Saturday, May 15, 2010
The power of language
Did you know that language can apparently alter the way your brain works? Here's a fascinating example:
"HOW DOES OUR LANGUAGE SHAPE THE WAY WE THINK? [6.12.09]
By Lera Boroditsky"
"Follow me to Pormpuraaw, a small Aboriginal community on the western edge of Cape York, in northern Australia. I came here because of the way the locals, the Kuuk Thaayorre, talk about space. Instead of words like "right," "left," "forward," and "back," which, as commonly used in English, define space relative to an observer, the Kuuk Thaayorre, like many other Aboriginal groups, use cardinal-direction terms - north, south, east, and west - to define space. This is done at all scales, which means you have to say things like "There's an ant on your southeast leg" or "Move the cup to the north northwest a little bit." One obvious consequence of speaking such a language is that you have to stay oriented at all times, or else you cannot speak properly. The normal greeting in Kuuk Thaayorre is "Where are you going?" and the answer should be something like " Southsoutheast, in the middle distance." If you don't know which way you're facing, you can't even get past "Hello."
The result is a profound difference in navigational ability and spatial knowledge between speakers of languages that rely primarily on absolute reference frames (like Kuuk Thaayorre) and languages that rely on relative reference frames (like English). Simply put, speakers of languages like Kuuk Thaayorre are much better than English speakers at staying oriented and keeping track of where they are, even in unfamiliar landscapes or inside unfamiliar buildings. What enables them - in fact, forces them - to do this is their language. Having their attention trained in this way equips them to perform navigational feats once thought beyond human capabilities. Because space is such a fundamental domain of thought, differences in how people think about space don't end there. People rely on their spatial knowledge to build other, more complex, more abstract representations. Representations of such things as time, number, musical pitch, kinship relations, morality, and emotions have been shown to depend on how we think about space. So if the Kuuk Thaayorre think differently about space, do they also think differently about other things, like time? This is what my collaborator Alice Gaby and I came to Pormpuraaw to find out.
To test this idea, we gave people sets of pictures that showed some kind of temporal progression (e.g., pictures of a man aging, or a crocodile growing, or a banana being eaten). Their job was to arrange the shuffled photos on the ground to show the correct temporal order. We tested each person in two separate sittings, each time facing in a different cardinal direction. If you ask English speakers to do this, they'll arrange the cards so that time proceeds from left to right. Hebrew speakers will tend to lay out the cards from right to left, showing that writing direction in a language plays a role. So what about folks like the Kuuk Thaayorre, who don't use words like "left" and "right"? What will they do?
The Kuuk Thaayorre did not arrange the cards more often from left to right than from right to left, nor more toward or away from the body. But their arrangements were not random: there was a pattern, just a different one from that of English speakers. Instead of arranging time from left to right, they arranged it from east to west. That is, when they were seated facing south, the cards went left to right. When they faced north, the cards went from right to left. When they faced east, the cards came toward the body and so on. This was true even though we never told any of our subjects which direction they faced. The Kuuk Thaayorre not only knew that already (usually much better than I did), but they also spontaneously used this spatial orientation to construct their representations of time."
http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/boroditsky09/boroditsky09_index.html
"HOW DOES OUR LANGUAGE SHAPE THE WAY WE THINK? [6.12.09]
By Lera Boroditsky"
"Follow me to Pormpuraaw, a small Aboriginal community on the western edge of Cape York, in northern Australia. I came here because of the way the locals, the Kuuk Thaayorre, talk about space. Instead of words like "right," "left," "forward," and "back," which, as commonly used in English, define space relative to an observer, the Kuuk Thaayorre, like many other Aboriginal groups, use cardinal-direction terms - north, south, east, and west - to define space. This is done at all scales, which means you have to say things like "There's an ant on your southeast leg" or "Move the cup to the north northwest a little bit." One obvious consequence of speaking such a language is that you have to stay oriented at all times, or else you cannot speak properly. The normal greeting in Kuuk Thaayorre is "Where are you going?" and the answer should be something like " Southsoutheast, in the middle distance." If you don't know which way you're facing, you can't even get past "Hello."
The result is a profound difference in navigational ability and spatial knowledge between speakers of languages that rely primarily on absolute reference frames (like Kuuk Thaayorre) and languages that rely on relative reference frames (like English). Simply put, speakers of languages like Kuuk Thaayorre are much better than English speakers at staying oriented and keeping track of where they are, even in unfamiliar landscapes or inside unfamiliar buildings. What enables them - in fact, forces them - to do this is their language. Having their attention trained in this way equips them to perform navigational feats once thought beyond human capabilities. Because space is such a fundamental domain of thought, differences in how people think about space don't end there. People rely on their spatial knowledge to build other, more complex, more abstract representations. Representations of such things as time, number, musical pitch, kinship relations, morality, and emotions have been shown to depend on how we think about space. So if the Kuuk Thaayorre think differently about space, do they also think differently about other things, like time? This is what my collaborator Alice Gaby and I came to Pormpuraaw to find out.
