Brains On Purpose™

Good magicians are masters at attention choreography: So are good mediators

Why are neuroscientists interested in the skills of magicians? Because magicians have long known traits and states of the brain that brain scientists are just now learning. Why am I so interested in what magicians do to so masterfully simulate magic? Because they know the value of paying attention to attention, a critical skill in the my approach to conflict resolution. That's why I often—in programs, presentations, and with clients—use this phrase to describe my approach to mediation: Attention choreography™.

Because of the topic's importance to my professional (and personal) interests, I have blogged about magic many times in the past here and here. (Scroll down at each of these links to see many posts.) Today I point your way to still another piece on magic.

From "How Neuroscientists and Magicians Are Conjuring Brain Insights" (Scientific American blogs):

Why are scientists working with sleight-of-hand artists? Their tricks, honed through the decades, have revealed that people respond to certain situations in specific ways. Like detectives looking for new leads to solve a mystery, scientists can mine magicians’ knowledge for ideas to test in the lab. And for the magicians, understanding principles about the brain—that is, why a trick works the way it does—can suggest new ways to advance their art as they develop new tricks or improve existing ones. (The article, “What Can Magicians Teach Us about the Brain?”, provides some more background and a November 2008 Nature Reviews Neuroscience paper coauthored by neuroscientists and magicians.)

The conference explored several aspects of attention. [Stephen] Macknik started things off by explaining how the brain constructs our experience of reality from a truly imperfect set of biophysical tools, resulting in a “grand simulation of everything around you.” For instance, “You have one megapixel eyeballs compared with your eight megapixel camera,” he said. In addition to collecting a relatively small amount of information from a scene, the eye itself has a large blind spot, where the optic nerve that ferries information to the brain pierces the light-collecting retina at the back of the eye; the brain fills in the visual gap to create the illusion of your vision acting like a seamless movie camera.

Our internally produced picture of reality is subjective—and subject to influence. “Magicians are the performance artists of attention and awareness,” Macknick said. ...

Click to read the rest. Wouldn't you like to go to one of those Neuromagic conferences? For me, it would be a magical trip, a dream. Maybe I can learn to conjure myself to the next one?

Image credit: Magic Tony, or Anthony Barnhart, who is both a magician and a grad student in cognitive psychology.

"Quantum physics in neuroscience and psychology: A neurophysical model of mind–brain interaction"

Abstract:

Neuropsychological research on the neural basis of behaviour generally posits that brain mechanisms will ultimately suffice to explain all psychologically described phenomena. This assumption stems from the idea that the brain is made up entirely of material particles and fields, and that all causal mechanisms relevant to neuroscience can therefore be formulated solely in terms of properties of these elements. Thus, terms having intrinsic mentalistic and/or experiential content (e.g. ‘feeling’, ‘knowing’ and ‘effort’) are not included as primary causal factors. This theoretical restriction is motivated primarily by ideas about the natural world that have been known to be fundamentally incorrect for more than three-quarters of a century. Contemporary basic physical theory differs profoundly from classic physics on the important matter of how the consciousness of human agents enters into the structure of empirical phenomena. The new principles contradict the older idea that local mechanical processes alone can account for the structure of all observed empirical data. Contemporary physical theory brings directly and irreducibly into the overall causal structure certain psychologically described choices made by human agents about how they will act. This key development in basic physical theory is applicable to neuroscience, and it provides neuroscientists and psychologists with an alternative conceptual framework for describing neural processes. Indeed, owing to certain structural features of ion channels critical to synaptic function, contemporary physical theory must in principle be used when analysing human brain dynamics. The new framework, unlike its classic-physics-based predecessor, is erected directly upon, and is compatible with, the prevailing principles of physics. It is able to represent more adequately than classic concepts the neuroplastic mechanisms relevant to the growing number of empirical studies of the capacity of directed attention and mental effort to systematically alter brain function.

Click to read the rest of "Quantum physics in neuroscience and psychology" (Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B) or here.

How do you listen attentively? Well, first you grab a paint brush, a pencil, or a piece of chalk

Being able to draw well can be somewhat like attentive and complete listening. For many people, learning a certain kind of drawing helps them to be better listeners. A receptive state that enables this kind of drawing, once learned, can be transferred to listening.

Good news: (Almost) anyone can master this state.

Today I will recommend two books to help you practice being receptive in drawing. In a later post, we will look at how to transfer that receptivity to situations in which you want to listen deeply. However, many of you probably will be able to transfer the skill as soon as you use it during drawing.

