moving forward
moving forward
[soapbox: public figures like "forward" to subcommunicate/spin optimism, as in "the way forward" or "moving forward"... pure folderol... inaction moves "forward" just as action moves "forward"; like a struck golf ball, the trajectory of policy foretells more than its' spin]
"Undergrad academic performance linked to neural signals"
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-09/uot-uap090809.php
Neuroimage. 2009 Sep 28. [Epub ahead of print]Click here to read Links
Processing speed is correlated with cerebral health markers in the frontal lobes as quantified by neuro-imaging.
Kochunov P, Coyle T, Lancaster J, Robin DA, Hardies J, Kochunov V, Bartzokis G, Stanley J, Royall D, Schlosser AE, Null M, Fox PT.
Research Imaging Center, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
We explored relationships between decline in cognitive processing speed (CPS) and change in frontal lobe MRI/MRS-based indices of cerebral integrity in 38 healthy adults (age 57-90 years). CPS was assessed using a battery of four timed neuropsychological tests: Grooved Pegboard, Coding, Symbol Digit Modalities Test, and Category Fluency (Fruits and Furniture). The neuropsychological tests were factor analyzed to extract two components of CPS: psychomotor (PM) and psychophysical (PP). MRI-based indices of cerebral integrity included three cortical measurements per hemisphere: GM thickness, intergyral and sulcal spans and two subcortical indices: fractional anisotropy (FA), measured using track-based-spatial-statistics (TBSS), and the volume of hyperintense WM (HWM). MRS indices included levels of choline-containing compounds (GPC+PC), phosphocreatine plus creatine (PCr+Cr), and N-acetylaspartate (NAA), measured bilaterally in the frontal WM bundles. A substantial fraction of the variance in the PM-CPS (58%) was attributed to atrophic changes in frontal WM, observed as increases in sulcal span, declines in FA values and reductions in concentrations of NAA and choline-containing compounds. A smaller proportion (20%) of variance in the PP-CPS could be explained by bilateral increases in frontal sulcal span and increases in HWM volumes.
how much longer do we have before employers/institutions start using noninvasive imaging and psychometric testing as a component to one's application? arguably, such measures could predict success as well as if not better than the current menu of items on a resume. further, such metrics would not be possible (or easy) to fake or misrepresent; they would not discriminate based on race or sex once normalized.
how might the public respond to such measures?
would they be seen as truly unbiased? might they inspire resentment by decisively quantifying the mensurable differences in humans' capacity for desired work?
current resumes place more value on trait (versus state) characteristics. someday, this imbalance will change.
"Undergrad academic performance linked to neural signals"
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-09/uot-uap090809.php
Neuroimage. 2009 Sep 28. [Epub ahead of print]Click here to read Links
Processing speed is correlated with cerebral health markers in the frontal lobes as quantified by neuro-imaging.
Kochunov P, Coyle T, Lancaster J, Robin DA, Hardies J, Kochunov V, Bartzokis G, Stanley J, Royall D, Schlosser AE, Null M, Fox PT.
Research Imaging Center, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
We explored relationships between decline in cognitive processing speed (CPS) and change in frontal lobe MRI/MRS-based indices of cerebral integrity in 38 healthy adults (age 57-90 years). CPS was assessed using a battery of four timed neuropsychological tests: Grooved Pegboard, Coding, Symbol Digit Modalities Test, and Category Fluency (Fruits and Furniture). The neuropsychological tests were factor analyzed to extract two components of CPS: psychomotor (PM) and psychophysical (PP). MRI-based indices of cerebral integrity included three cortical measurements per hemisphere: GM thickness, intergyral and sulcal spans and two subcortical indices: fractional anisotropy (FA), measured using track-based-spatial-statistics (TBSS), and the volume of hyperintense WM (HWM). MRS indices included levels of choline-containing compounds (GPC+PC), phosphocreatine plus creatine (PCr+Cr), and N-acetylaspartate (NAA), measured bilaterally in the frontal WM bundles. A substantial fraction of the variance in the PM-CPS (58%) was attributed to atrophic changes in frontal WM, observed as increases in sulcal span, declines in FA values and reductions in concentrations of NAA and choline-containing compounds. A smaller proportion (20%) of variance in the PP-CPS could be explained by bilateral increases in frontal sulcal span and increases in HWM volumes.
how much longer do we have before employers/institutions start using noninvasive imaging and psychometric testing as a component to one's application? arguably, such measures could predict success as well as if not better than the current menu of items on a resume. further, such metrics would not be possible (or easy) to fake or misrepresent; they would not discriminate based on race or sex once normalized.
how might the public respond to such measures?
would they be seen as truly unbiased? might they inspire resentment by decisively quantifying the mensurable differences in humans' capacity for desired work?
current resumes place more value on trait (versus state) characteristics. someday, this imbalance will change.
medicalstudent | 2 years ago
Reply
"how might the public respond to such measures?"
