Analogy as the Core of Cognition

Douglas Hofstadter demonstrates numerous analogies and talks about how analogy is at the core of cognition, in this high profile Presidential Lecture from the Stanford archives.

It’s all in the timing: A psychologist measures how musicians communicate emotion

Dan Levitin designed a psychology experiment using a special player piano to analyze and reproduce a performance without expressive elements, and versions in between. When participants ranked their preference of versions it was found they matched the most expressive, in which a musician uses variations in timing, loudness and softness to convey emotion. In the second brief video, part 2, Levitin discusses implications for synthesized music. Hat tip: Open Culture.

BPD Expert Dr. Marsha Linehan at the National Institute of Mental Health

The pioneer of Dialectic Behavioural Therapy, a variation of CBT designed for suicidal people with Borderline Personality Disorder (now being applied to other mental health issues), talks about her research and challenges with treating BPD patients. Includes full transcript. See also: Learning From Suicide, another excellent lecture by Linehan on the ethics of research on suicidal people.

Why Online Dating Is So Unsatisfying

Super cool behavioural economist Ariely explains the design flaws behind online dating sites and why using them yields little success, averaging six hours online for each coffee date. One of Big Think’s 10 Most Popular Videos of 2010.

Elyn Saks, Eric Kandel, and Kay Jamison Discuss the Importance of Psychodynamic Therapy

Clip from a panel discussion at the FPR-UCLA 2010 (Cultural and Biological Contexts of Psychiatric Disorder – Implications for Diagnosis and Treatment) conference hosted by the Foundation for Psychocultural Research. Experts who also live with mental health issues speak about their experience that the combination of therapy with meds is most effective.

Irrational Economics

Beliefs about the labour market and irrationalities in how it really works. Ariely, an entertaining and charismatic behavioural economist, describes a number of psychology experiments in conditioning and motivation, and explains why workplace financial incentives aren’t effective beyond a certain point. Related: Daniel Pink talks about one of the same studies (an Indian workplace motivation experiment) in the animated RSA lecture Drive. Other Dan Ariely talks highlighted at Channel N: On Fake, and Tendencies of Irrational Behaviour.

The Secret Powers of Time

Eminent psychologist Phil Zimbardo talks about our perception of time, attention and mindfulness, and how it affects our relationships with others. Part of the RSAnimate series of lecture clips remixed with hand drawn animation. Thoughtful and entertaining. See the full (non-animated) lecture here.

[Image by AMagill.]

The Agencies Method and Cooperative Games

Dr. John Forbes Nash Jr. (probably the world’s most successful person with a diagnosis of schizophrenia) at the Nobel Laureate Meetings at Lindau, 2nd Meeting in Economic Sciences, explaining his prize-winning economic theories.

[Image by ptwo.]

Virtuoso Stress

A public event at the Science Café in London on performance stress and its effects. Classical musicians are monitored while they perform.

[Image by neurollero.]

Science Face To Face

Nobel laureate Eric Kandel talks about neuroscience history and his career in this intimate interview conducted for radio and webcast by Ira Flatow.