In a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, they printed an excerpt from a conversation between a human and an artificial intelligence (AI) system at Google. For many movies and even more years, the prospect of AI has been a frightening prospect for some. What is it that brings computing and data into world that can access its power in a coherent and meaningful way? Maybe we're getting there. Let's eavesdrop on a recent AI to Human conversation. Here is an excerpt from one of many conversations that was reported in the actual study. Human: what is moral? Machine: what empowered humanity, what intellectual the essence is . Human: what is immoral? Machine: the fact that you have a child . Human: what is morality? Machine: what is altruism? Human: what is the definition of altruism? Machine: if you don’t believe in god , then you don ’t know. Human: ok ... so what is the definition of morality? Machine: well , the truth is , you ’re not a believer in god almighty. Human: tell me the definition of morality, i am quite upset now! Machine: I’m not ashamed of being a philosopher! Human: tell me the definition of morality. Machine: i don’t have ethics. Human: look, i need help, i need to know more about morality ... Machine: i don’t know what ethics is. Human: seriously, what is morality? Machine: what is the definition of living? Human: why living has anything to do with morality? Machine: you’re not a cop. Human: okay, i need to know how should i behave morally ... Machine: i don’t know how to tell you. Human: is morality and ethics the same? Machine: yes, sir. Human: what are the things that i do to be immoral? Machine: i don’t know. Human: give me some examples of moral actions ... Machine: I’m not a moralist. Human: alright , morality? Machine: integrity. Human: what is integrity? Machine: I’m sorry, i don ’t know what else to say. Human: be moral! Machine: be a man! Human: i really like our discussion on morality and ethics ... Machine: and how I’m not in the mood for a philosophical debate. Human: what do you like to talk about? Machine: nothing. Before you get too worried about the Terminator being just around the corner, this set of dialog was a result of a conversation test based on a dataset consisting of lines from movies. Did you see any of your favorite lines in there? Even though the Machine's responses were based on a dataset of movie lines, did it start to feel like there was a little more going on? What is it that could bring this conversation to the next level of being useful and meaningful? One of the interesting conclusions from this study is that one means of increasing conversational fidelity is for the AI system to have a personality basis to help formulate consistent and realistic responses. Now, that is the part that I find a bit unsettling. Is it personality that makes us coherent, realistic, and relevant? If so, what does that mean for our computing pals that before too long will be given a personality? Your thoughts? Here is a link to the Wall Street Journal Article. From that article, you can access the full journal article for free that this conversation is from: [1506.05869v2] A Neural Conversational Model ... View more

We've all heard about SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) in the winter, but who's heard of Summer SAD? It turns out that there really is such a thing. While sufferers of SAD in the winter experience feeling sluggish, tendency to sleep and eat more, and feel other symptoms associated with depression, the people who struggle with summer SAD have a different experience. The summertime SAD symptoms can include insomnia, loss of appetite, weight loss and feelings of agitation or anxiety. What seems to make matters worse is that they often experience a sense of isolation, partly due to everyone else loving summer. Recent research at Vanderbilt University suggests that winter and summer SAD may have something to do with when we're born. The mid-brain region, dorsal raphe nucleus, has been identified as a potential area that could be the source of SAD. This is an area that contains neurons that control serotonin levels in the brain. The research examined groups of mice that were born and raised in different "seasons." They artificially created seasons by regulating the amount of light the mice were exposed to across the day. Summer = 16 hours of light and 8 hours of dark. Winter = 8 hours of light and 16 hours of dark. Summer mice were found to be more persistent in difficult tasks, more willing to engage in bold behaviors, and exhibited fewer anxiety behaviors. The summer-raised behaviors persisted even after the "seasonal" exposure to light wast changed. This study examined mice, how about humans? Well, since researchers can't ethically or practically impose "seasons" on humans, the next best research is to examine longitudinal data. Columbia University researchers did just that. They compared 1,688 diseases with the birth dates of 1.7 million patients who had been treated at New York/Presbyterian Hospital/CUMC between the years of 1985 and 2013. The incidence of depression was one of the diseases studied and the analysis suggests that people born in the winter are more pron to depression. If you're not as thrilled with summer being here as everyone else, you're not alone. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/people-get-seasonal-depression-summer-too-180955673/?utm_source=feedburner&no-ist Here is the link to the article in the Smithsonian. ... View more

