A psychological experiment:thought provoking

Discussion in 'Intelligence & Machines' started by Rick, Nov 15, 2001.

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  1. Rick Valued Senior Member

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    the other day i was reading a journal,which had an interesting piece of information regarding an experiment:
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    a person was called and several electrodes were attatched to his brain and his brain's magnetic and electric activity was monitered(this was in 1950s).the man was asked to narrate some of his horrifying experiences,while his brain's activity was being monitered.a graph was plotted.later after many MONTHS(approximately 6 1/2 months),he was called once again,he had almost forgotten everything about this experiment as he just did it for money.now with the graph they applied about same variant magnetic field with those electrodes,and the person started narrating and remembering those horrific incidences.any comments?
     
    Last edited: Nov 19, 2001
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  3. Ana Registered Senior Member

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    faulty experiment or faulty explanation of the experiment?

    Well, first you weren't specific (or the article you read) as to what the control variables were. Was this a double-blind study? Even that doesn't matter because the outcome of the experiment isn't good enough to come up with a good and reasonable conclusion....meerly suggestions (as many good and bad experiments do).

    How can you be certain this person didn't really remember the experiment? I mean, come on, electrodes attached to your scalp and you don't remember? Was the person a complete idiot? Did they have temporary amnesia? Give me a break! I think if you are put in a similar situation you are bound to remember (that Deja vu thing) and probably start doing or saying similar things....without any electrical impulses being generated by an outside source. Besides, how do you know for sure if the person didn't suspect what the experimenters were trying to do in the first place? Maybe he thought he should start retelling his stories because the experimenter forgot to ask him to repeat them.

    What I'm getting at is that there are too many variables to control for and that are very hard to control for even if you could pick them all out and try your darnest.....how do you know the person wasn't just trying to impress the researchers so he could get a little more money...."sure, I don't remember a thing....go ahead and do your little experiment...this is kinda fun anyway.....free therapy....plus pocket change....GREAT!"

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    Sorry, but more info is needed to get anything out of this article. Can't buy into everything you read....especially if the experiments (in Psychology) were that old.

    That being said, it's good that you are curious and are reading.....you wouldn't happen to be a student trying to get us to answer your homework questions, now would you? hehehe....great idea if you are!

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  5. Stryder Keeper of "good" ideas. Valued Senior Member

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    Zion

    The experiment you mention of reminded me of an experiment I heard about that occurred in/around the same time period.
    The difference was that the experiment was taking place to learn more about the regions of the brain and what area's were stimulated by certain thoughts.

    A Soldier/Labrat was given an anaesthetic (A local one so that he would stay conscious) and he then underwent surgery to have the top of his cranium removed, he was than sat with the top his head exposed and subjected to some doctors placing pins with cables attached, into differing regions of his exposed brain.

    Once placed into a position the pin was then stimulated with an electric current, and the soldier/labrat asked about what he was experiencing.

    The source admitted was a High school Tutor, and I can't vouch from where he access his information. (And it was many years ago)

    I do know that there are scientists studying brain patterns now, but the equipment has far progressed from being so barbaric. This is most notibly in studies for moving Cursors across a computer screen with just a thought pattern recognition.

    ==For instance a person moves a cursor from left to right in front of your eyes. You have no control over how the cursor moves, or even knew beforehand which direction it was going to go. This would give a pure wave function map for "watching" a cursor move, and there would be a slight differing if the conscious thoughts were made to make it move. Of course those thoughts would be located at the intersection between the Frontal Lobe (Consciousness Processing), Parietal Lobe(Movement Processing) and Temporal lobe(Auditory processing).

    I believe the Occipital Lobe will deal with visual inputs and pass them via the back of the Temporal Lobe, and coelesced together should give a group function of wave for its movement.==

    I could continue with my theory/philosophy on such outcomes, but I'm sure there is already proven papers on this subject.
     
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  7. Ana Registered Senior Member

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    okay then....

    now that's much better in my opinion
     
  8. Rick Valued Senior Member

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    Re: faulty experiment or faulty explanation of the experiment?

    Hi,
    i dont understand,forgetting doesnt mean that it was out of memory of the person forever(ever heard of sub-concious mind?)...i am sure you wouldnt remember the incidences that you quote to anyone offshot after say 6 1/2 months or so(atleast i wont,the whole of it with same exact details as earliar stated).the point is retrieval.yes,the memory of human brain is pretty large(about 10 terrabytes or so i have heard),but retreival is uncertain,so by that experiment they intented to find out wether retrieval can be enhanced or not,via application of same variant magnetic field that they recorded during the recitation of the events by that person,that could really enhance our memorization techniques,isnt it?
     
