Brains On Purpose™

Wish to learn more about learning? Two new books on changing the brain through learning

T-shirt from this year's APS conference

Does resolving conflict require learning? Typically, yes, of course. If no one in the dispute learns anything new, the conflict will probably remain unresolved. That's one of the reasons learning is often mentioned here at BonP.

In May, I attended the 26th annual convention of the Association of Psychological Science; some of the presentations I chose among the multitude offered included learning as a focus. One of my favorite programs, and certainly the most entertaining, was one copresented by APS past-president Henry Roediger who is the author of a new book on learning titled Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning. This week I have been reading the book for the first time. I say "first time" because I know I will be reading it again: it contains so much of value about teaching and learning. The book is one I will continue to recommend often.

If you want to both learn and be amazed, watch Dr. Roediger's APS program (about which I have already blogged at idealawg.)

While we are on the topic of books (a topic which many of my friends and colleagues think I talk about very, very, very frequently) I have just learned of a title, another one on learning, that will be out in less than a week. This book is called Multiple Pathways to the Student Brain: Energizing and Enhancing Instruction by Janet Zadina (Brainfacts.org). I believe you can get a preview of Professor Zadina's Multiple Pathways Model here.

Now what about you? What books do you recommend on learning and the brain?

"UC Berkeley neuroscience professor makes kids editors of research journal"

Excerpt:

Seeking to engage children in neuroscience research and stimulate interest in the subject, UC Berkeley professor of psychology and neuroscience Robert Knight last Monday launched an online scientific journal mainly edited by students between the ages of 8 and 18.

The journal, called Frontiers for Young Minds, officially launched at the annual Society for Neuroscience conference in San Diego. Under the slogan “science edited for kids, by kids,” the journal collects neuroscience-related research articles and sends them to children around the world who edit and review the articles under the guidance of professors and scientists.

Knight said in an email that his inspiration for the journal stemmed from his belief that kids are the future and that science education needs a boost. He said the journal can be a tool to involve kids from different countries and socioeconomic statuses.

Click to read the rest of "UC Berkeley neuroscience professor makes kids editors of research journal" (The Daily Californian). Here's the journal's Web site.

Map that shows you parts of your brain: Example of visual communication of content

Have some fun clicking around at "Your Brain Map: Strategies for Accelerated Learning" created by Open Colleges in Australia. Although I can't vouch for the accuracy of all the education tips, I do think the presentation mode is delightful and that by using it you can learn about brain anatomy.

Click to read more about the brain map (Digital Journal).

Click to read a past post about the role of learning in conflict resolution. Many other earlier posts on learning here.

And click to see an excellent example of presenting lots of content visually (and effectively, I think).

Think creativity is important in mediation? Interested in the neuroscience of creativity? Then here's a resource for you

You may access online the entire paper titled "Applying the neuroscience of creativity to creativity training" (Frontiers in Human Neuroscience); abstract below. I recommend reading it if you have an interest in the brain and creativity. The paper includes sections titled "Teaching the Neuroscience of Creativity" and "The Applied Neurocreativity Course"; the latter presents many details of the creativity course.

From that second section:

All the theory is subsequently boiled down to a simplified and easily comprehensible model that we have labelled NeuroCreativity, consisting of five key concepts based on basic brain processes (priming, close and remote associations, inhibition, fixation and the release of inhibition—referred to as incubation) we see as being most important, in addition to well documented neurological processes needed to understand the neural processes of creative behavior. The main idea behind this approach is based on Mednick’s (1962) theory that creative processes can be understood as the ability to rearrange knowledge that already exists in the mind, and thus the greater the number of associations (especially remote associations) an individual has to the requisite elements of a given problem, the greater the probability of reaching a creative solution. Our theoretical framework is therefore a merge between associative theories of creativity and basic neuroscientific knowledge of how the brain’s associative networks function and their natural limitations (e.g., how the neurological principles of lateral inhibition can be used to understand cognitive fixation). ...

If you are interest in more reading, resources are listed in this description of the course Applied Neuro Creativity.