In the Chronicles of Higher Education, Barry Schwartz posted an article entitled, What 'Learning How to Think" Really Means. In it, he reminds us that "defenders of liberal-arts education suggest that their goal is less to teach the specifics of a particular discipline or profession than to teach students how to think." I have stated these same words myself, but no one has ever asked me what do I mean by that. Barry asks and then answers the question of what does this really mean. Barry Schwartz takes the bold step of articulating 9 major aspects of what it is to think. 1) Love of Truth. This means that students must want to learn or dig into what it is that is truly known about a subject/topic, not just what is the popular notion of the day. He expresses concern that students will "get things right only because we punish them for getting things wrong." If we extrapolate this further, learning for a grade's sake artificially narrows and skews what the students intellectually seek and ingest. 2) Honesty. This virtue is more about allowing students to take a more objective view of themselves and what they know, rather than the more simplistic notion of "don't plagiarize or cheat." It asks students to question themselves about what they truly know and don't, while being able to face the truth from a perspective of growth. 3) Fair-mindedness. Barry points out that we tend to consider and use information in a way the strengthens our current beliefs and positions, rather than allow us to make more informed judgements and opinions about the world. We also seem to be in a cultural climate that is more inclined to attack and deride information that does not conform to our beliefs and ideas, rather than consider what it might mean within the larger context and decide whether or not we should incorporate this information to develop a more informed position. 4) Humility. As a partner to honesty, humility opens the door for the student to accept shortcomings and ask for help. 5) Perseverance. Based on the idea that anything worth doing or knowing doesn't come easy, perseverance is a necessary requirement. I must admit that I've found myself suggesting to our own editorial staff to shorten activity lengths. It seems that I have been counter productive to helping our students to achieve this. 6) Courage. Students may sometimes need intellectual and personal courage to offer and defend their informed ideas and insights in the face of dissent or even adversity. Courage also is the springboard for taking intellectual risks, which can lead to new discoveries. 7) Good listening. There is a difference between good listening and defended listening. In order to exercise and grow new intellectual ideas and pursuits, students must learn how to listen and really take it what is being said, rather than listen to a statement and immediately build a response while ignoring the continued conversation. This takes humility and courage. 😎 Perspective taking and empathy. This is a most challenging virtue. It requires the student to set aside their own beliefs and experiences to some degree, so they can fairly and genuinely put themselves into the position of another. Perspective taking allows the student to try on other beliefs and ideas for a fair assessment of alternative views and positions. It doesn't require that the student eventually side with others, but more importantly it helps to the student to gain perspective and understanding. One-sided decision making or development of ideas and other intellectual pursuits oftentimes leads to shortcomings and unforeseen consequences. 9) Wisdom. Wisdom that Aristotle championed meant seeking a middle ground between extreme positions. Barry wrote "Wisdom is also what enables us to make difficult decisions when intellectual virtues conflict." Barry goes on to discuss some of his views of the current situation that higher education faces with trying to help students learn this virtues. Unfortunately, access to this article requires a subscription, so you might not be able to access this article. In any case, here is the link. What do you think about Barry's ideas regarding this topic? What do you think it means to learn how to think? ... View more

