Speed of Information Processing in a Calculating Prodigy
Speed of Information Processing in a Calculating Prodigy
Interesting article on Jensen testing a calculating prodigy, Shakuntala Devi, who is neither autistic savant nor, as it turns out, one with exceptional processing speed (as tested by s/ch reaction time) or working memory (as tested by digit span).
Link:
http://stepanov.lk.net/mnemo/jensen.html
Link:
http://stepanov.lk.net/mnemo/jensen.html
milestones | 3 years ago
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Fascinating and informative article. I wonder what the low slope and large intercept actually implies about how she stores and accesses information (hash? binary tree? Fibonacci heap? exotic complex parallel processed structure?).
Milestones, how in the world you get 220ms or so on the flanker test? The best I can manage is in the 270's. My reaction time, 170ms, seems comparable to yours and my Go/no-Go reaction time is about 240ms. I know hardware differences can cause about 30-40ms effect but I doubt my odd keyboard is that bad (though it is barely possible).
Milestones, how in the world you get 220ms or so on the flanker test? The best I can manage is in the 270's. My reaction time, 170ms, seems comparable to yours and my Go/no-Go reaction time is about 240ms. I know hardware differences can cause about 30-40ms effect but I doubt my odd keyboard is that bad (though it is barely possible).
quaternion | 3 years ago
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"Fascinating and informative article. I wonder what the low slope and large intercept actually implies about how she stores and accesses information (hash? binary tree? Fibonacci heap? exotic complex parallel processed structure?)."
Good question. Jensen seems pretty vague on this, which might have to do with limitations of low order elementary cognitive tasks as explaining how "non working memory" processes allow savants to do such rapid calculations. He posits a great deal of practice but something else (some trick?) seems to elude him. This was done a while back ('81).
I imagine that now neuroimaging could elicit some information on what part of the brain calculators like her use -- especially interesting considering she is a non idiot savant who appears to be implicity described by Jensen as having a well above average IQ (120) on par with college grads; however, this is still an IQ well below what her ability as a calculator would indicate. This begs the question -- if it's not processing speed or wm being utilized, then how does she do it?
"Milestones, how in the world you get 220ms or so on the flanker test? The best I can manage is in the 270's. My reaction time, 170ms, seems comparable to yours and my Go/no-Go reaction time is about 240ms."
My best on the Flanker is about 280 something.
I've never hit 220 ms milestone (yet).
Good question. Jensen seems pretty vague on this, which might have to do with limitations of low order elementary cognitive tasks as explaining how "non working memory" processes allow savants to do such rapid calculations. He posits a great deal of practice but something else (some trick?) seems to elude him. This was done a while back ('81).
I imagine that now neuroimaging could elicit some information on what part of the brain calculators like her use -- especially interesting considering she is a non idiot savant who appears to be implicity described by Jensen as having a well above average IQ (120) on par with college grads; however, this is still an IQ well below what her ability as a calculator would indicate. This begs the question -- if it's not processing speed or wm being utilized, then how does she do it?
"Milestones, how in the world you get 220ms or so on the flanker test? The best I can manage is in the 270's. My reaction time, 170ms, seems comparable to yours and my Go/no-Go reaction time is about 240ms."
My best on the Flanker is about 280 something.
I've never hit 220 ms milestone (yet).
milestones | 3 years ago
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Have any cognitive neuroscientists / psychologists used themselves as guinea pigs, training themselves in calculation/memory etc skills to study expert mental performance from the 'inside' as well as out?
cevapcici | 3 years ago
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