MetaFilter posts tagged with neuroscience

Better than sex?

Defying Gravity — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 01:28:46 -0800

Why does music feel so good? "Music moves people of all cultures, in a way that doesn’t seem to happen with other animals. Nobody really understands why listening to music — which, unlike sex or food, has no intrinsic value — can trigger such profoundly rewarding experiences. Salimpoor and other neuroscientists are trying to figure it out with the help of brain scanners."

Intelligence Tests

kliuless — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 10:40:00 -0800

Is Psychometric g a Myth? - "As an online discussion about IQ or general intelligence grows longer, the probability of someone linking to statistician Cosma Shalizi's essay g, a Statistical Myth approaches 1. Usually the link is accompanied by an assertion to the effect that Shalizi offers a definitive refutation of the concept of general mental ability, or psychometric g." Myths, Sisyphus and g - "Over the years I have not encountered a single endorser of Shalizi's article who actually understands the relevant subject matter. His article is loved for its reassuring conclusions, not the strength of its arguments. I am sure many 'thinkers' resisted Darwinism, the abandonment of geocentrism, and even the notion that the Earth is a sphere, for similar psychological reasons." Nuthin' but a 'g' thang

So I've always had the intuitive hypothesis that there are different types of intelligence; that different people tend to process information in different ways, whether due to habit or nature. But then there are all those people who say that intelligence can be boiled down to a single factor, the mysterious "g" (which I assume stands for either "general intelligence" or "gangsta"). Since this went against years of casual observation, I was somewhat pleased to see the eminent Cosma Shalizi write an essay debunking the notion of "g". But then I saw this blog post defending the notion of "g", and claiming that Shalizi makes a bunch of errors. Basically, the disagreement revolves around the question of why most or all psychometric tests and tasks seem positively correlated with each other. Shalizi points out that this correlation structure will naturally lead to the emergence of a "g"-like factor, even if one doesn't really exist; his opponent points out that if no "g" exists, it should be possible to design uncorrelated psychometric tests, which so far has proven extremely difficult to do. The latter post, by a pseudonymous blogger calling himself "Dalliard", contains a bunch of references to psychometric research that I don't know about and have neither the time nor the will to evaluate, so I'm a bit stumped. Normally I'd leave the matter at that, shrug, and go read something else, but I realized that my intuitive hypothesis about intelligence didn't really seem to be explicitly stated in either of the posts. So I thought I'd explain my conjecture about how intelligence works. In a nutshell, it's this: What if there are multiple "g's"? ...just imagine several dozen hyperplanes, and project them all onto one hyperplane... Remember that psychometric tests are simple mental tasks, but most of the mental tasks we do are complex, like computer programming or chess or writing. And for those tasks, learning and practice matter as much as innate skill, or more (for example, see this study about the neurology of chess players). Therefore, everyone can be "smart" in some way, if "smart" means "good at some complex mental task".

also btw To Make Mice Smarter, Add A Few Human Brain Cells (previously)

Brains have never looked so pretty

harujion — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 13:35:53 -0800

Karl Deisseroth and his team at Stanford University [previously] have developed a completely new technique to make a brain perfectly see-through. They call it CLARITY, and the result has to be seen to be believed. The paper, Structural and molecular interrogation of intact biological systems, was published in Nature (paywall) today.

Ronan the sea lion gits down to Boogie Wonderland

nickyskye — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 20:21:51 -0800

Ronan keeping the beat | Sea Lion is First Non-Human Mammal to Keep a Beat | Study done at the Pinniped Cognition & Sensory Systems Laboratory.

the squidgy 1.5kg lump of pink stuff in our heads

cthuljew — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 22:23:58 -0800

NeuroBollocks: Debunking pseudo-neuroscience so you don't have to.

empathy used to abuse others and empathy used to help others

nickyskye — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 13:26:36 -0800

The two aspects of empathy, cognitive and affective, as described succinctly and clearly by neuroscientist Simon Baron Cohen. Ever wondered how chronically abusive people seem to have X-ray vision knowing just what cruel thing to say to hurt most? It's because they have greater cognitive empathy and less - or very little - affective empathy. Psychologist, Daniel Goleman adds another aspect of empathy into the picture, compassionate empathy.

