The+Future+of+the+Mind

On Thursday, 1st May, we were pleased to have [|Professor Martin Westwell]visit us.

Things we explored with Martin included:

IQ correlates really well with reaction time tests
 * even better than standardised tests

Gifted students in UK are most reliably identified by their peers rather than tests or teachers
 * They're the ones the kids go to for help, etc

Attentional blindness
 * Concentrate on 1 person and count how many times they bounce the ball
 * miss the really obvious gorilla passing casually through the group
 * Sonya miscounted bounces because she knew about and paid attention to the gorilla

Dementia
 * More than just Alzheimer's Disease
 * 20% genetic
 * 80% environment
 * enriched environment
 * mice in heaven showed about 20% of the symptoms of mice in normal captive environment

Huntington's Disease
 * if you have the disease, there's much less Substantia Nigra - black stuff

Parkinson's disease Memory drugs Computer-aided telepathy Concentration
 * electrode into the brain
 * person walking along paper trail
 * glasses
 * picture of supermaket floor to aid walking
 * moving zebra crossing image
 * concentrating
 * memory erasing to assist PTSD
 * memory enhancing
 * blocking scissors of enzymes
 * Speech formation - Quadruplegic - completely paralysed - even face/mouth - could use speech formation centre in the brain to say "Duck"
 * Game
 * more relaxed wins
 * pong
 * Speech thing connected to cochlear implant via internet - worldwide telepathy
 * Bicycle helmet thing to help ADHD
 * concentration game
 * concentrate on ball so it moves towards your opponent
 * get too excited opponent starts winning
 * computer ball - musicians concentrated to move
 * improved creativity in composing compared to control group

Blue light helps alertness/awakeness
 * indoor lighting can make us sleepy during the day
 * night-time TV/Computer wakes us up