Turns out that we're social creatures and allowing us social and creative outlets enhance our sense of well-being and provide a better sense of autonomy which enhances our performance.
[sarcasm] Decades of research all pointing to the same thing. Who knew? [/sarcasm]
Relieving stress through spirituality
Spirituality and Prayer Relieve Stress.
Religion in general gets a bad rap. I won't go into the political or social aspect of it, but from a cognitive and health aspect science keeps finding more and more benefits to religious behaviors.
Do you believe you're smart?
Believing you can be smarter actually makes you smarter.
I see this all the time to greater or lesser degrees. People often think "Oh, I'm no good at that kind of thing" and then the effort to remember it or practice it goes away, and, guess what, sure enough, they're right.
The ability to learn is a mindset. With very few exceptions for genetic conditions or specific medical causes anyone who thinks they can learn generally will learn. Those who think they can't won't. It is one of the few truly self-fulfilling prophesies.
I see this all the time to greater or lesser degrees. People often think "Oh, I'm no good at that kind of thing" and then the effort to remember it or practice it goes away, and, guess what, sure enough, they're right.
The ability to learn is a mindset. With very few exceptions for genetic conditions or specific medical causes anyone who thinks they can learn generally will learn. Those who think they can't won't. It is one of the few truly self-fulfilling prophesies.
How to build a better life
Chess Masters show us the way.
the "10,000" hour rule is just the beginning if you want to become truly exceptional at something. You need to not just put in time, but put in cognitive effort at improvement and analysis of ways to improve. You have to do the right type of activity.
As a music teacher of mine once emphasized: Practice doesn't make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.
If you do it wrong, lots of practice might make you more effective, but you'll still be missing out on an opportunity to do it far better by learning the right technique.
the "10,000" hour rule is just the beginning if you want to become truly exceptional at something. You need to not just put in time, but put in cognitive effort at improvement and analysis of ways to improve. You have to do the right type of activity.
As a music teacher of mine once emphasized: Practice doesn't make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.
If you do it wrong, lots of practice might make you more effective, but you'll still be missing out on an opportunity to do it far better by learning the right technique.
Are you a visual, kinethetic, or auditory learner?
Doesn't matter: Learning styles are meaningless.
This article is back from 2009, but there has been even more recent research to back this up. As the article says, it has intuitive appeal because we want to believe it is true and it feels true. But, the evidence just doesn't back up the theory.
This, of course, will have zero effect on popular perception and general practice in the educational spaces. People will continue to emphasize learning styles because it feel like the right thing to do. It provides a convenient excuse for those that have difficulties.
UPDATE: more here
This article is back from 2009, but there has been even more recent research to back this up. As the article says, it has intuitive appeal because we want to believe it is true and it feels true. But, the evidence just doesn't back up the theory.
This, of course, will have zero effect on popular perception and general practice in the educational spaces. People will continue to emphasize learning styles because it feel like the right thing to do. It provides a convenient excuse for those that have difficulties.
UPDATE: more here
Good news for nap-time
Scientists find way to strengthen memories during sleep.
Now, if only nap-time could be incorporated into every classroom/workplace.....
Now, if only nap-time could be incorporated into every classroom/workplace.....
Can you make that decaff?
Real vs. Placebo coffee
Seems that caffeine really does lead to some performance improvements.
For a slightly more blunt yet humorous take on the effects of coffee, go here: 7 Scientific ways coffee give you super powers.
I still can't abide the stuff. There is also very little research on the long-term effects of caffeine, as well as little to no discussion on the negative impacts of caffeine. So, take all this for what it's worth - narrow application of a single effect of caffeine on performance of a very specific task.
Seems that caffeine really does lead to some performance improvements.
For a slightly more blunt yet humorous take on the effects of coffee, go here: 7 Scientific ways coffee give you super powers.
I still can't abide the stuff. There is also very little research on the long-term effects of caffeine, as well as little to no discussion on the negative impacts of caffeine. So, take all this for what it's worth - narrow application of a single effect of caffeine on performance of a very specific task.
Recognizing emotion
Are older kids and adolescents really as good as adults at recognizing emotions in faces?
Nice re-cap and re-testing of some previously "settled" research. This is a great example of how thinking about something in just a subtly different way can yield surprising results.
Nice re-cap and re-testing of some previously "settled" research. This is a great example of how thinking about something in just a subtly different way can yield surprising results.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Free Will - it's the only choice
You must read this absolutely fantastic article that discusses more of the philosophical quandaries surrounding the debate over free will vs. determinism.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
The unified viewpoint of Social Psychology
This article should be read by EVERY psychologist of every discipline as well as every academic authority in every field.
The simple honesty on display by Jonathan Haidt is astounding. Assuming that ANY world-view is simply the "correct" world-view is nothing but a monumental display of arrogance. This goes far beyond "moral relativism" - a standpoint that I disagree with on a fundamental level. This strikes right at the heart of open-mindedness.
He's not asking to ADOPT the viewpoints of others, what he's asking is that you have an open mind and at least listen to and have available as resources others who think differently. Group-think is a recognized effect that is noted for frequent and often disastrous errors. The only way to even begin to avoid group-think is to have access to differing viewpoints.
I cannot say how impressed I am with Dr. Haidt. My hat is off to him and any efforts I can contribute towards his goals will be gladly provided.
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