Reblogged from Centre for Brain Research:

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Information from Brain Day can now be viewed all year round with the Centre for Brain Research lecture repository.  All the videos from the day are now online including the lectures and discussions.

The videos can be viewed here: http://www.fmhs.auckland.ac.nz/faculty/cbr/brainweek/brainweek2013/brainday2013.aspx

The winners of the Brain Day competitions have also been announced. Emma Morris from Glenfield took part in our Brain Day research and Tamati Hohepa from the Te Atatu Peninsula completed the passport competition.

Read more… 41 more words

Ever heard of the term placebo? It’s a sort of ‘dummy’ medication that researchers give out during randomized controlled trials to find out the extent of the real medicine’s effect. The control group is given a placebo, usually in the form of sugar pills, so that both participants and researchers can be blind as to who is receiving the actual medication (to prevent research bias). If the medication is effective, then only the group given the real pills should show significant signs of improvement.

Most of the time though, it’s more complicated than that. Our own expectations are very powerful, which is why sometimes, patients in the placebo group still experience some kind of an effect akin to the real drug. During one of our class seminars, a researcher from Germany told us a story of a man who was brought to the emergency room because he has overdosed in attempt to commit suicide. He showed all the biological signs of an overdose, and when the doctors asked the wife what kind of medication he used, the wife said the man was part of a drug trial study. So the doctors contacted the head researchers to find out more about the pills that they’d given the man. To their surprise, they found out that the man was actually assigned to the placebo group!

Which means he had actually tried to kill himself with sugar pills. And it seemed to work!

Placebos can take the form of anything. Surgeries for example, are also a very powerful placebo. In fact, Dimond (1960) had done an experiment on patients that were due to have an internal memory artery surgery (IMAS). Some patients were given the real surgery, while others (unbeknownst to them… which probably means that ethics weren’t around that time yet!) just received a skin incision. 69% of those who received IMAS had shown signs of improvement after 12 months while (wait for it)…

100% of those who received the skin incision had improved!

We don’t think this study has been replicated though, but you can see from that example how powerful our own beliefs and expectations can be!

Other things that I’ve learned from class (from our awesome lecturer, Professor Keith Petrie) that I want to share with all of you:

To make the placebo effect stronger: 

1. have more serious treatments (i.e. surgery)

2. have sophisticated equipment (big and shiny!)

3. give the patients precise instructions

4. give an injection instead of pills (injections hurt… therefore, they must be effective!)

5. give strong or foul tasting medicine (as a kid, you knew this sucks, but hey, it was always effective!)

I encourage you to read more about the placebo effect if you are interested! There are many issues to be covered here, and lately, there’s been research on the nocebo effect too- that is, patients receive a placebo, but still report negative side effects… how can that be?

Pin has started her hectic life as a masters student and Marnelli just finished her first practicum at a kindergarten. Whew. Adventures.

Speaking of adventures, we attended Brain Day for the first time at the University of Auckland.

We attended a few lectures and went around. That place was packed. It was awesome seeing the activities they put out for children. Here’s some of the photos we took, there were more cool things but we weren’t allowed to take photos of some of them.

Neuron body painting, ooooh cool. 

Brain molds for clay. Kids slicing and dicing the clay brains. Interesting…

There’s even a poetry board. Put random words together and be poetic. Or…show an example of Wernicke’s Aphasia sort of poetry. Like this…

After the lectures we got some Brain Day goodies.

That’s all for now. We’ll update with links to Brain Day lectures. Also stay tuned for our posts on the lectures we attended!

See ya!

Isn’t it funny that no matter how busy we get, we can still plug in that little time for social media (read: facebook, twitter, etc.)? No? Are we the only ones?

Anyway, we just wanna let you know that while we might be blogging a lot less now (I’ve started my Masters and Marnelli is currently working with cute kids in kindergarten!), we still pretty much keep our Facebook page alive.

So if you need just bite-size fun facts (Psych, science, or yes, coffee-related), you know where to go! 

See you there!

We wish you had an awesome Valentine’s Day today, whether it be sharing a romantic dinner, a good movie, or even a stay at home night with that special person…or people!

And we’re so happy that you decided to drop by and spend part of this lovey-dovey day with us! We’ve got something interesting for you, and it may help you understand why you’re so crazy over that boy/girl, or why you go for certain types of people!

Here you will find the original article from where we based this post, which talks about John Money’s (from John Hopkins University) idea of the “Love Map”- your brain’s own personal library of all your likes and dislikes, from the eye color that you prefer, to the kind of characteristics and personalities that appeal to you. We’ve summarized it below, and we encourage you to read more about it too!

