The Psych Files - Michael Britt

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Episode 132: Opera on the Brain Oct 13, 2010

Show notes

What part of your brain is lighting up when you're singing? In this episode I take a look at a neat new study that involved having singers lie down in an MRI while their brains were scanned. Take a look at how your cerebellum, your parietal lobe your somato-sentory cortex and your amygdala are all involved in your ability to sing. I'll also look at how mental rehearsal can positively affect how well you perform a task.

Kleber, B., Veit, R., Birbaumer, N., Gruzelier, J., & Lotze, M. (2009). The Brain of Opera Singers: Experience-Dependent Changes in Functional Activation. Cerebral Cortex, 20 (5), 1144-1152.
Cerebral Cortex
Zarate, J.M. and Zatorre, R.J. (2008). Experience-dependent neural substrates involved in vocal pitch regulation during singing. NeuroImage, 40, 1871–1887.
Kleber, B. Birbaumer, N., Veit, R. Trevorrow, T. and Lotze, M. (2007). Overt and imagined singing of an Italian aria. NeuroImage, 36, 889-900.
Buonomano DV, Merzenich MM. 1998. Cortical plasticity: from synapses to maps. Annu Rev Neurosci. 21:149-186.
Elbert T, Pantev C, Wienbruch C, Rockstroh B, Taub E. 1995. Increased cortical representation of the fingers of the left hand in string players. Science. 270:305-307.
Gunji A, Ishii R, Chau W, Kakigi R, Pantev C. 2007. Rhythmic brain activities related to singing in humans. Neuroimage. 34:426-434.
Nielsen JB, Cohen LG. 2008. The Olympic brain. Does corticospinal plasticity play a role in acquisition of skills required for high- performance sports? J Physiol. 586:65--70.
Opera singing in the brain scanner

Episode 132: Opera Singing on the Brain Oct 08, 2010

Show notes

What part of your brain is lighting up when you're singing? In this episode I take a look at a neat new study that involved having singers lie down in an MRI while their brains were scanned.

Episode 131: Even Children Do Statistics! Sep 16, 2010

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Episode 131: Even Children Do Statistics! Sep 16, 2010

Show notes

Here's a fun piece of psychological research: finding out whether children use statistical information to figure out other people. We know kids are very perceptive and learn quickly. This study shows just how smart they really are. You may also have been told that statistics is just logic and intuition. This study may just convince you of that. Kushnir, T., Xu, F. & Wellman, H. M. (2010). Young children use statistical sampling to infer the preferences of others. Psychological Science, 21,1134-1140.

Episode 130 (video): Why Are We So Fascinated by Famous People? Aug 23, 2010

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If you've ever met a famous person you know how exciting that feels. But why? What is it about fame that draws so many people to it? In this episode I examine fame from two very perspectives: the Basking in Reflected Glory theory and Terror Management Theory. Along the way we'll see what this all has to do with the rock band Queen, baseball and Chelsea Clinton's wedding.

Episode 129 (video): Science Shows Superstitions Actually Work! Sort of Jul 25, 2010

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Okay, admit it - you have some kind of lucky charm on you, your car or in your house. And if you participate in any sport or performance activity you have some sort of ritual that you believe will help make you more successful. Well guess what - there is research to show that such charms and rituals really do help you perform better. Find out how in this episode of The Psych Files.

YouTube: Professor Hood on Superstition

Episode 128: Do Brain Training Games Work? Jul 13, 2010

Show notes

You've probably heard about these Brain Training games. Do they really help you to keep your mind sharp? Will they prevent cognitive decline or slow the effects of alzheimer's disease? In this episode I review some recent studies on the effectiveness (or lack thereof) of these popular games.

Episode 127 (video): Phrenology: Maybe They Were On To Something Jul 03, 2010

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Everyone can picture one of those phrenology heads with personality traits drawn into different sections of the cranium. Was there anything to that? Well, not exactly. However, with the use of MRI scans researchers today may have found something just about as good - they may have located where certain personality traits lie in your brain. Travel with me into a 3D brain and let's find out where your personality may lie.

Episode 126: SuperNormal Stimuli: Is This Why We're Overweight? Jun 17, 2010

Show notes

There are many reasons why it is difficult to lose weight, but have you considered how supernormal stimuli might be one of them? In this episode I discuss some of the ideas in the books Waistland and Supernormal Stimuli by Dierdre Barrett. Is it possible that the old saying Everything in Moderation might just be wrong? And will Small Changes really help you to get in shape or are radical changes really the way to go?

Episode 125: False Memories - How Can Your Memory Be So Bad? Jun 07, 2010

Show notes

For some reason we believe that our memories are accurate. They are far from it. What we remember is a hodge-podge, a patchwork of images, stories, and bits and pieces from our past. In this episode I describe some of the very interesting research showing how our memories can be manipulated in surprising ways. Learn why you loved asparagus as a kid (really you did, really).

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