MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'free will'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:11:37 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934045&cid=t_142960_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F008140.html If you want to turn down your impulses an electrical current will do the trick. London, 15 June 2011 - Inhibitory control can be boosted with a mild form of brain stimulation, according to a study published in the June 2011 issue of Neuroimage, Elsevier's Journal of Brain Function. The study's findings indicate that non-invasive intervention can greatly improve patients' inhibitory control. Conducted by a research team led by Dr Chi-Hung Juan of the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, National Central University in Taiwan, the research was sponsored by the National Science Council in Taiwan, the UK Medical Research Council, the Royal Society Wolfson Merit Award, and a Fulbright Award. This is like some science fiction novel. Imagine a young Jack... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934045 Tue, 14 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4934045 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4714699&cid=t_142960_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F008028.html Fresh minds are more forgiving. (thanks Valentin) The research, which examined judicial rulings by Israeli judges who presided over parole hearings in criminal cases, found that judges gave more lenient decisions at the start of the day and immediately after a scheduled break in court proceedings such as lunch. Jonathan Levav, associate professor of business at Columbia University, who co-authored the paper, said: "You are anywhere between two and six times as likely to be released if you're one of the first three prisoners considered versus the last three prisoners considered." We are influenced in our cognition by many forces without our awareness. Do we have free will? Are our decisions really based on conscious deliberation? Lots of lines of... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4714699 Tue, 12 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4714699 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4709175&cid=t_142960_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F008028.html Fresh minds are more forgiving. (thanks Valentin) The research, which examined judicial rulings by Israeli judges who presided over parole hearings in criminal cases, found that judges gave more lenient decisions at the start of the day and immediately after a scheduled break in court proceedings such as lunch. Jonathan Levav, associate professor of business at Columbia University, who co-authored the paper, said: "You are anywhere between two and six times as likely to be released if you're one of the first three prisoners considered versus the last three prisoners considered." We are influenced in our cognition by many forces without our awareness. Do we have free will? Are our decisions really based on conscious deliberation? Lots of lines of... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4709175 Tue, 12 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4709175 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4545018&cid=t_142960_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F03%2F04%2Fthe-costs-of-exposing-the-myth-of-free-will%2F Having recovered from the fabulous keyword=k13943&tabgroupid=icb.tabgroup119727″>Fifth Conference on Law and Mind Sciences, I’ve returned this week to my normal routine of teaching, researching, emailing, and procrastinating — but not without a new and fresh perspective. Indeed, on Thursday, as my Law and Mind Sciences seminar turned to our unit on neuroscience and I began rereading Joshua Greene and Jonathan Cohen’s article “For the Law, Neuroscience Changes Nothing and Everything,” I couldn’t help but think back to Situationist Contributor Aaron Kay’s compelling presentation on the benefits of believing in societal fairness for those who suffer from injustice.  In a series of studies, Aaron has documented that “members of disadvantaged g... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4545018 Fri, 04 Mar 2011 04:30:24 +0100 4545018 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4018224&cid=t_142960_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F09%2F30%2Fdan-dennett-at-harvard-law-on-free-will-responsibility-and-the-brain%2F From The Crimson: Tufts University professor Daniel C. Dennett discussed the ways in which neuroscience may impact human understanding of moral and legal responsibility to an overflowing audience in Pound Hall at Harvard Law School yesterday. The event, titled “Free Will, Responsibility, and the Brain,” was sponsored by the Law School’s Student Association for Law and Mind Sciences (SALMS), and began with a Dilbert comic strip depicting free will as an ambiguous concept. “It does justice to our common sense thinking about free will,” he said of the comic strip. Dennett, who co-directs the Tufts University Center for Cognitive Studies, is best known for his arguments that human consciousness and free will are the result of physical processes in the brain. Early in the talk, Dennet... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4018224 Thu, 30 Sep 2010 04:01:57 +0100 4018224 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3726786&cid=t_142960_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fwill-will-power-higher-power%2F Will power, will and higher power are terms discussed in 12-Step programs of recovery. I for one did not understand the differences between the various attitudes and actions I adopted. Then I came across something similar to the following and I was able to tell the difference between them – at least in theory. I took such a list to my sponsor and have been discussing these ever since. Counter will Opposition to ‘other’ will (other being spiritual guidance, another person, parent, boss or what one ‘must’ do) Child will (As when a child defies its parental guidance) Rebellion Positive will Willing what one ‘must’ do Disciplined will Parental will Creative will Willing what one ‘wants’ rather than what one needs Passionate will Higher will Spiritual will Higher Po... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3726786 Sat, 03 Jul 2010 17:24:01 +0100 3726786 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3710526&cid=t_142960_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F007289.html Blame your desire for instant gratification on the neurotransmitter dopamine. It's a common scenario: you're on a diet, determined to give up eating cakes, but as you pass the cake counter, all resolve disappears… Now, scientists at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging at UCL (University College London) have shed light on the brain processes that affect our will power and make us act impulsively. In a study published today in the Journal of Neuroscience, funded mainly by the Wellcome Trust, researchers led by Professor Ray Dolan have shown that increased levels of dopamine – a chemical in the brain involved in mediating reward, motivation, and learning through reinforcement, – make us more likely to opt for instant gratification, rather... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3710526 Mon, 28 Jun 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3710526 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3331442&cid=t_142960_122_f&fid=35068&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbrainwindows.