Unit 7: Neurosci & Art

Even though the brain has only been studied for about a century, it has since been one of the most researched parts of the body (Vesna). Aristotle taught that the brain was simply a cooling mechanism for blood, and all the thinking was done by the heart (Vensa). Later, Franz Joseph Gall contradicted Aristotle's beliefs by showing us how the brains works with "phrenonoly". Gall believed that the talents, intellect and other things were "inferred with perfect exactitude and precision from the external appearances of the skull" (phrenology.com). Thus, certain places on the skull might bulge, showing overuse of a certain area and feature of the brain (Cohen).  

https://sites.google.com/site/physiciki/Home/pseudoscience/period-2/phrenology

The lecture by Mark Cohen influenced my understanding of this week's topic the most. The work he is doing in his lab really make the connection between neuroscience and art. For example, Cohen created black goggles to help track brain waves that test the frequency and intensity of migraine flickering (Cohen). Thus, he is taking his neuroscience background to produce art to help humanity cure illnesses like migraines. Cohen's lab is also studying puzzling questions about the mind. Currently, his lab is working on a project that aims to discover if we recreate an idea internally, or if an idea stay on the outside of the brain (Cohen). That is, is the idea visually brought to the center of the mind? (Cohen).

http://brandmakernews.com/business-brand/build-your-brand/2522/mind-mapping-the-art-of-shaping-ideas.html

In my opinion, the most intriguing part of this week's topic is learning about the unconscious. The conscious mind is easily tested and much research has been done to learn about brain activity. However, our "knowledge of the unconscious mind is limited by the scientific equipment we have available to observe it" (Psychology Today). Even though neuroscience is a booming field, humans have not created a tool or machine to discover more about the unconscious. Some believe that "the unconscious mind is a pervasive, powerful influence over such higher mental processes" (NCBI). Others say that the unconscious "contains all sorts of significant and disturbing material which we need to keep out of awareness because they are too threatening to acknowledge fully" (Simply Psychology). Since studying the brain in the modern era is relatively new, I think that our knowledge about the true power of the unconscious has yet to be revealed. All of what we know is pure speculation. As neuroscience and art continue to push the boundaries and learn more, we will have more tangible evidence about the power of the unconscious mind.

http://www.nature.com/scientificamerican/journal/v310/n1/full/scientificamerican0114-30.html

Citations: 

Bargh, John A., and Ezequiel Morsella. "The Unconscious Mind." Perspectives on Psychological Science : A Journal of the Association for Psychological Science. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2440575/>.

Cohen, Mark. "Neuroscience-Mark Cohen.mov." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDq8uTROeXU>.

"Conscious of the Unconscious." Psychology Today. N.p., n.d. Web. <https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/focus-forgiveness/201307/conscious-the-unconscious>.

"Franz Joseph Gall : Founder of Phrenology." Franz Joseph Gall : Founder of Phrenology. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.phrenology.com/franzjosephgall.html>.

"Unconscious Mind | Simply Psychology." Unconscious Mind | Simply Psychology. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.simplypsychology.org/unconscious-mind.html>.

Vesna, Victoria. "Neuroscience-pt1.mov." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=361&v=TzXjNbKDkYI>.