CogNation

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Science
**CogNation**

CogNation is a podcast by Rolf Nelson and Joe Hardy, two cognitive psychologists interested in the future of brain science and technology. We explore relevant topics in the areas of cognitive science, technology, AI, and philosophy. Although we dabble with dystopian implications of new technologies (such as the impending robopocalypse), we are led by our curiosity and try to keep it light and fun.
https://www.facebook.com/CognationPodcast/
email: cognationpodcast@gmail.com

Latest Episodes:

Episode 38: Flawless Predictions for 2022 Jan 14, 2022

Show notes

Joe and Rolf once again scry the future with bold and entirely accurate predictions about the year 2022

Episode 37: Dr. Joshua Miele: The Blind Arduino Project Aug 29, 2021

Show notes

Joshua Miele is a blind scientist and inventor living in the Bay Area. Amongst his many initiatives is the Blind Arduino Project, where participants learn how to navigate a world of maker electronics that are really designed for the sighted. He talks to Joe and Rolf about his work to bring accessible and useful tools to the blind community. He teaches blind soldering classes, and he has worked to make braille maps easily accessible. He discusses what technology in recent years has helped the blind, and what hasn't.

Blind Arduino Blog: http://blarbl.blogspot.com/
Josh's Handle: @BerkeleyBlink
Mailing list for the Bay Area blind arduino monthly meeting: babamm@groups.io

Special Guest: Joshua Miele.

Episode 36: The Extended Mind with Annie Murphy Paul Jun 21, 2021

Show notes

In Annie Murphy Paul's new book, "The Extended Mind", the philosophical idea of our minds extending beyond the physical boundaries of the body are explored. Rolf and Joe talk to Annie about the implications of this idea, and how it might be used to improve the way we think in a number of contexts.

Special Guest: Annie Murphy Paul.

Episode 35: NIH Toolbox with Dr. Julie Hook Apr 25, 2021

Show notes

The NIH Toolbox is the result of an ambitious project supported by the National Institutes of Health to develop a comprehensive, standardized, and highly accessible test battery to be used in research. Dr. Julie Hook is the Product Manager for the project and is in large part responsible for the development of the Toolkit. Rolf and Joe discuss with Julie a wide ranging set of topics related to the science of cognitive, sensory, and motor testing, including some of the core design principles and theortical considerations.

Episode 34: Tom Vanderbilt: Beginners Mar 22, 2021

Show notes

Bestselling author known for making complex topics accessible to readers, Tom Vanderbilt's recent book is Beginners: The Joy and Transformative Power of Lifelong Learning. Rather than buying into the idea that learning is for kids, Tom takes the "beginner's mind" to challenging new skills, such as singing, juggling, and jewelery making, where he starts at ground zero and works to achieve a level of competence. Rolf, Joe, and Tom discuss the value of learning for its own sake, brain plasticisty in new skill learning, how drawing can be a meditative practice while shifting processing to earlier regions in the brain, and many other topics.

We forgot to ask about a CogNation discount, but Tom Vanderbilt's book is available here at Amazon

Special Guest: Tom Vanderbilt.

Episode 33: Flawless Predictions For 2021 Jan 22, 2021

Show notes

Enough with 2020. Rolf and Joe present their predictions for what lies ahead in 2021.....

Episode 32: On Consciousness with Bernard Baars Jan 02, 2021

Show notes

Joe and Rolf talk to Dr. Bernard Baars, a leader in the field of consciousness research. Dr. Baars has recently published "On Consciousness", which is a compendium on his work integrating research in psychology and neuroscience on what consciousness is and how it functions. T

Special Guest: Bernard Baars.

Episode 31: Music and the Brain: Guests David Rosen and Scott Miles Dec 07, 2020

Show notes

David Rosen and Scott Miles of Secret Chord Laboratories (secretchordlaboratories.com) talk to Joe and Rolf about musical preference, the role of surprise in these preferences, what's going on in the brain, and how COVID is affecting the way we listen to music.

Discussion paper:
"A Statistical Analysis of the Relationship between Harmonic Surprise and Preference in Popular Music" (2017)
https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnhum.2017.00263

Special Guests: David Rosen and Scott Miles.

Episode 30: When Microwaves Continue to Attack Nov 24, 2020

Show notes

An update on Episode 4, where we first discussed the phenomenon of the "Frey Effect" in which sounds are heard as a result of pulsed microwave radiation. The Frey Effect was proposed to be involved in attacks on the US embassy in Cuba. Could this also be going on in the US embassy in China? Rolf and Joe discuss further, and give a call out for any expertise that could be added.

Episode 29: Time Perception and Dopamine Oct 12, 2020

Show notes

In this half-hour episode, Rolf and Joe discuss research by Jennifer Mitchell and colleagues ("Dopamine, time perception, and future time perspective") showing that the drug tolcapone, which selectively increases dopamine in frontal cortical regions, has the effect of reducing the error in estimating how much time has passed. Individuals tend to systematicaly underestimate how much time has passed (think of impatient kids asking "are we there yet?"), and in this double-blind study, tolcapone nearly eliminated this effect, most dramatically for a 60 second interval.

Implications of the study are discussed, including what this says about an "internal clock", whether you should rush to get this drug, and how time perception is related to depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders. We do not discuss the role of tolcapone in ending the world.

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