Feldman's Faves: April 29, 2024

GOOD MORNING EVERYONE

As a life long Leafs fan, every year during the playoffs I find myself thinking of and listening to the Backstreet Boys’ 1997 classic, Quit Playing Games (with My Heart)…..Tomorrow night is due or die. GO LEAFS. GO!!

I got nothing else this week to share. So again, GO LEAFS!!

This week’s theme is on Paul Bloom’s work on the study of the brain – something that is of great interest to me.

PSYCH  - THE STORY OF THE HUMAN MIND – By Paul Bloom  - When I went to McGill I took first year psychology.  The hardest part of this three hour exam was making sure you stayed long enough in the exam room (beyond the 15 minutes it took to actually do the multiple choice exam – since the entire class had the answer bank prior to  exam). I think my grade was close to 100% but I actually didn’t learn a thing in that class. I thought I was really smart but looking back I realize it was a pretty boneheaded thing to do. I wonder if we were part of some psych experiment and nobody told us. I guess I’ll never know. So this massive book (really a textbook) was my chance to make things right on this front. I will admit I did not read every word cover to cover but I did read a big chunk and I learned a hell of a lot.  As one reviewer notes, “While it may seem unlikely for a single book to provide an empirical and informative introduction to a field as expansive as psychology, in his new book Psych: The Story of the Human Mind, Paul Bloom masterfully discusses a wide range of topics, including child development, learning, language, memory, sensation and perception, motivation, prejudice, intelligence, mental illness, and much more. A professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto and Yale University, Dr Bloom teaches an open on-line Introduction to Psychology course that has been taken by over one million individuals. Psych is organized into five distinct yet related sections: foundations, thinking, appetites, relations, and differences.  Although these may seem unrelated, Bloom brilliantly connects these topics by infusing concepts, like cognitive dissonance, into multiple sections, demonstrating the interconnectedness of various sub-fields of psychology. The book can be read without prior knowledge of psychology or can enhance the understanding of an experienced psychology instructor with respect to content and also clarifications of complex concepts with clear, illustrative examples.  There are dozens, if not hundreds, of intellectual gems on a variety of topics, so only a few can be described here.  These include the application of Karl Popper’s falsifiability criteria to a variety of theories such as those of Freud and Skinner, a consideration of humans’ ability to distinguish differences in the sounds of languages despite not knowing them, and an analysis of the relevance of biological predispositions for the following areas: learning, language, intelligence, the forming of phobias, and psychopathology.  Additionally, the book describes the four laws of genetics to understand and explain human behaviors. Bloom also discusses current methodological concerns in psychological research, such as P-hacking and the typical overuse of participants who fit the WEIRD acronym (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich and Democratic).  Bloom offers insights into what is generally accepted by research psychologists and also highlights topics that are highly contentious or even somewhat dismissed by the academic community. There is, for example, an entire chapter devoted to the theories and ramifications of Sigmund Freud, despite his largely unfalsifiable claims. Bloom shows a great appreciation for the field’s history and the development of our current understandings by discussing the complexities of many unresolved debates. For example, he discusses the Whorf-Sapir hypothesis, regarding the relationship between language and thought, in great detail. Bloom does acknowledge and explain both the evidence and intricacies for proponents of the Whorf-Sapir hypothesis, as well as its skeptics and critics, as he does for many topics throughout the course of the book.

Bloom describes dozens of influential experiments and studies in psychology such as the Asch study of conformity, Milgram’s study of obedience, and Garcia’s and Breland’s research on learning. Each study is clearly explained with clarity and insight often revealing information that is not typically covered in introductory psychology textbooks.  He also includes several theories proposed by the forerunners of modern psychology such as Charles Darwin, William James, and many others.  Despite the advancements in psychology described in Psych, Bloom makes it clear that psychology, like all branches of science, is simultaneously incomplete yet cumulative and progressive. We know, for example, that partial reinforcement leads to more resistant behaviors, tends to neglect base rates in problem-solving, and can change behaviors through systematic reinforcement and shaping.  However, we still don’t fully comprehend all of the ways in which the brain influences our experiences, or how to eradicate disorders such as schizophrenia. Despite our advances, Bloom frequently acknowledges that there is still much to learn. Bloom has written a masterful book that effectively covers a wide range of topics in a way that is easy to comprehend. Regardless of whether a reader intends to study psychology or is just looking for an introduction, Psych is an excellent resource for all. ” I’d like to think that I could have done really well on my McGill exam without the help, but we all know that isn’t true….Here’s a good review from The  New Scientist -https://www.newscientist.com/article/2372968-the-human-mind-review-ambitious-up-to-the-minute-guide-to-the-mind/

The Next Big Idea - Everything Paul Bloom Knows About Psychology – For those of you who would like the short version of this tomb, this PODCAST is a great interview with Bloom and summarizes the main ideas of his book. Here is an excerpt from the PODCAST itself, “In “Psych: The Story of the Human Mind,” Paul Bloom, a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto, lays out, in his words, “basically everything I know about the mind.” And when he says “everything,” he means it. Where does consciousness come from? Does IQ matter? What makes us happy? Was Sigmund Freud a madman? The answers to these questions (and more) are all in Paul’s book — and in this episode. An edited version of Rufus’s interview with Paul first aired in April 2023. Today, we’re bringing you their entire conversation.” https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-next-big-idea/id1482067226?i=1000651432257

Thank you for your ongoing engagement and participation.And remember to stay safe, stay healthy and to docket daily.

Jon