Brains for Dinner: Conversations Between Neuroscientists who Happen to be Married

Brains for Dinner Episode 1

5 snips
Aug 3, 2025
This engaging discussion dives into metacognition, unraveling the difference between 'thinking about thinking' and the feelings tied to our thoughts. The couple explores how bodily signals influence our decisions and learning, illustrating how emotions guide our meta-awareness. They ponder AI's limitations in understanding human-like metacognitive processes and how adding body signals could enhance AI functionality. The conversation concludes with a reflection on the joy and curiosity that drive scientific discovery, emphasizing the importance of asking the right questions.
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ANECDOTE

Origins Of Their Collaborative Partnership

  • Chantel and Andrea met at Carnegie Mellon and began collaborating early in their careers.
  • Their long partnership blends complementary lenses: Chantel on individual differences and Andrea on computational models.
ANECDOTE

Road-Trip Sparked Major Research Shift

  • A 12-hour drive idea session shifted their lab from fMRI to EEG research.
  • They learned EEG analysis quickly and launched productive, long-term projects from that trip.
INSIGHT

Resting Brain Predicts Learning Ability

  • Resting-state brain activity predicts individual learning differences far better than many task-based tests.
  • Five minutes of 'idle' brain recording explained ~70–80% of French-learning variability across participants.
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