Why You Probably Fell in Love: 

1. Your Parents 

No matter how controversial Freud was (or is), he still got some parts right, your parents determine a HUGE part of what you’ll become in the future… so huge in fact, that their own traits and personalities will actually influence what you will look for in a partner! It is said that at a very young age of eight, you probably already had an idea of the kind of person you like!

Because it is usually the mothers who do the upbringing of the children (I know this may have changed a lot by now, but these theories were thought of years ago), they become almost like the world to their babies, and of course, for the mom, their babies become their world too. This is why we often go for partners who reflect our own mothers, they may share certain physical similarities, or even have the same personalities.

Fathers on the other hand, play an important role too, this time in determining how their children will relate to the opposite sex. The relationship with the father has a huge effect on how the child will view himself or herself in terms of other people, as well as future marital happiness!

2. Similarities 

You probably already know this, but the people who usually end up together tend to be those who live near each other, share the same educational and religious backgrounds, and generally have the same goals in life.

After all, it makes it so much easier figuring the other person out if you both have similar tastes in music, movies, humor, etc.

Sometimes though, it can be an advantage dating someone who has something you don’t have… in other words, what about…

3. Opposites 

Admit it, you probably know someone who got together with someone else who was probably the last person you’ve expected them to date. And yet they seem so happy.

And it may not seem like it at first, but it makes sense. One person’s weakness may be the other’s strength, and together, they become the perfect pair! Well, alright, not really, but there is something great about having someone who complements you.

Otherwise known as the Equity Theory, a person who has something in abundance, let’s say a really opinionated and talkative person, may find someone who is able to really listen to him or her quite appealing.

Opposites attract!

Interesting as it may seem, this is only a theory by one of the many other brilliant minds who’ve dedicated their lives to unraveling the mysteries of Love. What’s your favorite theory?

Anyway, we won’t keep you from your celebrating any longer, so from the bottom of our hearts, and the neuronal connections in our brain, we wish you all a happy Valentine’s day!

Hello there! Introducing Brainbreaking’s new feature! BB Comics! Yay. Just a simple way to share small bits that can be a bit psych-y.

Here’s our first Babies VS Students (Ehm…bigger babies?)

Object Permanence is a concept from one of Jean Piaget’s stages of cognitive development. It is the understanding that things exist even when one doesn’t sense its presence. Infants who haven’t grasped this concept think that once an object is obstructed from one’s view, it’s really gone. The game of peek-a-boo is one of the usual demonstrations of this concept. Baby thinks mom’s gone when mom’s face is covered, that’s why baby usually squeals with excitement when mom’s face pops back out. Piaget posits that babies have a full understanding of object permanence at 18-24 months. Recent studies have suggested that this understanding can come at an earlier time.

Out of sight, out of mind. You know that can still apply to older people. Especially when we’re avoiding something. Haha. These days, one click is all you need to distract yourself from other things. It’s as good as covering your eyes. That happens more often when you’re a student. Then suddenly peek-a-boo! That due date is breathing down your neck. Oh reality, some things still need to be done even when you wish they don’t exist. Haha.

Sip a bit of coffee and don’t let the world scream ‘boo!’ at you too often.

“It is ironic that I had to be in an actual prison in order to break out of my mental prison” – Dr. Paul Wood

Hey BrainBreakers! Here’s talk by a very inspiring speaker about his experience in prison and how he used that experience to better himself. We know sometimes, we all get stuck in seemingly hopeless situations, thinking that there is nothing else we could do… but here, he proves that there is always something that we can do. Our past does not define us, it is our choices…the decisions we make here and now.

As the first month of the year is about to end, we just want to encourage you all and remind you that whatever challenges you are facing, you can definitely overcome it. This Ted Talk is definitely worth a watch if you need a good old kick in the butt (or a healthy dose of inspiration!)… because imagine, this guy was in prison, but still he managed to complete a degree… and earn a PhD, y’all!

Thanks to TedxAuckland 2012 for organizing such an amazing event! We highly recommend you to attend the next one!

Dr. Paul Wood’s 5 Steps to Freedom:

1. Recognize that we are born free.

2. Choose to break out of our prison.

3. Make the escape.

4. Fight for the freedom.

5. Living free.

Hey BrainBreakers!

I just want to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have been part of this blog for the past year!

As you know, Marnelli and I started out as two friends who just can’t stop talking about Psychology… not even when it’s break time! And now, we get to bring our passion to the world wide web! We’re very happy to reach like minds who are curious, fascinated, and amazed with all the discoveries that Psychology has made about ourselves, our community, our systems, etc over the years.

You’ve seen us through our undergrad years, and next year, I’m going to be starting my Masters in Health Psychology… they say it’s going to be a tough 2 years, but I am looking forward to the challenge! And of course, I’m looking forward to blogging about all the new stuff that I’m going to learn about!

So again, thanks so much guys! You make this blog awesome! Happy New Year!!!

