New Findings in Cross-Sensory Perception
Now, being a loyal follower of all things psychological, as I'm sure you are, you'll have heard of synaesthesia by now. If not, trundle on over to Wikipedia and have a quick read. Originally when this cross-sensory perception became known, researchers were keen to see if people were really having a really real experience or whether it was, to some extent, a fiction. How permanent actually is the connection between, for example, the number 32 and the smell of recently cut grass. Real synaesthetes passed the test and so researchers moved onto something more advanced.
Here in the latest research published in Neuron, a heavyweight-type journal, V S Ramachandran (Reith lecturer from 2003) and others have found further evidence that synaesthetes are experiencing something real and different from the rest of us.
Putting people into an fMRI scanner, the researchers found that synaesthetes showed greater activation in the colour perception region of the cortex. Not only that but different synaesthetes showed different patterns of activation suggesting they might each be having diverse experiences.
ScienceDaily (Press Release)Individual Differences among Grapheme-Color Synesthetes: Brain-Behavior Correlations [Full article PDF]
Childhood Cynicism Develops Early
After findings about the brain areas responsible for understanding sarcasm and irony earlier in the week, we now have new research into the development of cynicism.
In this research, children of ages 6, 8 and 10 were told a story with an ambiguous ending that was open to multiple interpretations. These endings directly reflected the character's motivation. As expected, the ten-year-olds were most likely to ascribe a self-interested motivation to the central character, indicating a well-developed sense of cynicism.
What surprised researchers was that even the six-year-olds were more likely, on average, to interpret the character's behaviour as self-interested. This suggests that the seeds of a cynical outlook are sown earlier than had previously been thought.
Mills, C.M. & Keil, F.C. (2005). The development of cynicism. Psychological Science, 16, 385-390
In this research, children of ages 6, 8 and 10 were told a story with an ambiguous ending that was open to multiple interpretations. These endings directly reflected the character's motivation. As expected, the ten-year-olds were most likely to ascribe a self-interested motivation to the central character, indicating a well-developed sense of cynicism.
What surprised researchers was that even the six-year-olds were more likely, on average, to interpret the character's behaviour as self-interested. This suggests that the seeds of a cynical outlook are sown earlier than had previously been thought.
Mills, C.M. & Keil, F.C. (2005). The development of cynicism. Psychological Science, 16, 385-390Labels: Development
Brains Brains Brains
Perhaps verging on the ghoulish today, but still a good reality check for all students of the mind/brain - whether amateur or professional:A story from the NYT about the Cornell Brain Society founded in 1899 when collecting brains was cool.
And in case you want to a send a brain to them, here's how to pack it for transport. If you are sending your own brain, please make sure beforehand that you no longer require it.
Daniel Tammet, The Boy With The Incredible Brain
Having now seen the excellent documentary on the autistic savant, Daniel Tammet, and noting the subject's popularity, I've done a little Googling to get some more information for you...This is the BBC News report of Daniel Tammet's attempt at the British and European record for reciting pi. This article goes some way towards explaining how Daniel Tammet is able to remember 22,511 decimal places of pi without using any special memory techniques.
'The Savant Syndrome' provides more background information on autistic savants. The article is by Dr. Darold Treffert who is widely published on this subject and was a consultant to the movie Rain Man. More on other autistic savants at Wikipedia.
New York Times review of the documentary.
Science Channel 'Brainman' site [contains extra video not in programme]
Do Computer Games Increase IQ?
Steven Johnson, author of a new book called 'Everything Bad is Good For You' is persisting in pedalling his line that computer games and interactive media have contributed to increased IQ levels over the past few decades.As I say in a previous post, just because IQ levels increased at the same time as the rise of interactive media, doesn't mean one thing caused the other. There are other perhaps more important trends over the past few decades, such as the improvement in diet.
I hate to criticise a book I haven't read and I hope that it contains better material than this. I suspect that the video games to IQ link is simply a nice angle for journalists to knock out a story.
The Guardian
The Boy With The Incredible Brain
For those of you in the UK, there's an interesting TV programme on tonight about an autistic savant called Daniel Tammet [a previous post on PsyBlog]. This documentary has had some excellent reviews in the US where it has already been aired. It's on Channel 5 at 9pm this evening.
Focus (the production company)
Focus (the production company)Labels: Autism
Discovery of Brain Areas That Understand Irony
"Scientists say they have located the parts of the brain that comprehend sarcasm - honestly. By comparing healthy people and those with damage to different parts of the brain, they found the front of the brain was a key to understanding irony. Damage to any of three different areas could render individuals unable to understand sarcastic comments."
BBC News
BBC News
Half a Million US Children Fast ForWord Their Language Skills
Almost half a million children in the US are now using a new system of learning language originally developed to help dyslexics. The system called Fast ForWord, has at its heart the idea that learning impaired children find it difficult to effectively discriminate between the basic building blocks of language, called phonemes.
