Monday, December 8, 2008

Jonah Lehrer Talk

Tonight at 6:15 is Jonah Lehrer's talk in Hargate. There are two ways to earn extra credit. One, raise your hand and ASK a question. Two, post a comment on this post answering the following questions. You must write in complete sentances and you must post before 10:00pm this evening.

What are 3 things you learned from this talk, BE SPECIFIC!
What are 2 things you want to learn more about, BE SPECIFIC!
What is one question you would like to ask Mr. Lehrer.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

C. Simon
I went to his talk during D and lunch. her it goes....
What are 3 things you learned from this talk, BE SPECIFIC!

physchopaths don't have emotions
for example if you shot a gun or put a face of someone crying in front of them then they would not show any emotions
about 20% of physchopaths have the condition because of genetics, the rest of them are due to tramatic circumstances
there is a guy in Switzerland who is trying to make a mouse conscience (his electricity bill is 8 million dollars a month)
rational thought (like Plato believed) is actually not the perfect mind, because emotions are needed to actually make decisions or be impulsive
Buddhist monks show a lot of control over their brain, they can intentionally calm their fears
environment affects the development of the mind

What are 2 things you want to learn more about, BE SPECIFIC!
I think it is fascinating how the way you raise a child can determine his/her personality and success in life. I would like to know what is considered the "perfect/right way" to raise a child.
I would like to follow this project that is going on that is attempting to build a conscience.

What is one question you would like to ask Mr. Lehrer.

How can you control your emotions is they are dictated by hormones. Can your rational brain overcome the chemical reactions going on inside of your body?
Are emotions determined by hormones or something else?

Anonymous said...

R.Chung, C block bio
I attended his discussion of his first book this evening...

3 things learned... I wasn't aware that there was an additional sense of taste; I thought that the discovery and presence of 'umami' was both hilarious and enlightening, particularly because I'd had similar thought about the limitations of the four basic taste groups before hand. Also, I found the inner functions of the ear facinating; hair follicles in the year can essentially distinguish pitch immediately and send it to the brain. Also, I really enjoyed his discussion of the neurology behind the process in which 'avant-garde' art becomes mainstream, as illustrated by the Stravinski Rite of Spring model.

2 things to learn more about...
While I understood his argument that great art is often a deviation of patterns that our brains are used to, Mr. Lehrer didn't really touch on what differentiates good art from great art. Essentially all music, or art, or cooking forms can deviate from form, but that doesn't mean that it'll automatically be hailed as a modern masterpiece. I'm curious to know what scientific reasonings may be responsible to our liking towards some works over others. Also, I'm interested in the fact that smell and taste can bring back memory, especially considering that humans are such visual creatures in general.

A question I'd like to ask...according to the Stravinski model, audiences were generally more receptive to so-called 'new art' as they were exposed to them, and their brains' learned how to respond to them. Does this mean that if I look at a piece of artwork that I dislike in its 'wierdness' i'll come to appreciate it over repetitive listening or observation? What is the distinction between simply not liking something and your brain cells not being able to percieve something properly?

Anonymous said...

E. Kramer

3 things I learned:
Our fifth taste bud is called Umami. This is the taste of glutamate, which is made out of amino acids. It is also referred to as MSG. Cheese is aged milk which forms glutamate when it rots. We are trained to crave the taste of MSG from an early age. Breast milk contains 10 times as much glutamate as cow milk.
The liberal mind tends to be more accepting of controversial and conflicting ideas and information than the conservative mind.
It is daunting for the brain to memorize numbers that are more than 7 digits long. This is why telephone numbers are 7 digits. When offered a choice between chocolate cake or fruit salad, people who had been made to memorize 7 digits were more likely to choose chocolate cake than people made to memorize 2 digits. This is because of the mental strain of the memorization.
2 things I want to learn more about:
I would like to learn more about our prediction error cells and how/why dislike of sounds and patterns vary from person to person. What effects/determines the sounds we do and don't like?
I would also like to learn more about subliminal messaging. How strong is the influence it has on the brain. How lasting is the affect? What part of the brain is affected?
Question I would like to ask Mr. Lehrer:
What determines the foods and tastes we like? Is it something physical or genetic about the way our taste buds are arranged and how many we have; or does it have to do with memories and exposure to different things as a child?

I thought this talk was really interesting!

Anonymous said...

Rex Littlefield

3 Things I Learned:

Pan-seared meat actually does not keep the juices inside the meat.

Stravinsky's Spring Rite started a riot the first time it was played.

Jonah Lehrer's favorite novel is "To the Lighthouse" by Virginia Woolf

2 Things I would like to learn more about

The ability of songs with very repetitive pattern to keep us interested for a long time (i.e. Bartender by T. Pain)

The effects of memorization on a song with an apparently random beat.

One Question:

What is your favorite food?

Anonymous said...

Leo Moses
I went to the talk at 6:15
3 things i learned.
1. The whole idea of how the tongue works, particularly the idea of the 5th "savory" taste, and why humans respond to that taste of unraveled proteins.
2. MSG, or that the savory taste can be replicated artificially to increase the flavor of packaged/frozen food.
3. That we like music because it is series of patterns that we try to make sense out of.

2 things you want to learn more about
I want to lear more about veal socks, and about the way flavor hits the tongue, and how the mixing of taste sensations results ina complete taste.

1 question
Who pays for your reserach and how does it benefit them?