To test this idea, we gave people sets of pictures that showed some kind of temporal progression (e.g., pictures of a man aging, or a crocodile growing, or a banana being eaten). Their job was to arrange the shuffled photos on the ground to show the correct temporal order. We tested each person in two separate sittings, each time facing in a different cardinal direction. If you ask English speakers to do this, they'll arrange the cards so that time proceeds from left to right. Hebrew speakers will tend to lay out the cards from right to left, showing that writing direction in a language plays a role. So what about folks like the Kuuk Thaayorre, who don't use words like "left" and "right"? What will they do?
The Kuuk Thaayorre did not arrange the cards more often from left to right than from right to left, nor more toward or away from the body. But their arrangements were not random: there was a pattern, just a different one from that of English speakers. Instead of arranging time from left to right, they arranged it from east to west. That is, when they were seated facing south, the cards went left to right. When they faced north, the cards went from right to left. When they faced east, the cards came toward the body and so on. This was true even though we never told any of our subjects which direction they faced. The Kuuk Thaayorre not only knew that already (usually much better than I did), but they also spontaneously used this spatial orientation to construct their representations of time."
http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/boroditsky09/boroditsky09_index.html
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
One eskimO
The fine folks at One2One Network sent me the following info:
"One eskimO is a critically-acclaimed English band fronted by singer-songwriter Kristian Leontiou and includes musicians Pete Rinaldi (guitar), Jamie Sefton (bass, horns) and Adam Falkner (drums).
They currently have the #1 adult alternative song called 'Kandi' which you may have already heard since it's the most played song on all adult rock radio 4 weeks and counting
Billboard Magazine calls One eskimO's self-titled debut album "...catchy, ambient pop." and Los Angeles Times Magazine hails the song "Kandi" "a beautiful, aspirational track." The album is available in stores now.
The album release comes in tandem with a full length animated film. "Hometime," one of the tracks that an animated short was first done with proved to be quite a sensation. It received numerous honors at film festivals around the world, as well as a 2008 British Animation Award.
Band is on tour May/June/July supporting Michael Franti and in addition to festivals and headlining shows
Tour Dates
May 14 Miami, FL Fillmore
May 15 Jacksonville, FL Free Bird Live
May 18 Orlando, FL House of Blues
May 19 Tampa, FL The Ritz Ybor
May 22 Raleigh, NC Lincoln Theatre
May 24 Asheville, NC The Orange Peel
May 25 Charleston, SC The Music Farm
Jun 01 Toronto, ON The Guvernment
Jun 03 New York, NY The Beach at Governor’s Island
Jun 04 Boston, MA House of Blues
Jun 05 Essex Junction, VT Camplain Valley Expo
Jun 06 Hunter, NY Mountain Jam Festival
Jun 08 Royal Oak, MI Royal Oak Music Thtr
Jun 09 Grand Rapids, MI Orbit Room
Jun 12 Memphis, TN Minglewood Hall
Jun 13 Kansas City, MO Crossroads
Aug 14 Denver, CO Mile High Festival
Links:
One eskimO Website: http://bit.ly/bCAfYE
"Kandi" Video: http://bit.ly/9CkEsg
Tour Dates: http://bit.ly/bQa94y
Band’s Facebook: http://bit.ly/906Gp3
You Tube Channel: http://bit.ly/bgZM8P
Deluxe Edition on iTunes: http://bit.ly/agXgTj
Free Download of "Astronauts" via Twitter: http://bit.ly/97B94S
For more info about One eskimO refer to our newsletter: http://www.mynewsletterbuilder.com/email/newsletter/1410294733
Hosted Images
Album Cover: http://www.one2onenetwork.com/images/oneeskimo_500_large.jpg
Photo of Band on Stage: http://www.one2onenetwork.com/images/photo_18.jpg
Collage of Band: http://www.one2onenetwork.com/images/oneeskimoCollagelowres.jpg
Publicity Photo of Band: http://www.one2onenetwork.com/images/IMG_6621.jpg
Logo: http://www.one2onenetwork.com/images/OE
Tracklisting
Hometime
Astronauts
Kandi
Slip
Simple Day
Givin Up
Chocolate
All Balloons
Chosen One
UFO
Amazing"
They also sent me a free promotional CD to listen to and review. The music is very sparse, and sounds to me like a combo of early 60's folk and early 70's soul; the term "rock" doesn't apply at all, as it bears no resemblance to any form of rock music that I recognize. Some "hard to define" music excites me, and some leaves me cold; this album is in the latter group. Whatever it is that is supposed to be great about it totally escapes me; there isn't anything I can point to that I liked. It wasn't that it was bad per se, just that it was unreservedly dull; it would probably be fine as background music, but forcing myself to pay attention to it so that I could review it was really unpleasant.
