Cognitations

In this discussion, Amy Orben, a leading expert from the University of Cambridge on digital mental health, delves into the impact of social media on teens. She breaks down how constant online engagement affects their mental health, stressing the dual nature of social media as both a risk and a tool for connection. Orben also emphasizes the need for critical evaluation of technology’s role in society and offers parental guidance for managing screen time, encouraging open communication to support healthy development.

Jennifer Nagel, a philosophy professor at the University of Toronto, dives into the intricate relationship between knowledge, communication, and curiosity. She explores how our understanding of knowledge shapes social interactions and the importance of context in conversations. Nagel discusses the nuances of justified true belief, critiques traditional epistemological views, and highlights how language reflects our certainty. The podcast also touches on the role of self-reflection in knowledge sharing and the significance of genuine dialogue in effective communication.

In this enlightening discussion, Jacob Beck, a Research Chair at York University, delves into the intricate psychology of animal minds. He challenges the notion of anthropomorphism, questioning if our perceptions of animal emotions are accurate. The conversation highlights how species like chimpanzees and desert ants exhibit cognitive abilities, such as understanding numbers and navigation. Beck discusses the complexities of comparative psychology, exploring how language influences our interpretation of non-human cognition. His insights provoke deep reflection on our connection with animals.

In this update episode, Tanay and Jay reflect on the journey so far and some special guests crash the show...

Contemporary life is replete with problems. A very salient example of such a problem is depression, which according to the World Health Organization, affected 5% of the global population in 2019. That is 280 million people – a very large number indeed. Another such problem is poverty and inequality. According to the World Bank, around 700 million people live in extreme poverty – an even larger number. Why are these problems on the rise? Are there features of contemporary societies that are exacerbating this problem? Moreover, how do these problems, namely rising inequality and depression, interact? How can an evolutionary and/or behavioral ecology perspective add novel insights to rethinking the source of these problems? Can such insights lead to effective social policies and change? Today’s guest is here to answer these questions, or at least some of them… Daniel Nettle is a behavioral scientist at the Institut Jean Nicod. He has trained both as a psychologist and an anthropologist. He has made many important contributions, spanning many topics across diverse disciplines like biology, psychology, anthropology and more. For example, he has worked on psycholinguistics, the demise of languages, the consequences of smoking, depression, anxiety, epistemological aspects of evolutionary psychology, personality, and the list goes on. He is the author of 9 academic books including Personality: What Makes You The Way You Are, 2007, and Happiness: The Science Behind Your Smile, in 2005.  Credits: Interview: Tanay Katiyar and Jay Richardson Artwork: Ella Bergru Editing: Jay Richardson Music: Thelma Samuel and Robin Baradel Communication: Tanay Katiyar

Like many of our cognitive abilities, it is easy to take vision for granted. On a daily basis, vision seems rather simple:  various objects, people, landscapes present themselves before us; and, if our eyes are open and function well, we are bestowed with a visual experience of these things. We then act on this experience in all the ways the world affords. In reality, things are much more complex than this naive experience might lead us to think. For instance, visual perception isn’t passive in the way just described. Rather, our sense organs and brain are constantly performing an enormous amount of intricate operations. Importantly, most of these operations are not directly controllable in any significant way. So, what is the nature of this impressive and somewhat autonomous machinery? Where does it start? What must our eyes do in order for us to perceive the world? How is what they do influenced by other psychological and biological factors? How is it even possible to study all of this? Today’s guest is the person to answer, if not all these questions, at least some of them. She is Thérèse Collins. She is a professor of cognitive psychology at Université de Paris-Cité, where she is also the director of the vision team at the Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition center. She obtained her PhD in Psychology from Université Paris Descartes, post-which she did a post-doc in Hamburg, Germany. Broadly, her research group studies visual perception, eye movements and object representations. Links to Visual Illusions recommended by Thérèse: https://www.ritsumei.ac.jp/~akitaoka/index-e.html ;  http://illusionoftheyear.com/ Credits: Interview: Tanay Katiyar and Jay Richardson Artwork: Ella Bergru Editing: Jay Richardson Music: Thelma Samuel and Robin Baradel Communication: Tanay Katiyar

After eight episodes where we discussed intricacies of different areas of cognitive science — reasoning, the evolution of cultures, our relationship to our bodies, public policy, how children learn language, schizophrenia, the relationship between economics and neuroscience – one can wonder, what even is cognitive science?. How can a field of scientific investigation cover such a wide array of diverse phenomena across different levels of explanation? Why even use the term ‘cognitive science’? Don’t neuroscience and psychology cover it all? Well, there are answers to this question. In today’s episode, in order to gain some clarity and a step back, we turn towards the history and foundations of cognitive science. Pierre Jacob, is CNRS emeritus director of research. He is one of the founding members of the European Society for Analytic Philosophy and, from 2001 to 2009, was the first director of Institut Jean Nicod. Pierre has had an outstanding career as a philosopher of mind and cognitive science. He has worked on the nature of representations and explanations in psychology, on visual perception, and most recently, on our ability to understand the minds of others and its developmental roots. He is the author of multiple academic books, including, but not limited to: What Minds Can Do: Intentionality in a Non-Intentional World, in 1997, Ways of Seeing: The Scope and Limits of Visual Cognition, in 2003 with renowned neuroscientist Marc Jeannerod.  Tyler Burge's NY Times article here Credits: Interview: Tanay Katiyar and Jay Richardson Artwork: Ella Bergru Editing: Jay Richardson Music: Thelma Samuel and Robin Baradel Communication: Tanay Katiyar

Alejandrina Cristia and Camila Scaff explore the fascinating world of language acquisition in children. Cristia, a CNRS research director, dives into the complexities of speech and language understanding, while Scaff examines the impact of socioeconomic factors on language development. They discuss the significance of a child's first words and the transition from maternal to peer influence in language learning. Their insights reveal how cultural variations shape linguistic milestones and the importance of early language development in predicting future success.

Most actions humans take are social in nature. If they are not directly geared towards affecting others behaviors and thoughts, they are at least likely to have some impact on their lives. One can wonder if there is something special in one’s mind that determines the behaviors that are oriented towards others. After all, we do colloquially talk of social skills or social intelligence. So, what is so special about social behaviors? Another domain that makes the question painfully apparent is that of progress requiring collective action. Indeed, why are we so reliably capable of learning a difficult new skill, or getting a job, caring for our family – which are examples of things that require much practice and commitment – and why, at the same time, are we seeing large-scale inaction regarding climate change? How can the cognitive scientist explain this? What are the cognitive, neural and environmental determinants of our social capacities? What motivates us in our social lives? Today's guest is the person to answer these questions, or at least some of them…  Coralie Chevalier,  a behavioral scientist at the Institut Jean-Nicod. After having done her PhD at University College London, she did multiple postdocs at the Center for Autism Research at the University of Pennsylvania, King’s College’s institute of psychiatry. During her career she has worked on many topics, both fundamental and applied: autism, social motivation, grit, climate change policy, and much more…   Credits: Interview: Tanay Katiyar and Jay Richardson Artwork: Ella Bergru Editing: Matthieu Fraticelli Music: Thelma Samuel and Robin Baradel Communication: Tanay Katiyar

Nancy Kanwisher, a leading cognitive neuroscientist at MIT, reveals the fascinating architecture of the mind. She discusses how brain injuries have illuminated the localization of mental functions and the implications for cognitive diversity. The conversation delves into face recognition, autism, and the modularity of cognitive faculties. Kanwisher emphasizes the connection between human cognition and artificial intelligence, showcasing how deepening our understanding of the brain can reshape our perspective on cognition and atypical behaviors.