With love and a hint of caffeine,

Pin

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Hello hello hello!

Marnelli over here! I’d also like to thank everyone who’s been visiting our blog, leaving comments and joining our contests. It’s fun to know we’re not just talking to a blank screen hehe.

Okay so Pin and I are both finished with undergrads. We’re kind of taking on different adventures next year. While Pin is taking on the Health Psychology adventure, I’m going to play around in rainbows and unicorns (I’m not incredibly sure yet. Haha.). Maybe not so much. I’m planning to study Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood Education. —or a PostGradDip in Psych. But I’m crossing my fingers more for the teaching gig. I love how it’s the awesome application of some of the stuff I learned in undergrad developmental psych. And it’s a great adventure with little kids. I’m really excited for next year! I will update you on which one I’ll get.

So happy happy new year to all the Brainbreakers out there. Have a wonderful 2013!!!

Love with chocolate on top,

Marnelli

… Like our professors! What makes a professor great? Ask any student and I believe they’ll tell you that if the prof is obviously enthusiastic about the way they teach, and if they still get excited over their topic (even if they’ve been teaching for years), then their lectures are usually more fun, and students tend to remember more of it!

Last week, Marnelli and I had the privilege to interview one such professor in the University of Auckland, Dr. Annette Henderson,(or simply Annette to her students and co-workers) who teaches about how babies grow to understand their social world. Because contrary to past belief, infants are not just cute, cuddly little blobs who eat, sleep, and drink… thanks to research, we now know that infants do much more than that! They analyze everything, from the way we talk, the way we interact with others, and many more!

But that path wasn’t always clear-cut for Annette.

Early Beginnings 

“I always wanted to do psychology. I think ever since I was a kid. I liked Dr. Marlena on Days of Our Lives, the soap opera. She’s a psychologist and an actress. So I thought that’s excellent, you can be a tv star and a psychology person.  I just realised I wasn’t set out for TV, really quickly but psychology was still good… and I always wanted to work with kids. I always thought that children were what you needed to learn about and protect because they’re our future, right? And that’s where I feel like you can make a difference in somebody’s life… trying to figure out how to help them as they’re starting out.” Like any other psychology student, Annette felt that she wanted to take up Clinical Psychology. So she did an honours thesis in clinical psychology related work and ADHD, but found that although the work was important and valuable, it wasn’t right for her. She took a year off between undergrad and grad school after her application for clinical psychology was declined.

Then an opportunity came up when one of Annette’s professors for a senior paper in experimental child psychology offered her a position to work as a lab coordinator because she’s done really (really) well in the course. “So I worked there, and that’s where I actually got interested in studies and experiments“, she said, “before that, you don’t actually understand science, how you come up with cool studies… and then you realize how creative the process is. That’s when I really became interested in the experimental psychology side”.

Annette then went on to do an Experimental Psychology Masters after having another application for clinical psychology declined. She then found that she was starting to enjoy what she was doing. She didn’t give up on Clinical psych that easy though. When it was time to decide what to do for PhD, Annette decided to try one more time for clinical psychology… “So I applied and I finally got into clinical school and I got into some experimental schools too so then it was deciding moment. What do you do? You’ve got this thing that you’ve always wanted but then you’ve got this other stuff that is actually really cool… I talked to a bunch of professors. There was this one professor, she was a cognitive psychologist and she was someone I really looked up to ‘cause she was really awesome.

She said, why would you want to go into clinical? I was like, well I want to help people. And she’s like, what makes you think that academics can’t help people? What am I doing right now? I said, I guess you’re helping me, you’re supervising me… And that’s when I decided that I didn’t really want to do clinical. It was always something that I thought I wanted and finally when it was there, I thought, actually, no I don’t. That’s not what I’m interested in. And I haven’t looked back since. Everyone thinks that life is just planned but it was just like a bunch of accidents. My original masters was with an academic who got sick so then I had to work with someone else. Then that got me interested in language development . You have to be resilient, you just have to carry on. But if you’re always doing what you find interesting. That’s how I got where I am”.

Uni Challenges 

And speaking of being resilient, it was comforting to know that someone who is as successful as Annette was once a student like us. Asked about her toughest challenges in uni, she said: “For me, I had a huge writer’s block for a certain amount of time and I just couldn’t get any writing done. For me, in university, the challenge was getting over that hump and persevering through it even though sometimes it was hard. That’s one challenge. The other one was persevering through rejections. You go through school, you apply for scholarships, you apply to all these things and always get rejected. You can get rejected your whole life, even when you graduate. You have to apply for grants, get rejected for those… Just constantly dealing with rejection and not taking it personally and just realizing that what you’re doing is good as long as you believe in it and as long as you’re sticking through your principles.” 

