Difference between revisions of "NOV 11"

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==22: NOV 11==
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==20: NOV 11 - The Berlin Wisdom Paradigm==
  
 
===Assigned===
 
===Assigned===
  
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:*Robert Sapolsky, from ''Behave'', Chapter 14, "Feeling Someone's Pain, Understanding Someone's Pain, Alleviating Someone's Pain." 535-552.
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:*Hall C3, “Heart and Mind” (18)
  
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===Hidden Brain, Empathy Gym, segments 3 and 4===
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===Hall, Wisdom, Chapter 3 "Heart and Mind"===
  
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:*We will start today by following the research from the second half of the Hidden Brain podcast. (see above.)
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:*Note that Hall is telling something of the "sociology of knowledge" about the rise of wisdom research.
  
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===Small Group Exercise===
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:*Erikson -- idea of wisdom as end stage "8" of process of self-realization. A stage of development to deal with the approach of death and loss. 
  
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:*From Jamil Zaki, we get a complicated picture of the value of human empathy.  Depending how we experience painful situations that elicit empathy, we might contribute to someone overcoming trauma or we might heighten our own pain.  Empathy can include tribal responses (whites reading about Native Americans study), but it doesn't have to (Soccer study).  The prospective pain of empathy can lead us to avoid others in pain (donation table study). On the other hand, "pumping" empathy the right way might make us more open to helping people or voting for solutions to problems like homelessness (Zaki's virtual reality study).
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::*Interesting hypothesis in face of growth of knowledge in gerontology about decay of faculties.  (Add details from Gwande, ''Being Mortal'')
  
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:*Looking at this research and sharing your own experiences of empathy, try to answer this question: Is Empathy gym worth the risk? If you do think you should "work your empathy" and "pump it", how do you avoid the negative consequences?   
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:*Vivian Clayton -- reflects on family member's traits. 
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::*poses question of meaning of wisdom and relation to age. (Note descriptors.)
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::*her approach addressed a bias in geronotology toward focus on end of life.  Nothing redeeming about dying.  But maybe wisdom is. 
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::*Baltes - Life span developmental psychology. 
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::*Clayton’s approach, like Baltes, was to first read cultural literature, like the Bible, which represents wisdom in judges, but also Job.  Follow statement on p. 43. Compare to Labouvie-Vief. Also, note from the end of the chapter about her story.  Choice, seeing wisdom easier than doing it.
  
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===Sapolsky, Behave, C 14, 535-552===
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:*Hall's account of Genesis myth: It’s not only about disobedience. Also about acquiring "original wisdom"  -- wisdom as the price of seeing things clearly.  Wisdom as necessarily acquired through transgression vs. living within limits.  Also "dark wisdom".
  
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:*'''A Mythic Leap forward''' - covering mirror neurons and what they do and don't show about moral life.
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:*In turn toward a psychological construct, initial studies on lawyers inconclusive.  Clayton’s work creates excitement, but then no funding.  She leaves academia.  Interestingly, becomes a bee keeper.
  
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::*1990s U of Parma, rhesus monkeys under study, PMC - premotor cortex, PFC communicates with PMC during decision making (and taking action), "about 10% of neurons for movement X also activated when observing someone else doing movement X. so called '''mirror neurons'''  --mirroring can be abstract, involve gestalts, fill in missing pieces, seems to incorporate (encode) intentional states.  "picking up a cup to drink" activates them.
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:*Example of early Berlin Paradigm research - response to vignette - 15yo preg teen. Is wisdom non-absolutist?
  
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::*537: S is sceptical of theory that mirror neurons are there to enhance learning (537: a, b, c), but allows (538) that it might aid movement learning or refining movements.  Still, there are mirror neuron critics who endorse a version of the social learning theory -- learning from others (Hickok).  But he also criticizes idea that MNs help us understand others.
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:*Baltes, Smith, Staudinger, Kunzemann.  -- Berlin Wisdom Paradigm -- brief overview, 49ff.  “An expert knowledge system concerning the fundamental pragmatic of life.”  Show p. 95 from next reading, Baltes and Smith, “Toward a psych of wisdom..”
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:*Thought of wisdom as a process, not just a personal trait.  Could be instantiated in groups, societies…
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:*Studied proverbs — “heuristics”
  
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::*538: Do mirror neurons help you understand what someone is thinking, aid to Theory of Mind? are these neurons focused on social interactions? (stronger effect at close distances) -- but Hickok (2014 '''The Myth of Mirror Neurons''') criticizes this as correlation, no evidence that it helps learning. and not clear that intentionality requires this kind of aid.  We can understand lots of intentions we can't perform.  
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::*Note how he derived his construct and method of research.  +96
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:*Early critics: Carstensen and Ardelt -- felt Baltes Wisdom Paradigm (BWP) didn't focus enough on emotion. (More in Hall C4)
  
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::*[However, mirror neurons might be a "general utility feature" in Theory of Mind without always being about learning.  It could be more about a biological mechanism of communication, layered along with observation.  Sapolsky cites evidence that mirror neurons interact with brain regions related to Theory of Mind. - Alfino]
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:*Monika Ardelt - first attempt to develop a valid wisdom rating scale.  Based on three dimensions: cognitive, reflective, and emotional.  Read p. 54.  Some anecdotes from people who got high ratings — Not necessarily highly educated, but all confronted adversity.
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::*540: Very skeptical of idea that mirror neurons explain understanding other's actions or empathy.  Specifically of Gallese and Ramachandran -- cites evidence of overhype. "Gandhi neurons" Pretty public admonishment! Cites list of scholars he's agreeing with.
 
