susan greenfield - 2015 aicd conference - the impact of digital technology on the brain
TRANSCRIPT
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…