From david at subjectivist.org Fri Dec 9 06:33:28 2011 From: david at subjectivist.org (David McDivitt) Date: Thu, 08 Dec 2011 23:33:28 -0600 Subject: good brain science podcast Message-ID: <4EE19DA8.6060900@subjectivist.org> I've been listening to the "Brain Science Podcast" via iTunes, starting at the beginning. The lady doing these is an emergency room physician who wants to become knowledgeable of the new brain science field. It's a neat blend of evolution, biology, and psychology and purely empirical. After reading a book she does a podcast giving a summary and touching major points. Her purpose is to make the info available so others don't have to read, and they can listen while working out or driving. It's pretty neat stuff. She also interviews leading authors in the field. The website is good with full notes and references. Episodes worth mentioning are: "Unconscious Decisions!" http://www.brainsciencepodcast.com/bsp/2007/6/1/unconscious-decisions-bsp-13.html Discusses snap judgements versus more cognitive decision making "Why Choose this Book with Read Montague" http://www.brainsciencepodcast.com/bsp/2007/6/28/why-choose-this-book-with-read-montague-bsp-15.html This is more discussion about decision making and was excellent. Read was allowed to talk at great length uninterrupted. The brain manages scarce resources, constantly forming new pathways and networks for greater efficiency. "The Wisdom of the Aging Brain" http://www.brainsciencepodcast.com/bsp/the-wisdom-of-the-aging-brain-bsp-17.html Here she talks about the effects of aging on the brain, what changes, why, and what can be done to retain functionality. The difference between right and left hemispheres is discussed, such that the left deals with known patterns of greater specificity, while the right is more general, dealing with ambiguity and vagueness where creativity and novel approaches are required. As we age, functionality tends to move from right to left. "Review of Gut Feelings: The Intelligence of the Unconscious by Gerd Gigerenzer" http://www.brainsciencepodcast.com/bsp/2007/8/23/review-of-gut-feelings-bsp-19.html This is a very good episode. Toward the end, Gerd speaks about morality, why people are moral, and what factors compose moral decisions. If only one is listened to, this would be it. After hearing, I wanted to share with the list. -- yes, I dare to be subjective! "humans are cost benefit calculators" Dr. David Buss, evolutionary psychologist