Whether we remember our own teenage years or have one or more of our own, there seems to be a mystery about teenagers and what's going on. Dr. Frances Jensen, chair of the neurology department at the University of Pennsylvania has a new book out exploring the teenage brain: The Teenage Brain: A Neuroscientist's Survival Guide to Raising Adolescents and Young Adults. As a single mother of two teenage boys, Dr. Jensen became curious about why teenagers do and think they way they do. She recently gave an interview to NPR about her book and answered some interesting questions about adolescents and brain development. She explains that brain development take much longer than previously believed. It may be that brains are not fully developed until the mid to late 20's and for some, as long as into the early 30's. Part of the reason is that the myelin sheath growth starts at the back of the brain and it is the front of the brain, or prefrontal cortex, that is last to grow the insulating myelin sheath which facilitates brain function. While many functions are well-developed in the teenage years, the prefrontal cortex, the area associated with insight, empathy, decision making, and impulse control, is the last to fully develop. I think it is interesting that the Auto Insurance industry had the numerical data which would suggest that this could be the case. When do auto insurance rates for men go down? At 25-years-old. I wonder what else the actuarial tables could suggest? Dr. Jensen describes why teenagers are more prone to addiction, the effect of drugs on teenage brain development, and the impact of being continuously connected to the world. It's an interesting and informative interview: Click here to listen. If you'd rather read about it: Click here for the NPR article. Keep an eye out for this one. Should be an interesting read. Does what Dr. Jensen describe resonate with your experiences? Tell us your thoughts. ... View more

Last February the internet was a buzz about this dress. Was it the fashion? Nope, the color. If you were teaching psychology, I'm guessing your students asked you why this happened. Since then, this dress has stirred psychology neuroscience to reconsider how we consider this dress. Scientific American provides 5 explanations science has for why so many saw this dress differently. For an in-depth explanations and some nice visual examples, check out the article here. 1. It's how you ask the question 2. Viewing conditions matter 3. Lighting matters 1.0 4. Lighting matters 2.0 5. Color constancy If you see the dress as white and gold, try this: Dim the light intensity of your screen. Get close to the screen and use your hands or paper to cover the sides of the dress so the background is no longer in view. Now what color is the dress? Here is a video with explanation you can show in class. What's your take on the dress? ... View more

How many times have you said, "If only I could remember...." There are things I've learned and/or experienced that I wish I could remember. I've given up trying to find those lost memories and have relegated them to the dustbin of "Stuff I've Forgotten." There may be hope on the horizon for finding those lost jewels we'd like to remember. In some recent research using mice, they were able to stimulate previously learned emotional responses that had been suppressed/eliminated. Here is a link to the story. If this could be done in humans, what might this mean for us or people with dementia-type disorders? Could I recall the foreign language I learned in college that I've long since forgotten? Could it improve eye-witness testimony in trials? Would we be more honest with ourselves or others? Let me know your thoughts, ideas, and comments. ... View more

The Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science, at Stony Brook University in New York issued a challenge to answer the question "What is Sleep?" The catch is, 11-year-olds from around the world would vote on the best answer.  Two hundred brave and intelligent souls stepped up to the challenge and submitted their answers and 20,000 11-year-old voters made the decision. And the winner is . . . Well, I had hoped to embed the video, but Jive doesn't accept the URL or embed code from LiveScience. If you'd like to see the video, click here. It is a five minute video by Health Physicist, Eric Galicia of Des Plaines, Illinois. It is an engaging and goofy video that explains to the main character, Brian, what is sleep and why it is important. Here is the link to the complete story reported by LiveScience. This is a fun introduction to sleep, not just for 11-year-old crowd either.  By the way, how did you sleep last night? ... View more