Abstract of "Applying the neuroscience of creativity to creativity training":

Maxim of SIN: Some problems with not recognizing that each conflict, and each party, is novel and unaverage

We each have our own rhythm, our own beat

If you have attended a program at which I have presented recently, you have probably heard me talk about what I call the Maxim of SIN. It is the antidote to one-size-fits-all approaches in conflict resolution (or in other processes and activities, too). SIN stands for Situational, Individual, Now. Here's another reminder about the perils of interacting with parties in a manner that is Procrustean.

Dr.Todd Rose, a dropout from high school teaches at Harvard; click to read his CV. In this video from Cyberlearning Summit 2012 titled "Variability Matters," he talks about the problems that result when we ignore variability in the classroom and instead teach to the mythological average learner. He points out the brain has billions of neurons which form networks based on many factors, including day-to-day environment. This results in a rich diversity of brains in any classroom so why do we try to teach as if the brains are similar or even identical? He talks about what we lose when we teach to the average student, a being that lives only in fantasies and computer programs.

Of course, we have the same rich variability and diversity of brains and minds among parties to a dispute and yet how often do we see conflict professionals implementing notions and models and techniques that ignore this heterogeneity? Most the time, I believe. If you think I am exaggerating, listen to what is being taught about mediation. We hear things like, "Well, when this happens, the brain is doing X so what the mediator should do is Y." Or even, "These are the steps the mediator should take to resolve a dispute." Listen and you will hear the formulaic recommendations and advice.

If only conflict resolution were that cut-and-dried! As Dr. Rose says, "Variability matters." Artful, effective strategies are only possible when one understands variability very, very well.

There are ways to assess, appreciate, adapt to, and act upon (and with) the distinctiveness of each party, conflict, and mediator. I blogged about one method last week at idealawg. How are you making sure that you recognize each conflict's distinctiveness and keep sharp your skills at observing and capitalizing on differences, exceptions, and uniqueness?

If you are interested in the benefits of understanding uniqueness, take a look at "The Science of the Individual" (Mind, Brain, and Education) [behind paywall] of which Rose is the lead author. Abstract:

Our goal is to establish a science of the individual, grounded in dynamic systems, and focused on the analysis of individual variability. Our argument is that individuals behave, learn, and develop in distinctive ways, showing patterns of variability that are not captured by models based on statistical averages. As such, any meaningful attempt to develop a science of the individual necessarily begins with an account of the individual variability that is pervasive in all aspects of behavior, and at all levels of analysis. Using examples from fields as diverse as education and medicine, we show how starting with individual variability, not statistical averages, helped researchers discover two sources of ordered variability—pathways and contexts—that have implications for theory, research, and practice in multiple disciplines. We conclude by discussing three broad challenges—data, models, and the nature of science—that must be addressed to ensure that the science of the individual reaches its full potential.

The science of the individual. A phrase worth remembering, particularly when we begin to lose the beginner's mind and see many parties as marching to the same drummer, the same beat. If we assume sameness, the resolutions reached in our mediations may be as fitting as stepsisters' feet in Cinderella's slipper.

Note: Click to read Rose's story about why he advocates for understanding variability. And click to hear him presenting "The Myth of Average" at TedXSonomaCounty. For more about his theory and the life story from which it has developed, read his book Square Peg.

Videos from Society for Neuroscience on neuroscience careers and teaching

Click to watch a number of videos from SfN. From the Web site:

Neuroscience Departments and Programs 2012 Annual Spring Conference: "Sustaining Training Program Vitality During Challenging Times"

March 30, 2012 in Washington, DC

The Annual Spring Conference of Neuroscience Departments and Programs brought together 70 neuroscience program directors and faculty representing 58 programs from the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean to discuss models and innovative approaches for preparing undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral trainees for careers both within and outside academia. The one-day conference covered current trends and issues in neuroscience training, including ways to enrich students' research experiences, providing professional skills training to better prepare students for nontraditional career paths, and approaches to using students as teachers to give them experience that will help them succeed in academia.