However, if you're one of the many people for whom early 60's folk and early 70's soul bring pleasure rather than cringing, you'll probably like it; check out the free download of "Astronauts" or some of their videos using the links above and decide for yourself.
"One eskimO is a critically-acclaimed English band fronted by singer-songwriter Kristian Leontiou and includes musicians Pete Rinaldi (guitar), Jamie Sefton (bass, horns) and Adam Falkner (drums).
They currently have the #1 adult alternative song called 'Kandi' which you may have already heard since it's the most played song on all adult rock radio 4 weeks and counting
Billboard Magazine calls One eskimO's self-titled debut album "...catchy, ambient pop." and Los Angeles Times Magazine hails the song "Kandi" "a beautiful, aspirational track." The album is available in stores now.
The album release comes in tandem with a full length animated film. "Hometime," one of the tracks that an animated short was first done with proved to be quite a sensation. It received numerous honors at film festivals around the world, as well as a 2008 British Animation Award.
Band is on tour May/June/July supporting Michael Franti and in addition to festivals and headlining shows
Tour Dates
May 14 Miami, FL Fillmore
May 15 Jacksonville, FL Free Bird Live
May 18 Orlando, FL House of Blues
May 19 Tampa, FL The Ritz Ybor
May 22 Raleigh, NC Lincoln Theatre
May 24 Asheville, NC The Orange Peel
May 25 Charleston, SC The Music Farm
Jun 01 Toronto, ON The Guvernment
Jun 03 New York, NY The Beach at Governor’s Island
Jun 04 Boston, MA House of Blues
Jun 05 Essex Junction, VT Camplain Valley Expo
Jun 06 Hunter, NY Mountain Jam Festival
Jun 08 Royal Oak, MI Royal Oak Music Thtr
Jun 09 Grand Rapids, MI Orbit Room
Jun 12 Memphis, TN Minglewood Hall
Jun 13 Kansas City, MO Crossroads
Aug 14 Denver, CO Mile High Festival
Links:
One eskimO Website: http://bit.ly/bCAfYE
"Kandi" Video: http://bit.ly/9CkEsg
Tour Dates: http://bit.ly/bQa94y
Band’s Facebook: http://bit.ly/906Gp3
You Tube Channel: http://bit.ly/bgZM8P
Deluxe Edition on iTunes: http://bit.ly/agXgTj
Free Download of "Astronauts" via Twitter: http://bit.ly/97B94S
For more info about One eskimO refer to our newsletter: http://www.mynewsletterbuilder.com/email/newsletter/1410294733
Hosted Images
Album Cover: http://www.one2onenetwork.com/images/oneeskimo_500_large.jpg
Photo of Band on Stage: http://www.one2onenetwork.com/images/photo_18.jpg
Collage of Band: http://www.one2onenetwork.com/images/oneeskimoCollagelowres.jpg
Publicity Photo of Band: http://www.one2onenetwork.com/images/IMG_6621.jpg
Logo: http://www.one2onenetwork.com/images/OE
Tracklisting
Hometime
Astronauts
Kandi
Slip
Simple Day
Givin Up
Chocolate
All Balloons
Chosen One
UFO
Amazing"
They also sent me a free promotional CD to listen to and review. The music is very sparse, and sounds to me like a combo of early 60's folk and early 70's soul; the term "rock" doesn't apply at all, as it bears no resemblance to any form of rock music that I recognize. Some "hard to define" music excites me, and some leaves me cold; this album is in the latter group. Whatever it is that is supposed to be great about it totally escapes me; there isn't anything I can point to that I liked. It wasn't that it was bad per se, just that it was unreservedly dull; it would probably be fine as background music, but forcing myself to pay attention to it so that I could review it was really unpleasant.
However, if you're one of the many people for whom early 60's folk and early 70's soul bring pleasure rather than cringing, you'll probably like it; check out the free download of "Astronauts" or some of their videos using the links above and decide for yourself.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
"Scientists able to manipulate morality"
More terrifying than any scifi movie:
"Scientists able to manipulate morality
Published Date: 30 March 2010
By CLARE BAILLIE
MORALITY is not based on social conscience or religion, but a brain region just above and behind the right ear, research suggests.
Scientists found they were able to alter people's moral judgments by directing magnetic pulses at a knot of nerve cells known as the right temporo-parietal junction (RTPJ).