Folk Neuroscience

Scientist — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 20:22:09 -0800

Folk Neuroscience: how inaccurate neurological concepts have become cultural staples.

The Wheels On The Page Go Round And Round

The Whelk — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 16:49:17 -0800

Cat responds to rotational optical illusion. The illusion in question. But why does it work? Link to the actual paper.

Born this way

lonefrontranger — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 08:30:02 -0800

Ethics of preemptive incarceration for deviant sexuality, specifically pedophila (Trigger warning) ...recognizing as a society that certain individuals are intrinsically attracted to children need not and does not imply that we condone acting upon these desires. [Previously] Found via the excellent PsyDoctor8 [tumblr link].

the power and beauty of mathematics

kliuless — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 09:14:26 -0800

An eternity of infinities (via) "The comparison of infinities is simple to understand and is a fantastic device for introducing children to the wonders of mathematics. It drives home the essential weirdness of the mathematical universe and raises penetrating questions not only about the nature of this universe but about the nature of the human mind that can comprehend it. One of the biggest questions concerns the nature of reality itself. Physics has also revealed counter-intuitive truths about the universe like the curvature of space-time, the duality of waves and particles and the spooky phenomenon of entanglement, but these truths undoubtedly have a real existence as observed through exhaustive experimentation. But what do the bizarre truths revealed by mathematics actually mean? Unlike the truths of physics they can't exactly be touched and seen. Can some of these such as the perceived differences between two kinds of infinities simply be a function of human perception, or do these truths point to an objective reality 'out there'? If they are only a function of human perception, what is it exactly in the structure of the brain that makes such wondrous creations possible? In the twenty-first century when neuroscience promises to reveal more of the brain than was ever possible, the investigation of mathematical understanding could prove to be profoundly significant."

What a thought looks like

Sleeper — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 12:52:58 -0800

Researchers at Japan's National Institute of Genetics have succeeded in imaging neuronal activity in a fish's brain. They showed a genetically modified (to enable easier imaging) fish some food and "correlate[d] neuronal activity in the brain with prey capture behavior." The video is short but cool. (A link to the study abstract in Current Biology)

Undue Burden

zarq — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 10:31:43 -0800

Jennie Linn McCormack "isn’t the only woman in recent years to be prosecuted for ending her own pregnancy. But her case could change the trajectory of abortion law in the United States": The Rise of DIY Abortions. Single page version of the New Republic article (triggers print queue) Background A week after her at-home abortion, Jennie Linn McCormack was arrested. "McCormack ran afoul of a 1972 Idaho law that makes it a felony for a woman to perform her own abortion" (in a manner not sanctioned by the state.) "Not only does the law pre-date Roe v. Wade, it pre-dates RU-486." Her case was dismissed. The court ruled there was no way to enforce a law which forbids women from inducing their own pregnancies. McCormack then appealed the decision, claiming the law itself was unconstitutional. This past September, the US Court of Appeals Ninth District agreed. The decision is here (pdf). An interesting read. From the New Republic article, above: "Written by Democratic appointee Judge Harry Pregerson, the ruling describes in detail the difficulty poor women experience in obtaining an abortion in Idaho. These restrictions, he argued, essentially outlawed the procedure for them, potentially violating the “undue burden” test sometimes invoked by the Supreme Court. He maintained that, since it was so hard for McCormack to obtain a legal abortion, it was unjust to charge her for having an illegal one."
McCormack's lawyer then filed a motion "that, if successful, would halt prosecutions of all women and doctors in Idaho for illegal abortion, and overturn the pain-capable law." The case has been heard. A decision is pending. Editorial from one of the experts called by McCormack's lawyer in New York Times Opinionator: Can Neuroscience Challenge Roe V. Wade?