A training programme was originally designed to teach dyslexic children how to recognise phonemes more effectively. When it was found that these children showed significant improvements, it was tried on children without a language impairment and also found to be effective.
Importantly, this kind of research shows that those with language impairments are having the same kinds of problems learning a language as those without. The so-called 'language impaired' are simply at one end of a sliding scale on which we can all be placed.
Neuroplasticity is also at the heart of this kind of research. This is the optimistic hypothesis that our brains have the capacity to compensate for functional problems by developing new connections. Perhaps through training we can encourage the acceleration of this process.
Rutgers University Press Release
Fast ForWord
A training programme was originally designed to teach dyslexic children how to recognise phonemes more effectively. When it was found that these children showed significant improvements, it was tried on children without a language impairment and also found to be effective.
Importantly, this kind of research shows that those with language impairments are having the same kinds of problems learning a language as those without. The so-called 'language impaired' are simply at one end of a sliding scale on which we can all be placed.
Neuroplasticity is also at the heart of this kind of research. This is the optimistic hypothesis that our brains have the capacity to compensate for functional problems by developing new connections. Perhaps through training we can encourage the acceleration of this process.
Rutgers University Press ReleaseFast ForWord
Guide to Flirting
Writing today's post I'm painfully aware that the web is bursting at the seams with this kind of rubbish: "Want to know women more? Buy my book!" (sic). Or 'How to Make a Man/Woman/Horse Fall in Love With You in 75 Easy Steps. Guaranteed!" (not sic.) But when I came across this 'Guide to Flirting' by Kate Fox of the Social Issues Research Centre I had to post it. The article provides not so much advice as a useful and extensive guide to the research.Psychologists have logged up thousands of hours hanging around in bars watching how people interact with each other, all in the name of science. In one study the researchers got so good at reading body language, they could accurately predict whether a girl would be approached 18 out of 20 times. Incidentally it had little to do with how attractive she was...
SIRC Guide to Flirting
Tele-Psychology: Therapy at a Distance
It is often not easy to provide psychological services to remote areas. The combination of poor transport links and a sparse populace provide considerable challenges. However, evidence is starting to come through that the communications revolution might provide a solution.
Some of the first small-scale studies are now examining the effectiveness of the remote provision of psychological therapies. The BPS research digest reports on the provision of specialist psychological help using video-conferencing to bulimia sufferers living in the remote Shetland Islands.
In the past it had been thought that videoconferencing might impair the effective formation of a client-patient relationship. What this study highlighted was that not only was therapy effective but there were also some unexpected advantages. Many of the participants found videoconferencing was less intimidating than seeing a therapist face-to-face.
Previous studies have demonstrated that one commonly effective psychological therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy, might be effective via video-conferencing. Others have found that hypnosis can be effective via videoconferencing.
It's not difficult to see the other advantages of this type of service provision. Studies have suggested that so-called 'e-therapy' may allow clients access to both different types of therapists and different types of therapies.
Some of the first small-scale studies are now examining the effectiveness of the remote provision of psychological therapies. The BPS research digest reports on the provision of specialist psychological help using video-conferencing to bulimia sufferers living in the remote Shetland Islands.
In the past it had been thought that videoconferencing might impair the effective formation of a client-patient relationship. What this study highlighted was that not only was therapy effective but there were also some unexpected advantages. Many of the participants found videoconferencing was less intimidating than seeing a therapist face-to-face.
Previous studies have demonstrated that one commonly effective psychological therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy, might be effective via video-conferencing. Others have found that hypnosis can be effective via videoconferencing.
It's not difficult to see the other advantages of this type of service provision. Studies have suggested that so-called 'e-therapy' may allow clients access to both different types of therapists and different types of therapies.
Pheromones and Sexual Attraction
Mind Hacks has a fascinating post about pheremones and sexual attractions. Apparently,
Mind Hacks
"...gay men preferred odours from gay men and heterosexual women, whereas odours from gay men were found least attractive by women and straight men."
Mind Hacks
Donald Herbert 'Minimally Conscious' Unlike Terri Schiavo
There has been a surge of interest in the US over Donald Herbert's recovery that comes on the back of the legal battle over Terri Schiavo, who was in a persistent vegetative state. Her feeding tube was eventually removed and 17 days later she died.Whether Herbert's recovery sheds any light on the Schiavo decision depends on how their medical conditions compare. The US non-commercial radio station, NPR, has a short interview with neurologist Dr. James Bernat, a professor at Dartmouth Medical School. He makes clear that, while few medical details have so far been released, it seems their conditions were quite different.
While Terry Schiavo was in a persistent vegetative state, Donald Herbert was 'minimally conscious'. This means he had some awareness of his surroundings, compared to Terry Schiavo who had none whatsoever.
Dr Burnett gives some of the credit for the recovery to the medications Herbert has been given, but warns that his gains may not be sustained or permanent. Brain damaged people in minimally conscious states are extremely sensitive to changes in metabolic conditions and can easily relapse.