The first book is Your Artist's Brain: Use the right side of your brain to draw and paint what you see - not what you think you see. Don't worry. Despite the title, the author Carl Purcell does not include much of the inaccurate left brain/right brain "science." From the book:

I initiated a seven-year search to discover which functions of the brain artists use when drawing and the causes of the more common problems experienced by my students. I discovered that the right tools for drawing (and painting) are present in everyone's brains but we have other mental processes that subvert the activity of drawing.

The second book is a classic: Zen of Seeing: Seeing/Drawing as Meditation. The author Frederick Franck writes:

It is in order to really see, to see ever deeper, ever more intensely, hence to be fully aware and alive, that I draw what the Chinese call 'The Ten Thousand Things' around me. Drawing is the discipline by which I constantly rediscover the world.

I have learned that what I have not drawn I have never really seen, and that when I start drawing an ordinary thing, I realize how extraordinary it is, sheer miracle.

One might paraphrase the two authors and say:

• The right tools for listening are present in everyone's brain but we have other mental processes that subvert the activity of listening.
• Listening is the discipline by which I constantly rediscover the world.
  

Both drawing and listening can be vehicles for mindfulness and discovery, and I have found that the underlying state for one can be a door to the other. Moving easily between the vehicles will be the focus of another post later this month.

 

Interview of authors of new book EMOTIONAL LIFE OF YOUR BRAIN

Click to watch Charlie Rose conduct a short interview of Richie Davidson and Sharon Begley about their book Emotional Life of Your Brain. In reading the book, I particularly appreciated that it reminds the reader of two things:

• We each are unique and thus one size does not fit all
• We can change our brains (and thus behavior) if we want to.

Note (added March 15, 2012): Click for an interview  of the authors by Diane Rehm of NPR.

One-minute lessons on changing your brain: Reminders of why attention choreography is so important

How do you change your brain? Pay attention to what you're paying attention to; watch your mental flashlight. How do you help others to change their brains (e.g., parties to a dispute, attendees at a presentation)? Facilitate their attention, be an attention choreographer, an attention conductor.

Nothing new. We've looked at this critical role of attention in neuroplasticity many times before here on this blog. However, it's nice to have quick (under 60 seconds) and smart reminders of the role of attention and the fact that we are never too old to change our brains. And that's what Anette Prehn has created . . .

• Click to watch her video on self-directed neuroplasticity
• Click to watch her video on teaching old dogs new tricks

Note: Prehn's telecourse on reframing starts tomorrow, February 15. And to see more videos as she posts them, watch this space on YouTube.

Wah, wah, wah: Excellent example of why people don't listen, even if you have good information

The blog post is titled "Meet Me Halfway" (Scientific American) and its author writes about one kind of two-way communication: The speaker gives information and the listener, well, listens. The blogger then gives us some interesting neuroscience-related information about the way the brains of speakers and listeners can synchronize.  And then she writes about scientists having much good information for the public—if the public would only listen!

But the vast majority of the populace still cheerfully go about their daily lives without giving science (or scientists) a second thought — when they’re not actively hostile to it. We’re simply not reaching them. To borrow a line from Cool Hand Luke: “What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate.”

The missing ingredient from her blog post is benefits. Why would a member of the populace want to listen? What would they gain by paying attention to a scientist? Of course, this is basic sales theory: I won't listen to you unless and until you show me what's in it for me to pay attention.

The blogger seems to leave out that powerful and essential ingredient of benefits.

Which is why I’m speaking directly to the listeners out there now who rarely give science a second thought and/or assume they could never have a meaningful connection with a scientist: you need to meet scientists halfway. It’s not enough to sit back and wait for them to impress or entertain you before you’ll deign to give science a smidgen of your attention — not if you want to truly grok what science is all about.

I am reminded of a salesperson who continues to stress the features of his or her product while ignoring what the product

"A Role for Volition and Attention in the Generation of New Brain Circuitry"

What's the role of volition and attention in reshaping our brains through self-directed neuroplasticity? Here's the answer straight from the mouth of the man who coined the term "self-directed neuroplasticity." This article to which I link below focuses on treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) but its author Dr. Jeff Schwartz in his new book You Are Not Your Brain: The 4-Step Solution for Changing Bad Habits, Ending Unhealthy Thinking, and Taking Control of Your Life has shown how volition and attention can be used to make other changes in one's life.