The Birth of ELLa

Apart from being a professor in the University of Auckland, Annette is also the Director of the Early Learning Lab or more fondly known as ELLa. “I knew I had to have a lab. One of the most fun things about getting your PhD and knowing you’re going to be an academic one day and have your own students and your own lab is just thinking about your lab name and what your lab is going to look like… We looked at the list and brainstormed and ELLa came to life. That was good, because I knew I wanted something about learning…Once we got the acronym then the logo could come. I knew I wanted something like a baby being helped by a parent. The kiwi was just the innovation using New Zealand –being NZ based. And from that, everything just started taking shape. ”

Of course, it sounds pretty cool to have established your own lab, but it doesn’t come without its challenges. Having had to build a lab from scratch, Annette had to make do with the 3 small rooms that were available. She had to make sure that everything was child friendly, from having the right carpets, to checking that the electrical plugs were all out of reach…

“It was challenging because the university has never dealt with anyone like me before… It was challenging to get the university to understand my vision. But they were really helpful and they knew it was important. When they hired me they knew they were getting an experimental child psychologist. Generally, they knew what I was going to need. But you still had to stick up for it.”

Annette’s experience as an intern grad student- from developing the database, to calling the first family volunteers- for one her professors gave her the knowledge and skills to be able to set-up and give life to a now very active research lab. And ever since then, Annette has been giving her students the opportunity to be part of that lab, enabling them to see first hand what they hear about in lectures, and overall nurturing in students a deeper appreciation of the art of research.

“What I really like about having volunteers and helpers is the new ideas that they bring to the team. Once you give them a little bit of space to talk and confidence to talk, the ideas that they bring to the lab is just amazing and it helps things to go along. And if I could just make at least one be interested in research, then that’s pretty cool.”

Most Memorable ELLa Moment

“Two years ago when recruiting at the parent and child show. We had been talking to people and one mom passed by and she just said “ELLA! I haven’t been to you guys for a while and I love you!”… I think that’s pretty cool that moms do that and that they had a good time, means we were doing something right. I think that’s one of my favorites.”

Secret to Success

Annette is truly an inspirational figure to her students, and her passion and energy for the things she teach is something that sets her apart from most lecturers. Of course, we do aspire to be like her, so we were curious to know about what she has to say about being successful. “There’s not just one secret. But I think one of the guiding principles is always try to take chances, if you think something might not work but is possible, try it out, test it and see because you never know. That could be applying to that school you don’t think you’ll get into or talking to that person you don’t think will listen to you. Just try to take chances, as long as they’re healthy chances.

Be true to yourself, that sounds kind of lame but it’s true. If there’s something you’re interested in, go for it. If something doesn’t make you feel right because it doesn’t fit with your belief system, that’s probably not something for you to do. Some people have come to me with ideas of things to study but it’s not something I’m interested in doing because maybe I don’t believe in it or it just doesn’t fit. I wouldn’t be a good person to do that research because I might be blinded. I think that you need to stick to things that you think are good. Be ethical.  And just be nice to people. I think people forget that we all are just people with ideas and sometimes students may think that the academics may all have the brilliant ideas and sometimes academics might think students don’t have the brilliant ideas. But that’s completely not true, right?

We can get stuck and students can help us out with ideas… realize that everyone’s valuable and important and has something to add. People always think about teaching as this top-down process but it goes the other way as well. I learn a lot.“

Marnelli and I are absolutely lucky to have the opportunity to work with Annette in her lab. And I’m certain that if you ask any of her students or volunteers, they’ll say the same thing as well, because she is the kind of person who values what you say, and at the same time, helps you figure things out on your own. We hope that this interview is able to give you the inspiration as well, with whatever challenge or goal that you’re trying to accomplish. As Annette said,

“Be true to yourself. Take chances. And don’t take things too seriously.”  :) 

Dr. Annette Henderson courtesy of Brain Breaking.

Last week we got the chance to interview Dr. Annette Henderson from The University of Auckland, Early Learning Lab (ELLA). We asked her how she got interested in developmental psychology, the story behind ELLA, her memories of university and a whole lot more. The full interview will be posted later this week. For now, here are Dr. Henderson’s answers to our random questions.

And yeah here’s Dr. Henderson’s cartoon a la Brainbreaking.

Coffee! Yeah. *fist pumps*—Pin and Marnelli love coffee–> we have something in common with Dr. Henderson wooo. Haha. And that last thing? Ahh ethics is important, of course! But can you imagine how awesome that study would be? Say goodbye to the nature and nurture debate if that study happens (It won’t! c’mon we’re not mad scientists here.).

So there’s something random. It’s always interesting to know other things about awesome university lecturers and researchers, right? BTW check out the Early Learning Lab here and know about the awesomely ethical studies that babies participate in.

Don’t forget to drop by later this week for Brainbreaking’s full interview with Dr. Henderson! See ya!