all Stephen Kosslyn stories

Visualizing science focus of panel

404132862 — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 15:38:47 -0500

The huge load of data now coming from modern computer systems is so overwhelming that new methods must be devised to allow people to visualize the world in more understandable ways, scientists involved in computer graphics areas said in a special symposium today.

“What can humans actually understand?” asked Harvard Professor Alyssa Goodman, who arranged thea symposium on “Seeing Science” at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, held February 14 through 18 in Boston. “We just don't have the bandwidth and the receptors” to handle all the data now coming in from various disciplines, including astronomy, medicine, and the social sciences.

Neuroimaging fails to demonstrate ESP is real

404132862 — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 16:00:49 -0500

Psychologists at Harvard University have developed a new method to study extrasensory perception that, they argue, can resolve the century-old debate over its existence. According to the authors, their study not only illustrates a new method for studying such phenomena, but also provides the strongest evidence yet
obtained against the existence of extrasensory perception, or ESP.

What can monks teach scientists?

70652986 — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 05:31:57 -0400

People tested by Harvard Psychology Professor Stephen Kosslyn and his colleagues have found it difficult to hold a simple image in their minds for more than 10 seconds. However, Buddhists who excel at mental imagery claim that they can hold vivid three-dimensional images of complex objects, like a palace or deity, in their minds for as long as 20 minutes. Kosslyn's laboratory is preparing to scan the brains of volunteer monks who are virtuoso visualizers to see how their brains work. "I'm especially interested in getting data that would contradict my ideas," he says. "That's when you really learn something." The answer to who is right could have a major impact on many people. "If I'm right and the monks are wrong, that doesn't tell us anything about how the brain processes mental images," Kosslyn admits. "But if they're right and the brain can be trained to do what they report, this could lead to immense practical applications." The most obvious is improved memory. Based on the experience of monks, Westerners may be able to develop efficient methods of training that enable them to quickly recall the past.

Hypnosis found to alter the brain

70652986 — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 05:04:52 -0400

"Hypnosis has a contentious history," notes Stephen Kosslyn, professor of psychology at Harvard and leader of a study in which people were hypnotized to see color where only shades of gray exist, and to see gray when actually looking at brightly colored rectangles. "Some insist it's a state of mind that differs from normal states and involves unique consequences; others say it's nothing more than state-show gimmickry. It all comes down to the question of whether the brain is doing something different." The answer apparently is yes, at least in the case of color perception. "What we have shown for the first time," Kosslyn concludes, "is that hypnosis changes conscious experience in a way not possible when we are not under hypnosis."

Professor's survey method opens 'windows of consciousness'

70652986 — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 05:08:12 -0400

Bringing together theories and tools from disciplines ranging from psychology to neuroscience, the Mind of the Market Laboratory at Harvard Business School attempts to define and qualify consumers' and managers' thoughts and feelings about an array of ideas, from "loyalty" to "privacy" to "chocolate." The work is spearheaded by the lab's co-director, Gerald Zaltman, whose patented interview method, the Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique (ZMET), is the foundation of the MML's data-gathering process. "What we're doing is using metaphors, idiomatic expressions of consumers, as vehicles for them to transport what may exist below their level of awareness into a domain of awareness," Zaltman says. "Basically, we help the consumer open windows into their own thinking.