mind change how digital technologies are leaving their mark on our brains
TRANSCRIPT
MIND CHANGEHow Digital Technologies
are leaving their Mark on our Brains
(1) The Environment is Key
Developing a Mind…
Newborn 3 months 15 months 2 years
Maguire, E.A., et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 2000. 97(8): p. 4398-403.
Change in the Brains of Taxi Drivers
Correlation of volume change with time as a taxi driver.
Maguire E A et al. PNAS 2000;97:4398-4403
©2000 by National Academy of Sciences
• TAXI-DRIVERS: A structural change in a key brain region in London taxi drivers that is related to navigation and working memory.
• MATHEMATICIANS: Time spent as a mathematician induces increased gray matter density in the parietal cortex of mathematicians.
• GOLFERS: Changes can be seen in the golfer’s brain. Larger grey matter volumes in particular brain structures were found in the skilled golfers compared to the other two groups.
• BASKETBALL PLAYERS: Experience-dependent plasticity is detectable in the brains of basketball players.
• MUSICIANS: Brain structures differ between musicians and non-musicians, related to learning and not a predisposition to music.
Plasticity: Repeated Behaviours
‘Thinking is… Movement Confined to the Brain’
• PIANO PLAYING: Over 5 days, as subjects learned the one-handed, five-finger exercise through daily 2-h manual practice sessions, the cortical motor areas targeting the digits enlarged, and their activation threshold decreased....
•JUGGLING: Structural changes occurred within 7 days of beginning training. Learning of a new task is pivotal in changing the structure of the brain rather than ongoing practice of something already learned.
• EXAM PREPARATION: Preparation for the German “Physikum” basic medical exam. Structural changes related to learning in the hippocampus, par hippocampal gray matter and posterior parietal cortex.
• LEARNING A LANGUAGE: Learning a second language increases the density of grey matter. The changes observed are correlated with skill level.
Plasticity: Effects of Training
Effects of an ‘Enriched’ Environment
‘Isolated’ ‘Enriched’
Connections Give Ever Deeper MEANING over Time…
The Biological Basis of the MindIs the Personalisation of the Brain
Through Unique Dynamic ConfigurationsOf Neuronal Connections, Driven by
unique Experiences
‘From the moment we become aware of others, we demand to be told stories that allow us to make sense of the world, to
inhabit the mind of someone else. In old age we tell stories to make small museums of memory. It matters not whether the
stories are true or imaginary.
The narrative, whether oral or written, is a staple of every culture the world over. But stories demand time and concentration; the narrative does not simply transmit
information, but invites the reader or listener to witness the
unfolding of events’..
Ben Macintyre
(2) The 21st Century Environment is Unprecedented
http://www.itv.com/news/update/2014-08-07/brits-spend-more-time-using-technology-than-sleeping/
Total hours of media/technology truncated to 3 standard deviations above mean and all total hours above that number were changed to exactly 3 standard deviations above the mean.
Daily Media Usage (standard deviation) for Children, Preteens and Teens Shown in Hours:Minutes
Rosen et al., (2014) Media and technology use predicts ill-being among children, preteens and teenagers independent of the negative health impacts of exercise and eating habits, Computers in Human Behavior, 35, 364-375,
Freedom…
The Independent, 7th August 2014
Mind Change: The New Climate Change?
• Both global• Both unprecedented• Both controversial• Both multi-faceted
(3) The Brain Will Be Changing Correspondingly in New Ways
Yuan K, Qin W, Wang G, Zeng F, et al. (2011) Microstructure Abnormalities in Adolescents with Internet Addiction Disorder.
The Environment of the Screen:Social Networking Sites
Words: 10% of total impact Eye contact Body language Voice(tone/rate/volume) Pheromones ? Physical contact ?
Communications in Three Dimensions
NOT AVAILABLE ON
Reduced Empathy?