Probably with fears of Huxley's Brave New World and with references to the Bell Curve. Charges of discrimination will enter into the picture if some races are over-represented in prestige professions, i.e. Jews and Asians. If
somehow each race is fairly represented by the psychometric approach you describe, then it'll work. (This is the short term concern).
If racial imbalance occurs, then someone will call foul on the methodology used, point out it's not fair, and that neuroimaging and the standard batteries do not consider more of a holistic view of intelligence. There will be riots on college campuses, etc...
With intelligence undefined by psychologists, except by a G factor known only to those who know enough psychometrics and statistics, such complaints will essentially squelch the efforts
toward the sort of approach you describe.
Some of the sorting procedures of "brave new world" fears are largely irrational, perhaps, since, as has been alluded to, intellectual capacity appears to be able to be augmented in upper mid, and high ranges (Huxley's schemetic of Gamma, Beta, Alpha) but improves far less in the lower to mid and lower ranges...this then is something of a problem: as an Epsilon Semi moron is immutably an Epsilon semi moron -- and if this group morphs into a caste it can then be enslaved. What's needed is proof that a 70 IQ can move to 85 and 85 up to 100. That is, there needs to be proof of IQ mobility at the LOWER levels of mental ability. The word on this, so far, is mum....
(As for long term concerns):
Even if race concerns were extracted entirely from this equation, it would be a problem if a heterogenous group (hetero based on gender and skin color)form the bottom levels of society and become a homogenous intellectual caste. In Huxley's vision, Epsilon's, for instance, were both and white and black...thus, not a racial problem, but just as big of a problem since a lower scoring group might cohere into a unit of some sort.
This is just one guess on some of the fears and impediment that enter such a possibility of state over trait.
Probably with fears of Huxley's Brave New World and with references to the Bell Curve. Charges of discrimination will enter into the picture if some races are over-represented in prestige professions, i.e. Jews and Asians. If
somehow each race is fairly represented by the psychometric approach you describe, then it'll work. (This is the short term concern).
If racial imbalance occurs, then someone will call foul on the methodology used, point out it's not fair, and that neuroimaging and the standard batteries do not consider more of a holistic view of intelligence. There will be riots on college campuses, etc...
With intelligence undefined by psychologists, except by a G factor known only to those who know enough psychometrics and statistics, such complaints will essentially squelch the efforts
toward the sort of approach you describe.
Some of the sorting procedures of "brave new world" fears are largely irrational, perhaps, since, as has been alluded to, intellectual capacity appears to be able to be augmented in upper mid, and high ranges (Huxley's schemetic of Gamma, Beta, Alpha) but improves far less in the lower to mid and lower ranges...this then is something of a problem: as an Epsilon Semi moron is immutably an Epsilon semi moron -- and if this group morphs into a caste it can then be enslaved. What's needed is proof that a 70 IQ can move to 85 and 85 up to 100. That is, there needs to be proof of IQ mobility at the LOWER levels of mental ability. The word on this, so far, is mum....
(As for long term concerns):
Even if race concerns were extracted entirely from this equation, it would be a problem if a heterogenous group (hetero based on gender and skin color)form the bottom levels of society and become a homogenous intellectual caste. In Huxley's vision, Epsilon's, for instance, were both and white and black...thus, not a racial problem, but just as big of a problem since a lower scoring group might cohere into a unit of some sort.
