Susan Greenfield - 2015 AICD Conference - The Impact of Digital Technology on the Brain

THE IMPACT OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY ON THE BRAIN

RISK MANAGEMENT, LEADERSHIP& CREATIVITY

Risk-Management

Leadership

Creativity

(1) The Environment is Key

Developing a Mind…

Newborn 3 months 15 months 2 years

‘Thinking is… Movement Confined to the Brain’

An ‘Enriched’ Environment…

Effects of an ‘Enriched’ Environment

Standard ‘Enriched’

Connections Give Ever Deeper MEANING over Time…

The Biological Basis of the MindIs the Personalisation of the Brain

Through Unique Dynamic ConfigurationsOf Neuronal Connections, Driven by

unique Experiences

(2) The 21st Century Environment is Unprecedented

http://www.itv.com/news/update/2014-08-07/brits-spend-more-time-using-technology-than-sleeping/

The Independent, 7th August 2014

Freedom…

(3) The Brain Will Be Changing Correspondingly in New Ways

“Even so, mankind will suffer badly from the disease of boredom, a disease spreading more widely each year

and growing in intensity. This will have serious mental, emotional and sociological consequences, and I dare

say that psychiatry will be far and away the most important medical specialty in 2014. The lucky few who can be involved in creative work of any sort will be the true elite of mankind, for they alone will do more than

serve a machine.”

Isaac Asimov, 1964

Risk-Management

136 Papers

DesensitisationIncreased arousal

Aggressive cognitionAggressive behaviour

381 Independent Tests130,296 Participants

Research Article Violent video game effects on aggression, empathy, and prosocial behavior in

Eastern and Western countries: A meta-analytic review.Anderson, Craig A.; Shibuya, Akiko; Ihori, Nobuko; Swing, Edward L.; Bushman, Brad J.; Sakamoto, Akira; Rothstein, Hannah R.;

Saleem, Muniba

How to cite: Anderson, Craig A.; Shibuya, Akiko; Ihori, Nobuko; Swing, Edward L.; Bushman, Brad J.; Sakamoto, Akira; Rothstein, Hannah R.; Saleem, Muniba,. Psychological Bulletin, Vol 136(2), Mar 2010, 151-173

Kelly CR, Grinband J, Hirsch J (2007) PLoS ONE 2(12): e1268. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0001268

Repeated Exposure to Media Violence Is Associated with Diminished Response in

an Inhibitory Frontolimbic Network.

Research Article Video game playing, attention problems, and impulsiveness:

Evidence of bi-directional causalityDouglas A. Gentile, Edward L. Swing, Choon Guan Lim, and Angeline Khoo

How to cite: Gentile, D. A., Swing, E. L., Lim, C. G., & Khoo, A. (2012). Video game playing, attention problems, and impulsiveness: Evidence of bi-directional causality. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 1, 62-70.

Research Article Television and Video Game Exposure and the Development of

Attention ProblemsEdward L. Swing, Douglas A. Gentile, Craig A. Anderson, David A. Walsh

How to cite: Edward L. Swing, Douglas A. Gentile, Craig A. Anderson, David A. Walsh 2010, Television and Video Game Exposure and the Development of Attention Problems Pediatrics Vol. 126 No. 2 pp. 214 -221 (doi: 10.1542/peds.2009-1508.)

Video Games and Attention

THE NEURAL BASIS OF

VIDEO GAMING

Kuhn, S. et al., Translational Psychiatry

(2011)53, 1-5

Arousal Addiction RewardReward

‘Meaningless’Prefrontal under-function?

• Strong feelings• Sensory• Here-and-now• External environment

dominates• Little ‘meaning’• Reduced sense of self• No time-space• Infants and children• More

‘Meaningful’Prefrontal activation?

• Thinking dominates• Cognitive• Past / present / future• Internal perceptions

dominate• Personalised ‘meaning’• Strong sense of self• Clear time-space reference• Older children and adults• Less

Two Basic Modes for the Human Brain

Having a sensational time…Having a sensational time…

Letting yourself go…

Research Article Inverse Association Between BMI and Prefrontal Metabolic Activity In

Healthy AdultsVolkow ND, Wang GJ, Telang F, Fowler JS, Goldstein RZ, Alia-Klein N, Logan J, Wong C,

Thanos PK, Ma Y, Pradhan K.

How to cite: Obesity (2009) Inverse Association Between BMI and Prefrontal Metabolic Activity In Healthy Adults. (1):60-5. doi: 10.1038/oby.2008.469. Epub 2008 Oct 23.