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:*'''The Core Issue (in Empathy): Actually doing something.'''
 
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::*S resumes the topic of the 1st half of the chapter.  Empathy can be a substitute for action.  "If feel your pain, but that's enough."  In adolescents (chapter 6) empathy can lead to self-absorption.  It hurts to feel others pain when your "you" is new. 
 
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::*543: research predicting prosocial action from exposure to someone's pain: depends upon heart rate rise, which indicates need for self-protection. 543: "The prosocial ones are those whose heart rates decrease; they can hear the sound of someone else's need instead of the distressed pounding in their own chests."  (Echoes research showing less prosocial behavior to strangers under cognitive load, hunger condition, social exclusion, stress.  Block glucocorticoids and empathy goes up.) 
 
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::*Research on Buddhist monks, famously Mathieu Ricard (digress).  without Buddhist approach, same brain activation as others.  with it, quieter amygdala, mesolimbic dopamine activation - compassion as positive state.  (Mention hospice, compassionate meditation.). Richard reports “a warm positive state associated with a strong prosocial motivation.” (Very much like the experience of hospice volunteering.)
 
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::*Evidence from “empathy training” of similar change in neural activation.
 
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:*Doing something effectively
 
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::*empathy disorders and misfires: "Pathological altruism"; empathic pain can inhibit effective action. Doctors and others need to block empathy to have sustainable careers. 
 
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:*'''Is there altruism?''' 
 
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::*2008 Science study: we predict spending on ourselves will increase happiness, but only altruistic uses of the money did so in the study.
 
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::*S suggests that given the design of the ACC, and the abundant ways the social creatures get rewards from prosocial reputations (reputation, debts to call in, extra benefits in societies with moralizing gods), maybe we shouldn't be looking for "pure" altruism.  (recalls that belief in moralizing gods increases prosocial behavior toward strangers.)  some evidence charitable people are raised that way and transmit the trait through family life. 548
 
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:*reminder of Henrich on "moralizing gods" and “contingent afterlives”.  Probably helped humans become comfortable in urban environments. 
 
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::*Final study of the chapter. 2007 Science, test subjects in scanners, given money, sometimes taxed, sometimes opp to donate.  Hypothesis: If one is purely altruistic, you would expect identical dopamine responses.  Follow results 549:
 
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:::*a. the more dopamine (pleasure response) you get in receiving unexpected money, the less you express in parting with it - either voluntarily or not.
 
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:::*b. more dopamine when taxed, more dopamine when giving voluntarily. Seems to identify a less self-interested person. Could also be "inequity aversion" - we sometimes just feel better when a difference is eliminated. 
 
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:::*c. more dopamine when giving voluntarily than taxed.
 
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:*In the end, Sapolsky thinks empathy is still a puzzling product of evolution.  Altruism and reciprocity are linked however, so maybe we should stop scratching our heads about "pure altruism". 
 
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:*Seems to endorse the idea that altruism (compassionate empathy) is trainable -- like potty training, riding a bike, telling the truth!  So don't forget you workouts at '''empathy gym'''!
 

Latest revision as of 21:57, 11 November 2024

20: NOV 11 - The Berlin Wisdom Paradigm

Assigned

  • Hall C3, “Heart and Mind” (18)

Hall, Wisdom, Chapter 3 "Heart and Mind"

  • Note that Hall is telling something of the "sociology of knowledge" about the rise of wisdom research.
  • Erikson -- idea of wisdom as end stage "8" of process of self-realization. A stage of development to deal with the approach of death and loss.
  • Interesting hypothesis in face of growth of knowledge in gerontology about decay of faculties. (Add details from Gwande, Being Mortal)
  • Vivian Clayton -- reflects on family member's traits.
  • poses question of meaning of wisdom and relation to age. (Note descriptors.)
  • her approach addressed a bias in geronotology toward focus on end of life. Nothing redeeming about dying. But maybe wisdom is.
  • Baltes - Life span developmental psychology.
  • Clayton’s approach, like Baltes, was to first read cultural literature, like the Bible, which represents wisdom in judges, but also Job. Follow statement on p. 43. Compare to Labouvie-Vief. Also, note from the end of the chapter about her story. Choice, seeing wisdom easier than doing it.
  • Hall's account of Genesis myth: It’s not only about disobedience. Also about acquiring "original wisdom" -- wisdom as the price of seeing things clearly. Wisdom as necessarily acquired through transgression vs. living within limits. Also "dark wisdom".
  • In turn toward a psychological construct, initial studies on lawyers inconclusive. Clayton’s work creates excitement, but then no funding. She leaves academia. Interestingly, becomes a bee keeper.
  • Example of early Berlin Paradigm research - response to vignette - 15yo preg teen. Is wisdom non-absolutist?
  • Baltes, Smith, Staudinger, Kunzemann. -- Berlin Wisdom Paradigm -- brief overview, 49ff. “An expert knowledge system concerning the fundamental pragmatic of life.” Show p. 95 from next reading, Baltes and Smith, “Toward a psych of wisdom..”
  • Thought of wisdom as a process, not just a personal trait. Could be instantiated in groups, societies…
  • Studied proverbs — “heuristics”
  • Note how he derived his construct and method of research. +96
  • Early critics: Carstensen and Ardelt -- felt Baltes Wisdom Paradigm (BWP) didn't focus enough on emotion. (More in Hall C4)
  • Monika Ardelt - first attempt to develop a valid wisdom rating scale. Based on three dimensions: cognitive, reflective, and emotional. Read p. 54. Some anecdotes from people who got high ratings — Not necessarily highly educated, but all confronted adversity.
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