“So your wallet is in your pocket?”

xowie — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 07:12:58 -0800

Apollo Robbins is a spectacular pickpocket whose work extends to neuroscience, the military and magic.

SPAUN of the living

kliuless — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 06:09:00 -0800

The simulated brain - "First computer model to produce complex behaviour performs almost as well as humans at simple number tasks." [1,2,3,4,5,etc.]

What's gonna happen outside the window next?

cthuljew — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 13:51:19 -0800

Noam Chomsky on Where Artificial Intelligence Went Wrong

WILD MASS GUESSING

The Whelk — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 07:03:59 -0800

The Futurist Magazine along with The World Future Society predicts the future with a list of the top trends and forecasts for 2013 and beyond.

"The purpose is not to substantiate but to enchant."

facehugger — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 13:50:20 -0800

We only wanted one thing from Jonah Lehrer: a story. He told it so well that we forgave him almost everything.

Heaven is Real: A Doctor's Experience of the Afterlife

shivohum — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 11:50:32 -0800

Heaven is Real: A Doctor's Experience of the Afterlife. As a neurosurgeon, I did not believe in the phenomenon of near-death experiences...In the fall of 2008, however, after seven days in a coma during which the human part of my brain, the neocortex, was inactivated, I experienced something so profound that it gave me a scientific reason to believe in consciousness after death.

Don't even Blink...

Artw — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 00:04:22 -0800

Your brain on pseudoscience: the rise of popular neurobollocks

Neurosciencey stuff→Loss of critical faculties

overeducated_alligator — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 13:06:38 -0800

Oxford University neuroscience professor Dorothy Bishop delivers a scathing lecture (text version) about the overselling of weak neuroscience, both in the news and within the scientific literature. Bishop blogs at BishopBlog. Neuroscience controversy previously, previously.

And a 1 and a 2, a 1, 2, 3, 3.984

EvaDestruction — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 07:35:47 -0800

"People prefer music that deviates from perfection in a natural way." Researchers into rhythm are trying to figure out the nature of these deviations, and what implications this has for audio engineering and neuroscience.

Structural change in high finance

noway — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 07:47:03 -0800

What can be done to prevent another financial meltdown? While some cry for armed revolution, others are whispering for incremental changes that could have a substantial impact on how high finance works – or doesn't. John Coates, a former Wall Street derivatives trader and now a neuroscientist at the University of Cambridge, has done novel research on how testosterone skews the thinking – and thus the behavior – of traders, inspiring them to take on more risk than benefits society. His research is now available in a book. Would programs that encourage more women to enter – and/or climb the ranks of – trading groups make finance more responsible? (If this strikes you as biological determinism, there are other lines of inquiry that may be headed in the same direction: how managers exploit subordinates in ways that shape overall behavior and could be modified via both incentives and regulation; how cheating happens and the best ways to prevent it.)

Patient 23

jquinby — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 07:33:12 -0800

"Adrian Owen still gets animated when he talks about patient 23. The patient was only 24 years old when his life was devastated by a car accident. Alive but unresponsive, he had been languishing in what neurologists refer to as a vegetative state for five years, when Owen, a neuro-scientist then at the University of Cambridge, UK, and his colleagues at the University of Liège in Belgium, put him into a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) machine and started asking him questions. Incredibly, he provided answers."

The Curse of Knowledge

shivohum — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 07:38:09 -0800

Isaac Chotiner reviews Jonah Lehrer's Imagine: How Creativity Works. Imagine is really a pop-science book, which these days usually means that it is an exercise in laboratory-approved self-help. Like Malcolm Gladwell and David Brooks, Lehrer writes self-help for people who would be embarrassed to be seen reading it. For this reason, their chestnuts must be roasted in “studies” and given a scientific gloss. The surrender to brain science is particularly zeitgeisty.

It's The A.C.C. People

jjray — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 18:41:31 -0800

WHY WE DON’T BELIEVE IN SCIENCE