Mediation is not the only arena where neuromyths abound: A highly recommended article

As attention on neuroscience from mediators grows, so does the inaccurate information and unwarranted extrapolation from the research. That's not a new observation; I have blogged about the problem many times in the past. (One antidote: See below for titles of a couple of good books to help you be a wise consumer of brain science.)

This growth of neuromyths is not happening only in the field of conflict resolution. Frontiers in Educational Psychology has just published an article detailing many of the most common neuromyths in education. Click to read "Neuromyths in education: Prevalence and predictors of misconceptions among teachers." The test at the end might be fun for you to take. Some of the neuromyths listed have been presented by mediators as accurate: for example, #15 regarding learning styles.

The article is very good. The problems described with teachers incorporating neuroscience into the classroom parallel those problems with science being imported into the conflict resolution setting. If a practitioner is going to incorporate neuroscience into his or her mediation models and processes, caution and discernment is recommended. Not everything you hear or read is accurate.

I frequently recommend these two books to increase one's ability to discern what brain research might be of practical assistance in the field.

• Psychology's Ghosts: The Crisis in the Profession and the Way Back (I have probably received more thanks from people who have read this book than any other I have recommended; it's a must-read for anyone wishing to incorporate psychology or neuroscience into their work)
• When Can You Trust the Experts: How to Tell Good Science from Bad in Education (not just for educators; very helpful for mediators with the goal of being savvy consumers of research)

Your memory is like the telephone game: Each time you recall an event, your brain distorts it

Related to my last post which was on the malleability of memory . . .

News release from Northwestern University:

Remember the telephone game where people take turns whispering a message into the ear of the next person in line? By the time the last person speaks it out loud, the message has radically changed. It’s been altered with each retelling.

Turns out your memory is a lot like the telephone game, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study.

Every time you remember an event from the past, your brain networks change in ways that can alter the later recall of the event. Thus, the next time you remember it, you might recall not the original event but what you remembered the previous time. The Northwestern study is the first to show this.

“A memory is not simply an image produced by time traveling back to the original event -- it can be an image that is somewhat distorted because of the prior times you remembered it,” said Donna Bridge, a postdoctoral fellow at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and lead author of the paper on the study recently published in the Journal of Neuroscience. “Your memory of an event can grow less precise even to the point of being totally false with each retrieval.”

Click to read the rest. Click to read the abstract of the study (Journal of Neuroscience).

Excellent books I have been reading on the brain, storytelling, conflict, and more

This month, I traveled to California because of a serious health matter of a close family member. One of the benefits of the trip was much time to read. I could not get online except when at Starbuck's so had more than the typical amount of time with nothing distracting or calling to me besides books!

In fact, I have been reading so many good books that I wanted to list them in case some of you may enjoy an item or two from my recently-read list. Here they are (I have included a couple from earlier this year, too):

• Philosophy for Life
• Wired for Story: The Writer's Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence [Note added October 22, 2012: Unfortunately most of the citations in this book are to articles from the popular media and not to the original research]
• Pathological Altruism
• Sin and Syntax: How to Craft Wickedly Effective Prose
• Reframing
• When Can You Trust the Experts?: How to Tell Good Science from Bad in Education
• The Five Percent: Finding Solutions to Seemingly Impossible Conflicts
• The Antidote
• The Story Template
• Psychobabble and Biobunk
• What Are You Laughing At?: A Comprehensive Guide to the Comedic Event
• Pieces of Light
• How To Play the Harmonica: and Other Life Lessons Click to watch my dad playing the harmonica
• Our Secret Territory: The Essence of Storytelling
• Conflicts : A Better Way to Resolve Them
• Maximum Brainpower: Challenging the Brain for Health and Wisdom
• Time Warped
• The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human

Let me know if you have read any of these and what you thought after the reading. What books have been getting your attention lately?