Research Article Decision-Making in Obesity: A Study using the Gambling

Pignatti R, Bertella L, Albani G, Mauro A, Molinari E, Semenza C.

How to cite: Eat Weight Disord. (2006) Decision-Making in Obesity: A Study using the Gambling11(3):126-32

WithoutSchizophrenia

WithSchizophrenia

Childhood and Schizophrenia Similarities

Easily distracted

Short attention span

Inability to interpret proverbs

Under-functioning Prefrontal Cortex

A Common Factor: The Press of the Senses?

‘Meaningless’Prefrontal under-function?

• Strong feelings• Sensory• Here-and-now• External environment

dominates• Little ‘meaning’• Reduced sense of self• No time-space• Infants and children• More

‘Meaningful’Prefrontal activation?

• Thinking dominates• Cognitive• Past / present / future• Internal perceptions

dominate• Personalised ‘meaning’• Strong sense of self• Clear time-space reference• Older children and adults• Less

Two Basic Modes for the Human Brain

A CONTINUOUS

CYCLE?

(2) High arousal, high levels of

dopamine release

(6) Conditions of childhood,

schizophrenia, obesity (5) Dopamine causes PFC

hypo-function

(4) Dopamine released

(3) Reward seeking

addictive behaviour

(7) Drive: sensation over

cognition

(8) Greater appeal of a

screen environment?

(1) Intense stimulation of screen: fast

response

Risk-Management

Leadership

Words: 10% of total impact Eye contact Body languageVoice(tone/rate/volume)Pheromones ?Physical contact ?

Communications in Three Dimensions

• A link between atypical brain wave responses in problematic facerecognition, characteristic of autism, and also of heavy internet users (He etal., 2011)

• A link between autistic spectrum disorders and an under-functioningprefrontal cortex, indicative of a more literal take on the world (Amodio &Frith 2006)

• A link between early screen experiences and later development of autism(Waldman et al., 2006)

• A link between autistic conditions and an appeal of screen technologies(Finkenauer et al., 2012).

• A link between autistic spectrum disorder and compulsive video game use(Mazurek & Engelhardt 2013)

A Link Between Autistic Type Behaviour and the Screen?

History of Blogging…1999: So I just have to tell someone about this thing my cat did today…

2004: OMG! Cat pictures!

2005: Moving cat pictures!

2007:1:00pm. My cat just sneezed!1:02pm. Cat sneezed again!1:04pm. Cat hasn’t sneezed recently. Getting worried.

• High IQ• Efficient information

processing• Short attention span• Icons not ideas• Sensation at premium• Risk taker• Low empathy• Need for constant feedback• Weak sense identity• Low grade aggression

The Workforce of the Future?

From Management to Leadership…

HAVING A VISION!

Promoting Individual Fulfilment

Risk-Management

Leadership

Creativity

Eric Schmidt (Chairman, Google)

‘I worry that the level of interrupt, the sort of overwhelming rapidity of

information…is in fact affecting cognition. It is affecting deeper thinking. I still believe that

sitting down and reading a book is the best way to really learn something. And I worry that we’re

losing that…’

Princess Marya…

From INFORMATION to KNOWLEDGE

1) Isolated Fact2) Relate to other facts = 3) Significance4) Place facts in wider, conceptual framework = 5) Understanding

What is ‘Understanding’?

‘From the moment we become aware of others, we demand to be told stories that allow us to make sense of the world, to

inhabit the mind of someone else. In old age we tell stories to make small museums of memory. It matters not whether the

stories are true or imaginary.

The narrative, whether oral or written, is a staple of every culture the world over. But stories demand time and concentration; the narrative does not simply transmit

information, but invites the reader or listener to witness the unfolding of events’..

Ben Macintyre

From KNOWLEDGE to NEW THINKING

1) Isolated Fact2) Relate to other facts = 3) Significance4) Place facts in wider, conceptual framework = 5) Understanding6) Make unprecedented connections = 7) New significance and understanding =8) Creativity!

(I) Premium on de-constructing/ challenging dogma

The 3 Steps to Creativity

(I) Premium on de-constructing/ challenging dogma(II) Unusual associations

The 3 Steps to Creativity

(I) Premium on de-constructing (II) Unusual associationsBUT ALSO(III) These new associations activate more extensive

connections (‘have a meaning’).

The 3 Steps to Creativity

“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars…”

Oscar Wilde

Mind Change: Global,

Controversial,Unprecedented,Multifaceted…