Volunteers subjected to a number of "moral maze" tests had their notions of right and wrong disrupted. In one scenario, participants were asked how permissible it was for a man to let his girlfriend walk across a bridge he knew was unsafe.
After receiving a 500 millisecond magnetic pulse to the scalp, the volunteers delivered verdicts based on outcome rather than moral principle. If the girlfriend made it across the bridge safely, her boyfriend was not seen as having done anything wrong.
Lead researcher Dr Liane Young, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) said: "You think of morality as being a really high-level behaviour. To be able to apply a magnetic field to a specific brain region and change people's moral judgments is really astonishing."
Previous studies had shown the RTPJ to be highly active when people thought about the intentions, thoughts and beliefs of others. The MIT team reasoned that since judging the morality of an action depended on assessing beliefs and intentions, it might involve the RTPJ. The region is situated at the brain's surface above and behind the right ear.
To investigate the hypothesis, the scientists first pinpointed the RTPJ in each of up to 12 volunteers using a brain scan.
Experiments were then carried out in which participants were subjected to magnetic pulses targeted at the RTPJ. The non-invasive technique, known as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), creates weak electric currents that temporarily block the ability of brain cells to fire normally.
In one test, volunteers were exposed to TMS for 25 minutes before reading a series of 192 stories involving morally questionable characters. Participants were asked to make moral judgments of the characters' actions on a scale of one (absolutely forbidden) to seven (absolutely permissible).
A second experiment involved applying a 500-millisecond TMS burst at the moment a volunteer was asked to make a moral judgment.
In both cases, the researchers found that when the RTPJ was disrupted, volunteers were more likely to judge actions solely on the basis of whether they caused harm or not. Irresponsible or deliberate actions that might have resulted in harm were seen as morally acceptable if the story had a "happy ending".
Writing in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers said: "A particularly striking effect occurred for attempted harms (eg 'actors' who intended but failed to do harm) … TMS to the RTPJ caused participants to judge attempted harms as less morally forbidden and more morally permissible.
"Thus, interfering with activity in the RTPJ disrupts the capacity to use mental states in moral judgment, especially in the case of attempted harms.""
http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/news/Scientists-able-to-manipulate-morality.6189323.jp
"Scientists able to manipulate morality
Published Date: 30 March 2010
By CLARE BAILLIE
MORALITY is not based on social conscience or religion, but a brain region just above and behind the right ear, research suggests.
Scientists found they were able to alter people's moral judgments by directing magnetic pulses at a knot of nerve cells known as the right temporo-parietal junction (RTPJ).
Volunteers subjected to a number of "moral maze" tests had their notions of right and wrong disrupted. In one scenario, participants were asked how permissible it was for a man to let his girlfriend walk across a bridge he knew was unsafe.
After receiving a 500 millisecond magnetic pulse to the scalp, the volunteers delivered verdicts based on outcome rather than moral principle. If the girlfriend made it across the bridge safely, her boyfriend was not seen as having done anything wrong.
Lead researcher Dr Liane Young, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) said: "You think of morality as being a really high-level behaviour. To be able to apply a magnetic field to a specific brain region and change people's moral judgments is really astonishing."
Previous studies had shown the RTPJ to be highly active when people thought about the intentions, thoughts and beliefs of others. The MIT team reasoned that since judging the morality of an action depended on assessing beliefs and intentions, it might involve the RTPJ. The region is situated at the brain's surface above and behind the right ear.
To investigate the hypothesis, the scientists first pinpointed the RTPJ in each of up to 12 volunteers using a brain scan.
Experiments were then carried out in which participants were subjected to magnetic pulses targeted at the RTPJ. The non-invasive technique, known as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), creates weak electric currents that temporarily block the ability of brain cells to fire normally.
In one test, volunteers were exposed to TMS for 25 minutes before reading a series of 192 stories involving morally questionable characters. Participants were asked to make moral judgments of the characters' actions on a scale of one (absolutely forbidden) to seven (absolutely permissible).
A second experiment involved applying a 500-millisecond TMS burst at the moment a volunteer was asked to make a moral judgment.
In both cases, the researchers found that when the RTPJ was disrupted, volunteers were more likely to judge actions solely on the basis of whether they caused harm or not. Irresponsible or deliberate actions that might have resulted in harm were seen as morally acceptable if the story had a "happy ending".
Writing in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers said: "A particularly striking effect occurred for attempted harms (eg 'actors' who intended but failed to do harm) … TMS to the RTPJ caused participants to judge attempted harms as less morally forbidden and more morally permissible.
"Thus, interfering with activity in the RTPJ disrupts the capacity to use mental states in moral judgment, especially in the case of attempted harms.""
http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/news/Scientists-able-to-manipulate-morality.6189323.jp
