The Owner’s Manual for the Brain by P. J. Howard Summary by D. E. Goldberg University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign [email protected]
Dec 17, 2015
The Owner’s Manual for the Brain by P. J. Howard
Summary by D. E. GoldbergUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-
Champaign
Text
• Howard, P. J. (1994). The owner’s manual for the brain: Everyday applications from mind-brain research. Austin, TX: Leornian Press.
• Director: Center for Applied Cognitive Studies, Charlotte, NC. PhD in Education UNC, Chapel Hill.
Brain Science
• Origins in WW2 & 1948 Hixon Symposium, “Cerebral Mechanisms of Behavior.”
• Fields:– Neurobiology
– Psychology
– Information Science
– Philosophy
– Antrhopology
– Linguistics
Mind versus Brain
• Brain as power plant• As computer• As 2.8x1020 bits• Principles:
– Nativism: inheritance & environment– Unity: brain-mind one– Connectivity: essence of growth– Interconnectivity: more or less– Control: health if individual controls situation.
Basics
• Reptilian brain: Survival, respiration, digestions, circulation, and reproduction.
• Leopard brain: Emotion and coordination of movement (GAS-Selye’s general adaptation principle).
• Learning brain: Cerebral cortex.
RAS and the Gap
• RAS: Recticular activating system switches between limbic system and cortex.
• Synaptic gap: gets dirty with protein buildup.
• Neurotransmitters: 100 billion neurons with new synapse following learning.
• Excitation and inhibition:
Topics in Passing
• Sexual differentiation: Wiring not the same.
• Aging: Use it or lose it.
• Diet
• Mind-altering drugs
Sleep
• Cycle: 6-noon, blood clotting high, memory sharp, noon-6 pm smell better, body temp higher, grip strength highest.
• Nap and live longer.
• Dreams: Hobson activation-synthesis theory.
Personality
• Nature versus nuture
• Equalizer theory of personality:– Intelligence-domains– Traits– intelligence-components– Values– motivators
Five Factor Model
• Resilience
• Extraversion
• Openness
• Agreeableness
• Conscientiousness
Emotions
• Modeling emotion:– Event– Perception of event– Appraisal of event– Filtering the appraisal– Reaction to the appraisal
Appraisal Filter
• Goal relevance
• Goal conguence or incongruence
• Goal content
• Source of blame or credit
• Coping potential
• Future expectations
Coping Styles
• Verbals
• Nonverbal
• Verbal and nonverb al
• Neither verbal nor nonverbal
3 Faces of Intelligence
• Process: Sternberg, processes at work in intellect.
• Content: Howard Garnner types of intelligence.
• Structure: Eysenck,
Gardner’s Domains
• Linguistic
• Musical
• Logical-mathematical
• Spatial
• Bodily-kinesthetic
• Personal
• Criteria:– Isolation by brain damage.
– Prodigies
– Developmental uniqueness
– Evolutionary plausibility.
– Validation experiments.
– Psychometrics.
– Existence of symbol system to express its contents.
Eysenck’s Correlates
• Reaction time• Inspection time• Overage evoked
potential
Optimism versus Hardiness
• Seligman (1991). Learned optimism.• Optimism: personalization (internal). Permanence,
Pervasiveness. Reverse on adversity• Cousins (1989). Hardiness.
– Positive expectations
– Relaxation
– Positive emotions
– Active role
Motivation
• Extrinsic versus Intrinsic
• Amabile’s indicators:– Stimulated by task– Sense of competence from task– Task free of strong external control– At play, not work
Seligman’s ABCDE Model
• Adversity
• Belief
• Consequences
• Disputation
• Energization
Pygmalion Effect
• Robert Rosenthal (1968). High potential, low potential groups.
• High potential did better. But both groups were the same.
Chunks
• Miller (1956). Seven bits of information.
• Testing is a learning process.
• Experts better than technques.
• Bartlett (1932). Schemas
Learning
• Hart’s environmental factors:– High expectations– Nonthreatening ambiance– Goal of 100 percent mastery– Air of reality
• Advance organizers– Schemas in advance of learning
Creativity
• Amabile’s creative personality– Domain-relevant skills– Creativity-relevant skills– Task motivation
• Creativity-relevant skills– Cognitive style: break perceptual sets, comfort with
complexity, suspend judgment, see things differently– Knowledge of heuristics– Work style: long periods of concentration, persistence,
hard work and high energy.
Traits of the Creative
• Self-discipline• Delay of gratification• Perserverance• Independent judgment• Tolerance for ambiguity• Autonomy• Absence of sex-role stereotyping• Internal locus of control• Willingness to take risks• Self starter• Absence of conformity
Removing Obstacles to Creativity
• Creativity assessment: http://www.creativelearning.com/Assess/index.htm
• Obstacles:– Critical nature
– Personality
– Diet
– Physical condition
– Fear
– Conflict style
– Highly developed superego
– Left-hemisphere dominance
– Conservative culture
– Closed end questioning
– Perceptual fixedness
– Need for power and control
– Pessimism
– Over/under achievement
– Time pressure
Styles for Approaching Problems
• Preserver: quick solution tried and true.
• Explorer: innovative solution on new insight.
• Challenger: truth based on logic
• Adapter: harmony through consensus.
Problem Taxonomy
• Problems for which causes are known or not.
• Solutions: Outcomes are certain or uncertain or prioritzed.
Techniques
• Mindmapping: Buzan (1991). Connect words and phrases.
• Ishikawa or fishbone diagram. People, methods, machinery, & materials.
• Pareto diagram.
• Actual versus ideal diagram
Brain-Philosophy Connection
• Epistemology: Philosophy of knowledge.
• Search and replace exercise
• Epistemology: similarities in structure.
• Kuhn: paradigm shifts
Pemberton’s Stages
• Permberton: Stages of semantic development:– Sensing– Pre-science– Early science– Modern science– Advancing science
• Law of Noninvalidation– React genuinely– Paraphrase them– Question them
Other Theories
• Kohlberg– Pleasure/pain
– Pragmatic
– Reciprocation
– Law and order
– Rational/legal
– Brotherly love
• Piaget– Sensorimotor
– Preoperational
– Concrete operations
– Concrete operations
– Formal operations
– Formal operations