good brain science podcast

[David McDivitt]

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