Pointing out a new book on the science of memory

I have only just begun to read Pieces of Light by Charles Fernyhough and am looking forward to finishing it this week while traveling. In the meanwhile, here's a review from The Observer. From "Pieces of Light: The New Science of Memory by Charles Fernyhough – review":

In his new book on memory, psychologist and novelist Charles Fernyhough provides an outstanding overview of how this dynamic understanding can be applied to many different facets of memory. He travels to Sydney to find locations he wrote about in his first novel, The Auctioneer, and shows how his subsequent imaginings of these places have irrevocably overwhelmed what he actually saw. He also uses landscapes to bring memories and people back to life, re-enacting walks he took with his late father, and movingly describing the ways that we keep the dead alive, for ourselves and for those around us, by telling our memories, our stories. He shows how we use memories to connect ourselves to the past but also to tell stories to make the past what we want it to be.

Fernyhough's skills as a writer are evident both in the beautiful prose and in the way he uses literature to illustrate his argument. As he points out, since memories are the stories we tell, we can learn much about memory from the words of writers. He draws on both science and art to marvellous effect in his exploration of why early memories are so often filled with sunlight. ...

Click to read the rest.

Memories Serve as Tools for Learning and Decision-Making

Below are a news release from University of Texas-Austin, plus the study Summary and Conclusions. For reminder of why learning is important for conflict resolution, see these posts.

Memories Serve as Tools for Learning and Decision-Making, New Study Shows

July 11, 2012

AUSTIN, Texas — When humans learn, their brains relate new information with past experiences to derive new knowledge, according to psychology research from The University of Texas at Austin.

The study, led by Alison Preston, assistant professor of psychology and neurobiology, shows this memory-binding process allows people to better understand new concepts and make future decisions. The findings could lead to better teaching methods, as well as treatment of degenerative neurological disorders, such as dementia, Preston says.

“Memories are not just for reflecting on the past; they help us make the best decisions for the future,” says Preston, a research affiliate in the Center for Learning and Memory, which is part of the university’s College of Natural Sciences. “Here, we provide a direct link between these derived memories and the ability to make novel inferences.”

The paper was published online in July in the journal Neuron. The authors include University of Texas at Austin researchers Dagmar Zeithamova and April Dominick.

In the study, 34 subjects were shown a series of paired images composed of different elements (for example, an object and an outdoor scene). Each of the paired images would then reappear in more presentations. A backpack, paired with a horse in the first presentation, would appear alongside a field in a later presentation. The overlap between the backpack and outdoor scenery (horse and field) would cause the viewer to associate the backpack with the horse and field. The researchers used this

Mediators: Another pseudo-science, brain baloney, neuro-nonsense alert

One of the gifts of online life is Google Alerts. Today this article about pseudoscience arrived in my inbox, and it reminded me once again about the high level of discernment needed today by anyone who plans to use neuroscience in their work or personal life.

Just because a speaker, writer or trainer incorporates neuroscience in what he or she presents doesn't guarantee accuracy about the science or, even if accurate, that the science can be applied in the way being asserted.

In an article from Akron Beacon Journal Online about the field of education, we learn of some pseudoscience which can remind us to sharpen our filters for the brain science being put forth to and by people in conflict management. From "Teachers learn ways to keep students’ attention, but are brain claims valid?":

[T]he techniques [described in the article] are not validated by contemporary brain research, according to two experts in the relationship between neuroscience and education who reviewed the claims for the Akron Beacon Journal.

“Nothing I see here indicates that there is any neuroscientific backing for anything they’re suggesting,” said Dan Willingham, a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of Virginia.

The Beacon Journal also asked David Daniel, managing editor of the peer-reviewed science journal Mind, Brain and Education to examine the research page at www.wholebrainteaching.com.

“I think he has these ideas that may or may not work, and he’s using brain stuff to market them,” said Daniel, a psychology professor at James Madison University. “The brain stuff on the web page is very cursory, very shallow. That could be just his way of communicating or it could be his level of understanding. Either way, it’s misleading.”

Willingham has a book coming out this month to help educators evaluate claims made about science and teaching. I look forward to the book because I am guessing it will be helpful to mediators, too. Given the silliness we sometimes see about how the brain science supposedly applies to conflict resolution, how are you keeping your neuroscience filter sharp?

Note: Annie Murphy Paul also blogged about this article at her The Brilliant Blog.