  9. Ana Registered Senior Member

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    okay...

    The question posed is an excellent one, I don't doubt that....in fact, maybe I'll research it myself someday after I get my Ph.D. and become bored with sleep research.

    What I was trying to say is that since in your original post you mentioned that the article said, "later, after many days, he was called once again..." and to me, "days" don't mean a month or two or more....or the experimenters would have mentioned that. In order for the experiment to be repeated by other researchers, they'd have to state how many days they allowed for so that his memory of an event would "fade" away (so to speak). I'm fully aware of the sub-concious mind "thing" but how subconcious can this get if the guy was there after "many DAYS"--you know?

    I'm sure electrical impulses to certain areas of the brain will conjure up memories....as Stryder mentioned, experiments have been done to try and learn more about the regions of the brain where memories are stored. I recall reading that experiment where they'd stimulate a specific region of the brain and the person would recollect a "smell" from his past (smell of momma's pancakes....hehehe...I'm making that up) or remembering something from his childhood. Interesting experiment although it may have posed ethical concerns (hell, is there anything that doesn't pose ethical/moral concerns in the biosciences?

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  10. Rick Valued Senior Member

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    Thanks

    Hi Ana,

    thanks for pointing DAYS out,i have now taken care of that now

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    .

    anyways your pancake stuff reminded me of something that i have posted in general science and technology , a thread called sweet smelling ringer on cellphones.it has a great future.KM has also mentioned about it.see,the idea is pretty simple as you know,that brain recognizes the smell in form of signals,therefore it might be that someday we have a prototype that actually does exactly the reverse of it,ie computer sends out electric signal and a device is attatched to it for converting it to the required smelling form,imagine your BF sendin' ya a card smelling roses on your B'day.

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  11. Rick Valued Senior Member

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    Seems like idea is catching up

    Due to efforts of Digiscents,a California based private company,human olfactory sense is no longer a mystery to computers.or rather it seems to be so.


    digiscents is now putting final touches on the technology that can digitise,synthesize and transmit scents.using this technology the company is all set to produce a complete solution of scent communication on web.along with software components the package includes a peripheral device called iSmell personal scent synthesizer.

    this small box-like peripheral is attatched to the USB or serial port of a personal computer and plugs into electrical supply using a fairly simple process iSmell can emit vapours of almost any scent you imagine.so,you can smell the odour of blood and smoke while playing QUAKE!.

    for more info you can browse on:
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    www.digiscents.com
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  12. tony1 Jesus is Lord Registered Senior Member

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    Let's not forget about Michael Persinger's "God helmet."

    For those who are fans of religion being feelings of warm fuzzies, his work with helmets with magnets installed should be an eye-opener.

    http://sympatico.workopolis.com/servlet/News/qprinter/20010825/FCSCIE

    Of course, for those who realize that religion is more than just magnetic fields will realize that it is merely an example of science missing the point once again.

    Note to tiassa: you could save a fortune in pot if you could use a magnetic helmet to access your "goddess."
     
  13. Rick Valued Senior Member

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    tHE ABOVE POST OF tONY REMINDED me of something...

    the other day KM,mentioned...about natural computer.what if we are figments of god's imagination,ie we reside inside the brain of god.he is undre deep concentratio and meditating?


    bye!
     
  14. Stryder Keeper of "good" ideas. Valued Senior Member

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    Lets see, Science... A quest for Knowledge and religion... In some instances a closure of the mind to the quest of knowledge (Other than the Eastern ones Kmguru

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    )

    In Tony1's mind there is no knowledge other than that he reads from his King James Bible, in the rest of the world we follow an evolutionary path, changing, proving, disproving and so it goes.

    Perhaps Tony1 you should consider Cryogenics, I hear they freeze you quicker now, of course they do have to stick pins in you brain.
     
  15. Rick Valued Senior Member

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    Stryder,
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    I while answering a post undrestood something...

    When you apply electromagnetic field to brain with a certain emotion associated with it,so when you feed neurons with a signal then naturally it"ll recognise that pattern and store it...??!!

    isnt it?
    same can be true for revival of memories as you mentioned in one of the threads...


    bye!
     
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