• A link between atypical brain wave responses in problematic face recognition, characteristic of autism, and also of heavy internet users (He et al., 2011)
• A link between autistic spectrum disorders and an under-functioning prefrontal cortex, indicative of a more literal take on the world (Amodio & Frith 2006)
• A link between early screen experiences and later development of autism (Waldman et al., 2006)
• A link between autistic conditions and an appeal of screen technologies (Finkenauer et al., 2012).
• A link between autistic spectrum disorder and compulsive video game use (Mazurek & Engelhardt 2013)
A Link Between Autistic Type Behaviour and the Screen?
History of Blogging…
1999: So I just have to tell someone about this thing my cat did today…
2004: OMG! Cat pictures!
2005: Moving cat pictures!
2007:1:00pm. My cat just sneezed!1:02pm. Cat sneezed again!1:04pm. Cat hasn’t sneezed recently. Getting worried.
Research Article
Self-Presentation 2.0: Narcissism and Self-Esteem on FacebookSoraya Mehdizadeh, B.Sc.
How to cite: Mehdizadeh S. 2010 Self-Presentation 2.0: Narcissism and Self-Esteem on Facebook13(4):357-64. doi: 10.1089/cyber.2009.0257.
The Environment of the Screen: Gaming
Research Article
Video game playing, attention problems, and impulsiveness: Evidence of bi-directional causality
Douglas A. Gentile, Edward L. Swing, Choon Guan Lim, and Angeline Khoo
How to cite: Gentile, D. A., Swing, E. L., Lim, C. G., & Khoo, A. (2012). Video game playing, attention problems, and impulsiveness: Evidence of bi-directional causality. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 1, 62-70.
Research Article
Television and Video Game Exposure and the Development of Attention Problems
Edward L. Swing, Douglas A. Gentile, Craig A. Anderson, David A. Walsh
How to cite: Edward L. Swing, Douglas A. Gentile, Craig A. Anderson, David A. Walsh 2010, Television and Video Game Exposure and the Development of Attention Problems Pediatrics Vol. 126 No. 2 pp. 214 -221 (doi: 10.1542/peds.2009-1508.)
Video Games and Attention
Why the Increase in Methylphenidate prescriptions?
Kelly CR, Grinband J, Hirsch J (2007) PLoS ONE 2(12): e1268. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0001268
Repeated Exposure to Media Violence Is Associated with Diminished Response in
an Inhibitory Frontolimbic Network.
136 Papers
DesensitisationIncreased arousal
Aggressive cognitionAggressive behaviour
381 Independent Tests
130,296 Participants
Research Article Violent video game effects on aggression, empathy, and prosocial behavior in
Eastern and Western countries: A meta-analytic review.Anderson, Craig A.; Shibuya, Akiko; Ihori, Nobuko; Swing, Edward L.; Bushman, Brad J.; Sakamoto, Akira; Rothstein, Hannah R.;
Saleem, Muniba
How to cite: Anderson, Craig A.; Shibuya, Akiko; Ihori, Nobuko; Swing, Edward L.; Bushman, Brad J.; Sakamoto, Akira; Rothstein, Hannah R.; Saleem, Muniba,. Psychological Bulletin, Vol 136(2), Mar 2010, 151-173
THE NEURAL BASIS OF
VIDEO GAMING
Kuhn, S. et al., Translational Psychiatry
(2011)53, 1-5
Research Article
Computer and Video Game Addiction- A Comparison between Game Users and Non-Game Users
Aviv Malkiel Weinstein
How to cite: Weinstein AM.Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse. Computer and Video Game Addiction- A Comparison between Game Users and Non-Game Users 2010; 36(5):268-76. doi: 10.3109/00952990.2010.491879
Arousal Addiction Reward
DOPAMI
NE
DOPAMINE
‘Meaningless’Prefrontal under-function?
