Cerebral Hemispheres 2
NEUROSCIENTIFICALLY CHALLENGED

NEUROSCIENCE MADE SIMPLER

Using Neuroscience to Debunk the Paranormal


Extrasensory perception, or ESP, is one of the most widely accepted paranormal phenomena, with almost half of adults in the United States affirming its existence. Under the rubric of ESP fall mental processes that are considered outside the normal range of thought, such as predicting the future, reading other people’s minds (telepathy), and knowing of distant events as they occur (clairvoyance). Detractors claim no reliable evidence of ESP has ever been presented, while supporters assert they have experienced these extraordinary thoughts, such as knowing someone was going to call right before the phone rang.

These areas are difficult for scientists because, although no scientific evidence exists to support such claims, they are also very difficult to disprove. It is clearly possible someone believes they had an eerie feeling at just the same moment a friend was involved in a car crash. A scientist might argue, however, that the person remembers a chill he had which would normally have been ignored, but now is remembered in conjunction with a disturbing event. The association is made after the fact, but remembered as if it were made beforehand. The same applies to the case of thinking about a friend, then hearing the phone ring and being surprised to hear her voice on the other end of the line. You may have thought about her a hundred times in the week before this call, but it is only considered a memorable event when the phone coincidentally rings during one of those times. Those who believe in ESP might ascribe this to telepathy, but a scientist might suggest this is due to coincidence and the human tendency to remember things through association. Still, it is hard to prove it’s not because of ESP.

A group of psychologists at Harvard University are using neuroimaging to try get to the bottom of this issue. Samuel Moulton and Stephen Kosslyn used fMRI to study participants as they viewed ESP and non-ESP stimuli. The non-ESP stimuli were pictures simply presented visually. The ESP stimuli were presented visually as well in three other ways. First, to measure telepathy, they were shown to the participants’ identical twin, relative, romantic partner, or friend, who was seated in another room. Then, to measure clairvoyance, they were displayed on a computer screen located out of sight of the participant. To measure precognition, the pictures were shown later (in the future).

They found no difference in the way the brain reacted to the ESP and the non-ESP stimuli, although there was a difference in the emotional importance the participants’ ascribed to the ESP stimuli. This finding supports the concept mentioned above, where we may assign significance to an event, then later correlate that event with a paranormal explanation. The researchers are the first to point out that this doesn’t prove ESP is not real. Once again, it’s hard to prove something like ESP doesn’t exist, as proponents can simply claim it is not measurable in this way (neuroimaging). But Moulton feels this is the best evidence against ESP thus far.

YOUR BRAIN, EXPLAINED

Sleep. Memory. Pleasure. Fear. Language. We experience these things every day, but how do our brains create them? Your Brain, Explained is a personal tour around your gray matter. Building on neuroscientist Marc Dingman’s popular YouTube series, 2-Minute Neuroscience, this is a friendly, engaging introduction to the human brain and its quirks using real-life examples and Dingman’s own, hand-drawn illustrations.

  • Dingman weaves classic studies with modern research into easily digestible sections, to provide an excellent primer on the rapidly advancing field of neuroscience. - Moheb Costandi, author, Neuroplasticity and 50 Human Brain Ideas You Really Need to Know

  • ...a highly readable and accessible introduction to the operation of the brain and current issues in neuroscience... a wonderful introduction to the field. - Frank Amthor, PhD, Professor of Psychology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, author, Neuroscience for Dummies

  • Reading like a collection of detective stories, Your Brain, Explained combines classic cases in the history of neurology with findings stemming from the latest techniques used to probe the brain’s secrets. - Stanley Finger, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Washington University (St. Louis), author, Origins of Neuroscience

  • An informative, accessible and engaging book for anyone who has even the slightest interest in how the brain works, but doesn’t know where to begin. - Dean Burnett, PhD, author, Happy Brain and Idiot Brain

BIZARRE

This book shows a whole other side of how brains work by examining the most unusual behavior to emerge from the human brain. In it, you'll meet a woman who is afraid to take a shower because she fears her body will slip down the drain, a man who is convinced he is a cat, a woman who compulsively snacks on cigarette ashes, and many other unusual cases. As uncommon as they are, each of these cases has something important to teach us about everyday brain function.

  • A unique combination of storytelling and scientific explanation that appeals to the brain novice, the trained neuroscientist, and everyone in between. Dingman explores some of the most fascinating and mysterious expressions of human behavior in a style that is case study, dramatic novel, and introductory textbook all rolled into one. - Alison Kreisler, PhD, Neuroscience Instructor, California State University, San Marcos

  • Through case studies of both exceptional people as well as those with disorders, Bizarre takes us on a fascinating journey in which we learn more about what is going on in our skull. - William J. Ray, PhD, Emeritus Professor of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, author, Abnormal Psychology

  • Dingman brings the history of neuroscience back to life and weaves in contemporary ideas seamlessly. Readers will come along for the ride of a really interesting read and accidentally learn some neuroscience along the way. - Erin Kirschmann, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychology & Counseling, Immaculata University

  • Bizarre is a collection of stories of how the brain can create zombies, cult members, extra limbs, instant musicians, and overnight accents, to name a few of the mind-scratching cases. After reading this book, you will walk away with a greater appreciation for this bizarre organ. If you are a fan of Oliver Sacks' books, you're certain to be a fan of Dingman's Bizarre. - Allison M. Wilck, PhD, Researcher and Assistant Professor of Psychology, Eastern Mennonite University