Lediona Zharku
Dr. Elissa Aminoff
I enjoyed Dr. Elissa Aminoff’s lecture on “what the brain can teach us about memory.” Memory is so complex in the way it is encoded and retrieved so it was pleasant to have an expert talk about memory.
One of my favorite parts of the presentation was when Dr. Aminoff was talking about the memory experiment. The results of the experiment were fascinating. Memory is much more complex than one would expect. Memory retention is linked to the judgement involved in the evaluation of the items rather than the items themselves. When it comes to remembering things, work must happen. As Dr. Brenda Anderson says “we might think of memory retrieval as kind of all or none work, it either happens or it doesn’t.”
I have a big problem with remembering names. The moment someone tells me their name, it slips completely out of my mind. In order to remember someone’s name I have to repeat it in my head several times before it sticks. This relates to Dr. Elissa Aminoff’s statement on having to work for memory to work.
Also the concept of having a word stuck on the tip of your tongue. When that happens my mind goes to many places, but it takes a while for it to retrieve the word I need. In “Seven ‘Sins’ of Memory” by Daniel Schacter, this phenomenon is discussed. Blocking is when information is present but temporarily unavailable. I never knew that there was a term to describe the tip of the tongue scenario. Overall, I enjoyed Dr. Elissa Aminoff’s presentation on memory and found it to be insightful.
Dr. Brenda Anderson
I found Brenda Anderson’s presentation to be incredibly interesting and insightful. What I found especially interesting was her discussion on prosopagnosia, or “face blindness.” Face blindness is a neurological condition that gives people the inability to recognize faces. I was unaware that this neurological disorder existed before the presentation. It is fascinating to know that some people cannot tell the difference between a face and an object. I particularly loved Bev Doolittle’s work that she presented. It was interesting to think about how humans perceive faces.
Dr. John Pollock
I found Dr. John Pollock’s lecture to be extremely interesting. When he began speaking about early cave markings, and how humans used to draw objects and animals in detail with the materials they could find made me think about how creative humans have always been. Humans have evolved greatly in their ability to manipulate tools and their storytelling skills. It is also interesting to think about how the way we see things is so incredibly important in memory retention, perspective and understanding. Storytelling is so important in understanding and retention. In learning, for example, it is always easier to remember material when there is a story behind it that is interesting. Humans love to make connections with their outside surroundings to comprehend the world and make sense of it. I think that John Pollock did a fantastic job at connecting storytelling, with the science of seeing and even dreams.
Dr. Arianna Maffei
I loved Dr. Arianna Maffei’s presentation on taste and how the brain works in regard to the sense of taste. I loved that this presentation made me more mindful about the way humans taste and make the decisions they do with their food. Humans are wired to avoid and crave certain foods based on palatability. Bitter and sour foods are related to poisons so humans tend to steer away from foods with those flavors. But sweet and salty foods carry properties that are good for the body, so humans crave those flavors. I was surprised to learn that certain areas of the tongue are not dedicated for detecting specific types of tastes. Instead, the tongue’s taste receptor cells are located gradiently along the tongue to detect certain tastes. I also enjoyed the part of Dr. Maffei’s presentation when she discusses how experimenters know whether a mouse enjoys the taste of food when they cannot talk. In order to know whether the mouse like the food or not is based on the amount of licks the mouse takes when eating the food and the frequency that the mouse goes back to eat the food. It was interesting to learn that most animals who are limited to a certain enrichment diet tend to prefer sugar. Also, thinking about how comfort food is normally the food we grew up eating is interesting because taste is so ingrained in our memory, specifically our emotional memory. Feelings of nostalgia can occur with food.
Dr. Alice Powers
Dr. Alice Powers’ presentation on turtles was extremely interesting. I did not know that turtles can be found on every continent except Antarctica and they can also be found in all the temperate oceans. I enjoyed all the artwork depicting turtles. I did not know much about turtles before Dr. Powers’ presentation so learning about turtles was interesting.
The experiment that was conducted by Dr. Powers reminds me of B.F. Skinner’s experiment with mice to condition them. He puts mice in a controlled box and conditions them to perform a behavior, which was to move a lever in order to receive a reward. Once the rat learned that moving the lever will result in reward, a part of his experiment was to give the reward infrequently, meaning only sometimes when the lever was moved will the mouse be given a treat. When he did that, the rat became addicted to pulling the lever in the hopes of getting a reward. This was revolutionary in the field of psychology because it explained how animals can become addicted or obsessed with a behavior– when the reward is uncertain. In Dr. Powers’ experiment, she put turtles in a box that had a button that the turtle must press in order to receive a reward. The turtle eventually learned to press the correct object in order to receive a reward. Through this we learn that the learning process comes with trial and error. In both animals and humans, we must try and be curious in order to learn how certain things work, in the case of the turtle experiment, they learned through trial and error how to receive food (or the reward). I had a pet turtle named Daphne, and I wish I still had her because I would try to train her using the techniques I learned with Dr. Powers.
Dr. Elsa Limbach (EXTRA CREDIT)
Firstly, I loved Dr. Elsa Limbach’s energy! She is lively and engaging. After watching her body and mind movement workshop, I am encouraged to be more mindful of how much I move my body. With online classes, and being home most of the time, I have become inactive. I have not been motivated to move, and am comfortable with sitting and doing work, then watching a movie. My body has become used to being stagnant, but after Dr. Limbach’s presentation, I am reminded of how important it is to be active. When she discusses how movement is essential in physical development, even in a biological standpoint with regard to sperm and egg. When a sperm and egg cell meet, movement is involved to get them to come together. Movement is necessary for growth, in all aspects of life. When one is stagnant physically, the body does not improve. Same goes for one’s mental health and personal development. When changes don’t occur for a person in the way they behave, react, perceive, and think, one stays stagnant and does not grow for the better.
I particularly liked the bobblehead exercise or the “noodling” exercise. I am normally working on my computer and my neck and head get very tense at times, so adopting the noodling movement to help relieve tension would be helpful. It was also interesting to be hyper-aware of how the body moves, pulls, and twists, and actually feel your body– and be present. I am inspired to take my body more seriously in regard to wellness. Maybe I will take up yoga!