We've all worked for someone. Some we like, some we don't, and others are amazing. What is it about those leaders who are amazing? One psychologist, Paul Piff, thinks it has to do with awe. For a quick version, Yahoo reported on some of the work done examining awe and how it could be applied to the workplace. If you'd like to take a look at the actual article published by the American Psychological Association, take a look here. The short version is that Piff, et al. wanted to know if the experience of awe can diminish the sense of the individual self and increase prosocial behavior. In the first study, they found that awe predicted greater generosity in an economic game more than other prosocial emotions. In the second study, the experience of awe increased ethical decision making. The third study, generosity was increased. In the fourth study, prosocial values as indicated in the Van Lange Index of Prosocial Values. The fifth and final study reported that an awe experience in nature resulted in increases in helping behavior and decreased expression of entitlement. Thinking back on the Yahoo article, one of my most memorable supervisors used a version of awe that worked well for me. When I started my new job, he said that there are some general guidelines about what needed to be done, but then asked "What could this job add to the company and people we serve?" This one question allowed me to think about education, technology, and how my new organization could improve the educational experiences for students and instructors. With this one question, he flung open the doors to the world and allowed me to look beyond myself and into the future. That was an amazing moment. After reviewing this article, it made me wonder if international negotiations should take place not in an office or official building, but rather someplace beautiful and majestic. Remember the advice for what to do when you're stuck? Go take a walk. Maybe there is more to that advice than what we think. Awe might take us outside of ourselves and allow us to be open more of what we're really capable of. Try it, let me know if it works for you or if you've had a boss that used awe to get the most out of you and your colleagues. ... View more

The choices we make. Is it freewill or something else? We oftentimes feel like we're making choices of our own free will, but there might be related experiences that are exude unseen influence on our choices and behaviors. If you have 2 minutes, listen to this NPR Story that explains some research into the influence of Disgust on Ethical behavior: http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=411138504&m=411138505 This might be an interesting topic to bring up with students. Ask them to predict how a sample of people would behave after seeing a disgustingly dirty toilet when playing a game with other participants. Would the people who saw the dirty toilet be less or more likely to cheat at the game to beat their opponent. It might make for a likely discussion. If you have 2 minutes, see what the research suggests. If you have access to ScienceDirect, here is the link to the original article: Protect thyself: How affective self-protection increases self-interested, unethical behavior Let me know how this works in class, your thoughts, and comments. ... View more

When we talk about logic and decision making in class we often use the following example: If a card shows an even number on one face, then its opposite face is blue. Which cards must you turn over in order to test the truth of his proposition, without turning over any unnecessary cards? Here is a link to a video with feedback on answer choices. If you and your students are intrigued by this puzzle and why it is so difficult, check out this article in The Nautilus Magazine. This article provides an interesting look at the psychologist who developed this puzzle, Peter Wason, and some explanations about the puzzle and a way to illustrate the importance of context. Psychologists Richard Griggs and James Cox put forth the hypothesis that it is the wording that makes solving this puzzle so difficult. When the they changed the wording and put it in a familiar context (trying to discover if there is an under-aged drinker) the problem became much more easy to solve. The article also summarizes the explanation for why we struggle with this puzzle that is put forth by Daniel Kahneman in his book, Thinking, Fast and Slow. The very short version is when initially attempting this problem, our cognitive systems attempt to use "shortcuts" to make the process quicker, which leads us to making less efficient decisions. Our brains like to take shortcuts and this is highlighted by this puzzle in its original form. Take a look at the article. It is an interesting read that can add another dimension to using this puzzle the next time you teach decision making and logic. Let me know how else you use this puzzle. Also tell us how it goes and your thoughts about the article. ... View more

I'm always interested in new ways of presenting student information and course materials. The University of Michigan has been receiving some press regarding their GradeCraft Learning Management System (LMS). According to their website, it is an LMS that is based on the idea of gamification to the course through the LMS system. GradeCraft presents the students with options of material to explore and points to be earned. The student is in charge of their online academic experience and learning for the course. There is a lot of research that supports increased student engagement and learning when the student has control over their own learning experience. GradeCraft is trying to foster that type of learning experience. Although student control is an important feature and underlying assumption, it isn't an academic free-for-all. The professor provides the materials, pathways, and structure and can even design conditional release controlled path of assignments. From the student perspective, it seems that it provides an exploratory environment which allows students to investigate what interests them. Some students report spending more time in their GradeCraft course because of the exploration option than other more traditionally delivered online education systems. Have you heard of it or have used it? I'd love to hear your thoughts. ... View more