• Strong feelings• Sensory• Here-and-now• External environment dominates• Little ‘meaning’• Reduced sense of self• No time-space• Infants and children• More
‘Meaningful’Prefrontal activation?
• Thinking dominates• Cognitive• Past / present / future• Internal perceptions dominate• Personalised ‘meaning’• Strong sense of self• Clear time-space reference• Older children and adults• Less
Two Basic Modes for the Human Brain
DOPAMINE
DOPAMINE
Having a sensational time…
Letting yourself go…
Research Article
Inverse Association Between BMI and Prefrontal Metabolic Activity In Healthy Adults
Volkow ND, Wang GJ, Telang F, Fowler JS, Goldstein RZ, Alia-Klein N, Logan J, Wong C, Thanos PK, Ma Y, Pradhan K.
How to cite: Obesity (2009) Inverse Association Between BMI and Prefrontal Metabolic Activity In Healthy Adults. (1):60-5. doi: 10.1038/oby.2008.469. Epub 2008 Oct 23.
Research Article
Decision-Making in Obesity: A Study using the GamblingPignatti R, Bertella L, Albani G, Mauro A, Molinari E, Semenza C.
How to cite: Eat Weight Disord. (2006) Decision-Making in Obesity: A Study using the Gambling11(3):126-32
WithoutSchizophrenia
WithSchizophrenia
Childhood and Schizophrenia Similarities
Easily distracted
Short attention span
Inability to interpret proverbs
Under-functioning Prefrontal Cortex
A Common Factor: The Press of the Senses?
Implications for 21st Century Risk-Management?
‘Meaningless’Prefrontal under-function?
• Strong feelings• Sensory• Here-and-now• External environment dominates• Little ‘meaning’• Reduced sense of self• No time-space• Infants and children• More
‘Meaningful’Prefrontal activation?
• Thinking dominates• Cognitive• Past / present / future• Internal perceptions dominate• Personalised ‘meaning’• Strong sense of self• Clear time-space reference• Older children and adults• Less
Two Basic Modes for the Human Brain
DOPAMINE
DOPAMINE
A CONTINUOUS
CYCLE?
(2) High arousal, high levels of
dopamine release
(6) Conditions of childhood,
schizophrenia, obesity (5) Dopamine causes PFC
hypo-function
(4) Dopamine released
(3) Reward seeking
addictive behaviour
(7) Drive: sensation over
cognition
(8) Greater appeal of a
screen environment?
(1) Intense stimulation of screen: fast response
The Environment of the Screen: Search Engines
What is Honour?
Princess Marya…
ERIC SCHMIDT (CHAIRMAN, GOOGLE)
‘I worry that the level of interrupt, the sort of overwhelming rapidity of information…is in fact affecting cognition. It is affecting deeper
thinking. I still believe that sitting down and reading a book is the best way to really learn
something. And I worry that we’re losing that…’
• High IQ• Efficient information processing• Short attention span• Icons not ideas• Sensation at premium• Risk taker• Low empathy• Need for constant feedback• Weak sense identity• Low-grade aggression
The Mindset of the 21st Century?
(4) Realising the Full Potential of the Human Mind in the Digital Age
“Even so, mankind will suffer badly from the disease of boredom, a disease spreading more widely each year and
growing in intensity. This will have serious mental, emotional and sociological consequences, and I dare say
that psychiatry will be far and away the most important medical specialty in 2014. The lucky few who can be
involved in creative work of any sort will be the true elite of mankind, for they alone will do more than serve a
machine.”
Isaac Asimov, 1964
From INFORMATION to NEW IDEAS
1) Isolated Fact
2) Relate to other facts =
3) Significance
4) Place facts in wider, conceptual framework =
5) Understanding
From INFORMATION to NEW IDEAS
1) Isolated Fact
2) Relate to other facts =
3) Significance
4) Place facts in wider, conceptual framework =
5) Understanding
6) Make unprecedented connections =
7) New significance and understanding =
8) New ideas!
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