Excerpt:

The use of cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) as a means of enabling people suffering from OCD to overcome their repetitive responses to bothersome intrusive conscious phenomena offers a valuable source of data to those interested in the study of the mind-brain interface. Because there is strong evidence that the core experience common to essentially all OCD symptoms — a gnawing, intrusive, inescapable and predominantly passively experienced sense that ‘something is wrong’ — is generated by faulty brain circuitry (for review see Schwartz, 1997a; 1998a), a close examination of the mental processes used by people learning how to wilfully alter their behavioural responses to OCD can yield significant insights about the processes whereby changes in the meaning or value one places on distressing conscious phenomena can result in active changes in how one responds to those phenomena. The training techniques which are used to accomplish that clinical goal explicitly encourage OCD sufferers to arrive at a new understanding of the relationship between their brain, their conscious experience, and their choice of behavioural responses to that experience (Schwartz, 1996). Since an understanding of the basic brain circuitry involved in OCD forms a key part in the theoretical basis of the cognitive training techniques we utilize at UCLA, and since significant alterations in the metabolic activity of those circuits occurs in response to successful treatment, a brief review of the basic brain mechanisms of OCD seems in order.

Click to read the rest of "A Role for Volition and Attention in the Generation of New Brain Circuitry: Toward A Neurobiology of Mental Force" (Journal of Consciousness Studies) [posted with the author's permission].

Does finding your "true self" help you rewire your brain? Interview of Dr. Jeffrey Schwartz

Click to listen to an excellent interview of Jeff on Achieve Radio in which he talks about rewiring your brain and changing habits. He begins by describing how he lowered his blood sugar using his "mind alone." He talks about self-transparency, the benefits of finding your true self, your animal brain and how to talk back to it, his 4-step method, the 15-minute rule, the toxicity of all-or-none thinking, deceptive brain messages, focusing of attention, the difference between us and animals, the placebo effect, Hebbs Law, the difference between the mind and the brain, and much more.

For those mediators who are convinced knowing about the brain is important

Here's fun way to learn more tonight: National Geographic is presenting a three-part series on that vitally important organ in our skull. The three parts are

• Watch This!-Hack into the ultimate supercomputer — the human brain — as Hollywood filmmakers create mind-bending sensory illusions.
• Pay Attention!-When it comes to mastering — and manipulating — attention, some of the world's leading experts aren't scientists; they're magicians.
• Remember This!-Our experts are on a mission — to find out where memories reside in the brain — and they're examining every millimeter for clues.

Sounds like a great way to remind ourselves of what the brain might be up to in the conflict resolution process! Let me know what you think.

Click for more information about the series, including videos and photos.

Less than 120 seconds from Amishi Jha on mindfulness, attention, & the myth of multi-tasking

Calmness is the cradle of power.

-- JG Holland

Click to watch neuroscientist Amish Jha talk about her work. The video is a quick take (very short), so it's a nice and tiny reminder for this lovely fall morning. Click to learn more about Dr. Jha.

Upcoming conference on cognitive and working memory training

The abstracts of the presentations that will be included at the conference being held in August indicate this will be an excellent event. Click to read them and to see the stellar lineup of speakers.

From the event page:

The University of Maryland Center for Advanced Study of Language (CASL) is hosting a 2½-day workshop that features a series of presentations and panel discussions by leading scientists, with participation from U.S. government stakeholders and interested parties from industry.
Topics for discussion include:

• Benefits of cognitive training across a range of measures, including intelligence, working memory, vision, learning, creativity, and language processing, in both healthy and special populations.
• Best practices in the field regarding methods, tools, designs, and uses for theoretical, computational, and applied purposes.
• Summaries of the workshop presentations, including what we have learned over the past few years and what remains to be learned about the advantages, uses, and even potential caveats of cognitive training. Dr. Nelson Cowan (University of Missouri-Columbia) and Dr. Robert Logie (The University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom) have agreed to serve as expert commentators.

One major goal of the workshop is to produce, within a year, an edited volume with chapters authored by participants and their collaborators. We anticipate that such a book will be a key contribution to the field, coalescing a host of research efforts on cognitive training and cognitive plasticity into a single book, and that it will be accessible to researchers in the cognitive and neural sciences, practitioners, and students.

 

Interview with Jeffrey Schwartz, MD, on how to rewire your brain, problems with materialism in science, and his new book

Click to listen to an excellent interview [link is also below] in which Dr. Jeff Schwartz talks with Michael Ray Dresser about the new book You Are Not Your Brain: The 4-Step Solution for Changing Bad Habits, Ending Unhealthy Thinking, and Taking Control of Your Life, and the many problems with thinking your brain controls who you are, what you think, and how you act.

Jeff says, "The brain can control your entire life if you let it." He then talks about why you would not want your brain to be in control, how to make sure you are not living a rat-like, habit-driven life, and the benefits of living life in a conscious, discerning, and mindful way.

The interviewer is very skilled and knowledgeable, and Jeff is articulate, passionate, and clear. Highly recommended!

Dr. Jeffrey Schwartz-6-30-2011-Track 1