This is just one guess on some of the fears and impediment that enter such a possibility of state over trait.
milestones | 2 years ago
Reply
Severe cognitive impairment of the congenital stripe (as a general idea this would consist in an IQ greater than 2SD below the mean) is not susceptible to remediation; therefore, we should not direct our efforts so stringently towards those who likely wouldn't benefit from training regimens or dietary programmes (but it would seem to me that if gene therapy is shown to significantly help those impaired to a significant degree, then it may be worthwhile for most, or all, people generally) but rather towards those in the average and above average domain of intellectual aptitude and ability. (I am not precluding the reality that these kinds of congenital defects have preventable measures that can be employed to minimise their occurrences.) We should, moreover, keep in mind that the Flynn effect, while myopic in the long-term (for I seriously doubt that those ancient Greek chaps would have no more capability than an amoeba), points to the possibility that with time such people do progress along with the rest of the population. On the other hand, we must regard with suspicion the supposed permanence of the Bell curve as having any genuine empirical weight according to what is simply an operational definition of intelligence (i.e., those who are intelligent are those who are able to do "intelligence" tests well), and attempt to go beyond this hollow nominalism within modern psychometrics in order to understand the biological, sociopolitical, developmental, cultural, and varied factors that come into play when considerations of the capabilities of human beings arises into our purview. (We should not give so much value to the uneducated populace's uninformed perspective on these issues, either, because that which is PC can inhibit and hold down true explanatory and diagnostic progress in this most significant of all aspects.)
What is the nature of intelligence? Well, we first need to define human intelligence (and attempt to move beyond this by way of analogy to other species) in an intelligible manner before we can proceed, I mean, move forward.
Premature attempts to formalize these ambiguous and vague endeavours into the wood- and clockwork of our industries is an error that would produce some of the most perilous results along the lines of the PC cloisters bring about. Presently, what we have is merely a very nascent indication of what directions human cognition can take and no real idea of what this cognition actually involves. We need a theoretical take on this mass of data in order to guide us before politico-economic forces drive us down a road of no return.
What is the nature of intelligence? Well, we first need to define human intelligence (and attempt to move beyond this by way of analogy to other species) in an intelligible manner before we can proceed, I mean, move forward.
Premature attempts to formalize these ambiguous and vague endeavours into the wood- and clockwork of our industries is an error that would produce some of the most perilous results along the lines of the PC cloisters bring about. Presently, what we have is merely a very nascent indication of what directions human cognition can take and no real idea of what this cognition actually involves. We need a theoretical take on this mass of data in order to guide us before politico-economic forces drive us down a road of no return.
? | 2 years ago
Reply
agreed. the current iq obfuscation occasionally clears itself in other forms. s.a.t etc.
but nowhere near what brain scans would with gender and racial differences quantified by a mental ruler; pictures say more than words, but numbers can outword both if they fodder-up a contentious position.
but nowhere near what brain scans would with gender and racial differences quantified by a mental ruler; pictures say more than words, but numbers can outword both if they fodder-up a contentious position.
medicalstudent | 2 years ago
Reply
if i was an employer i would force my workers to begin n-backing (under paid hours of course)
encourage at-home training by awarding generous monetary bonuses for high n, and so forth
encourage at-home training by awarding generous monetary bonuses for high n, and so forth
? | 2 years ago
Reply
? | 2 years ago
Reply
Performance on Stroop has been shown to be nearly 50% heritable in 12-year-old children. Hence, there is room for self-augmentation.
The brain training industry exists based upon the (correct) supposition that cognition is malleable and therefore improvable. The only resentment that would result from such measures is that these (resentful) individuals would be required to engage themselves rather than resorting to scapegoating.
Scientific inquiry (a pleonasm) is unbiased in nature: all variables can be sought and determined with reasonable accuracy and their causal efficacy is likewise available to possible observation.
The way forward is... forward. Just read on Newtonian mechanics and Einstein's relativism. Forward with respect to something doesn't mean that it isn't forward.
Needless to say, I aim for the maximum in ERN. Anxiety? Tsch. I don't have that, either. Exercise diffuses such problems.
The brain training industry exists based upon the (correct) supposition that cognition is malleable and therefore improvable. The only resentment that would result from such measures is that these (resentful) individuals would be required to engage themselves rather than resorting to scapegoating.
Scientific inquiry (a pleonasm) is unbiased in nature: all variables can be sought and determined with reasonable accuracy and their causal efficacy is likewise available to possible observation.
The way forward is... forward. Just read on Newtonian mechanics and Einstein's relativism. Forward with respect to something doesn't mean that it isn't forward.
Needless to say, I aim for the maximum in ERN. Anxiety? Tsch. I don't have that, either. Exercise diffuses such problems.
? | 2 years ago
Reply