NPR
Derren Brown Shocks with Mind-Bending Video Game
Last night the psychological illusionist Derren Brown on his TV show, 'Trick of the Mind', shocked his audience with a video game stunt. He took an apparently unsuspecting member of the public and subjected him to what appeared to be a gruelling psychological experience, without gaining his permission in advance. Derren Brown's shows have certainly courted significant controversy. He played Russian Roulette live on TV (above), although reputedly with blank ammunition. This was gripping TV but many claimed the stunt was irresponsible. More recently he held a live seance in which he scared a number of willing volunteers half to death but all in the name of debunking supernatural beliefs.
What sets the trick from last night's show apart was that no attempt was made to get the permission of the participant beforehand. While Derren Brown often uses unsuspecting members of the public, he doesn't normally subject them to a difficult psychological experience.
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How Derren Brown does some of his tricks (Channel 4)
Update on Donald Herbert
There's an update on Donald Herbert's condition in the NYT, apparently he has become less animated. We'll have to wait and see what happens...
Who is Donald Herbert?
Who is Donald Herbert?
Sustained Ecstasy Use Degrades Memory
Some of the first evidence coming through that sustained use of ecstasy might impair memory:
Find out more about the emergence of the popular recreational drug.
"Researchers found the ecstasy users remembered an average of 25% less items. University senior lecturer in psychology Dr Tom Heffernan said: "I would say it was quite a significant forgetting rate. It is something they certainly should be concerned about."This research comes on top of some previous research showing cognitive deficits in ecstasy users as as well evidence that heavy ecstasy use is linked to depressive symptoms.
Find out more about the emergence of the popular recreational drug.Labels: Memory
Acupuncture Same as Placebo in Treating Migraines
Another blow for eastern style medicine:
Science Blog
"...acupuncture was associated with a reduction of migraine headaches compared with no treatment; however, the effects were similar to those observed with sham acupuncture and may be due to nonspecific physiological effects of needling, to a powerful placebo effect, or to a combination of both."It's all about belief. Presumably hypnosis would be just as effective, perhaps more so.
Science Blog
Firefighter Awakens After Ten Years
Ten years ago a firefighter in Buffalo, Donald Herbert, rushed into a burning building looking for survivors. He was knocked out by a collapsing roof, taken to hospital and remained in a coma for two and a half months. A year later he regained consciousness but did not recognise his wife and four children and seemed to have no idea who he was.Ten years later, last Saturday, he really woke up:
"I want to talk to my wife," Mr. Herbert was quoted as saying. A staff member called his wife, Linda, but it was his youngest son, Nicholas, 13, who picked up the phone and began speaking.UPDATE: Donald Herbert 'Minimally Conscious' Unlike Terri Schiavo
"That can't be," Mr. Herbert said. "He's just a baby. He can't talk."
UPDATE 2: Herbert continues to recover - still talking but also able to walk with help and, while blind, able to throw a ball to to someone by sound of their voice.
New York Times [Free Reg. Req.] [via Mind Hacks]
Everything Bad Is Good for You
This is a classic. Here are the first few lines of a story from The Mirror:
By the same token I could argue that the birth of George Harrison caused the global rise in IQ. Well, on this evidence, The Beatles have almost certainly done more for our IQ than The Mirror.
And apart from all that IQ is a load of rubbish anyway.
The Mirror
"WATCHING TV shows can boost your IQ, experts claimed yesterday. Cultural critic Steven Johnson says the complex storylines in shows such as Coronation Street and the Sopranos get our brains working, while other shows bombard us with facts. Taking the results of IQ tests between 1943 and 2001 he found average intelligence had gone up by 17 per cent."I am hoping for the sake of Steven Johnson's book that The Mirror story has grossly misrepresented his position.
By the same token I could argue that the birth of George Harrison caused the global rise in IQ. Well, on this evidence, The Beatles have almost certainly done more for our IQ than The Mirror.
And apart from all that IQ is a load of rubbish anyway.
The Mirror
Lying Down Reveals New Perspective
Here's a bit of fun for you: people think better when they're lying down. Or, more accurately, they're quicker at solving anagrams in this study from the Australian National University. Why? Perhaps neurotransmitter levels are increased or perhaps blood flow to the brain is improved. Both these biological explanations are plausible but I have a psychological explanation.
When I was at University there was a guy who used to swear by a special revision method he had developed over the years. He stood on a chair and held the notes above his head: It worked for him. My explanation was that because he was putting his body into a different position, he was able to look at his revision in a new way.
Perhaps something similar is happening in this experiment - a new physical perspective grants a new mental perspective.
Sunday Times
When I was at University there was a guy who used to swear by a special revision method he had developed over the years. He stood on a chair and held the notes above his head: It worked for him. My explanation was that because he was putting his body into a different position, he was able to look at his revision in a new way.
Perhaps something similar is happening in this experiment - a new physical perspective grants a new mental perspective.
Sunday Times