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F03%2F04%2Ffree-will-choose-your-own-adventure%2F Another take on Free Will from Luke Surl comics… Filed under: Fun, philosophy Tagged: comic, free will (Source: Brain Windows) Brain Windows blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3331442 Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:40:35 +0100 3331442 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3172211&cid=t_142960_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2FCfKUJg8lKIA%2F Addiction illuminates concept of free will Harvard Provost, Steven Hyman, recently gave a lecture titled “Compulsion and the Brain: Subverting the Concept of Self-Control.” He provided an easy to understand description of the neurobiological basis for addiction: Hyman began by explaining what neuroscience has learned about the process by which humans choose among multiple goals and [...] (Source: Recovery Is Sexy.com) Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3172211 Wed, 13 Jan 2010 20:09:32 +0100 3172211 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2977246&cid=t_142960_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F006702.html An article in New Scientist explores how user interface researchers are developing ways to better persuade people to make choices that assorted organizations want them to make. Researchers at Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands are using iCat, a robotic cat made by Philips, to advise on energy use. It talks and can move its lips, eyelashes and eyebrows. Concerns from an early era about the ability of Madison Avenue advertising agencies to brainwash humans with TV ads seem quaint compared to what high resolution UIs and eventually artificially intelligent robots will do to persuade us. Cuteness can persuade. One experiment showed that when programming a washing machine, people were more inclined to follow energy consumption advice about different... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2977246 Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100 2977246 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2958800&cid=t_142960_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F006684.html A murderer in Italy got a lighter sentence due to a judge's view that the murderer had a genetically impaired ability to resist violetn impulses. A judge's decision to reduce a killer's sentence because he has genetic mutations linked to violence raises a thorny question – can your genes ever absolve you of responsibility for a particular act? Regards the idea of genes absolving someone of responsibity: If they do then I think the genes reduce a person's rights at the same time. If a person has genes that compel him to violate the rights of others then that person lacks attributes needed to make that person into a full rights-possessing being. In my view human rights do not come... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2958800 Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100 2958800 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2930938&cid=t_142960_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F006656.html Some people think they make decisions for conscious reasons using their rational faculties. They are so funny. Others treat their emotions as conduits to a supernatural realm of truth and enlightenment. If they are really tapped into the supernatural then the supernatural realm is pretty overrated. But people are led around by their noses without even knowing it. People are unconsciously fairer and more generous when they are in clean-smelling environments, according to a soon-to-be published study led by a Brigham Young University professor.The research found a dramatic improvement in ethical behavior with just a few spritzes of citrus-scented Windex.Katie Liljenquist, assistant professor of organizational leadership at BYU’s Marriott School of Management, is the lead author on the piece... FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2930938 Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 2930938 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2778501&cid=t_142960_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F09%2F09%2Fbargh-and-baumeister-and-the-free-will-debate-part-ii%2F In conclusion, we think it is possible to maintain a belief in determinism, but it should not be obligatory for psychologists. In fact, psychologists who retain a faith in determinism must keep this an abstract belief and violate it in practice: They must act as if people really make choices, as if multiple possibilities exist for future life, and as if statistical probabilities refer to different possible events. Determinism is not viable in practice but is an elegant theory that people may find appealing as an abstract article of faith. The main alternative to it is a probabilistic universe, in which multiple futures are really possible and causes operate by changing the odds that something will happen rather than guaranteeing it. * * * John Bargh & Brian Earp, “The Will is Cau... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2778501 Wed, 09 Sep 2009 04:01:31 +0100 2778501 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2660780&cid=t_142960_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F08%2F01%2Fbargh-and-baumeister-and-the-free-will-debate%2F From Googlevideo: “John A. Bargh, Ph.D., professor at Yale University [and Situationist Contributor], speaks during a symposium at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology Convention in Tampa, FL. This special keynote session was titled “What Social Psychology can Tell Us about the ‘Free Will’ Question.” * * * * * * From Googlevideo: Roy Baumeister of Florida State University speaks at the same event about the usefulness and complexity of consciousness and human culture. * * * * * * To read a sample of related Situationist posts, see “The Death of Free Will and the Rise of Cheating,” “Interview of Eric Kandel,” and “Coalition of the Will-less.” (Source: The Situationist) The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2660780 Sat, 01 Aug 2009 04:01:41 +0100 2660780 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2293103&cid=t_142960_122_f&fid=35068&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbrainwindows.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F03%2F24%2Fthe-science-of-free-will%2F Over the weekend I had the opportunity to deliver a Message to a Unitarian Universalist congregation in my hometown.  The topic?  The Science of Free Will : What science does and does not tell us about our ability to choose. It was quite a challenge translating some recent scientific results into layperson terms, while tying the results to more philosophical issues.  I think the sermon went well though.  The churchgoers are almost dogmatically anti-dogma and openminded, with many questions that were dificult to answer. It was a great experience to get outside the bubble of science. Below are my prepared remarks, led off by two readings from Hippocrates and David Foster Wallace. An audio link will be up in a few days. The full version of the David Foster Wallace reading is available her... Brain Windows blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2293103 Tue, 24 Mar 2009 12:31:27 +0100 2293103 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1782533&cid=t_142960_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F09%2Four-genes-do-not-make-us-do-it.html There s an old saying: "The devil made me do it." The modern iteration of this I-can't help-myself-excuse is: "My genes made me do it." This idea was boosted in a report recently that men with a certain gene variant were twice as likely to commit adultery as men without it. Erik Parens, a bioethicist at the Hastings Center Report, writes about this in today's San Francisco Chronicle. From his column:First, it's possible to have the gene variant but to have no marital difficulties. (66 percent of the men with two copies of the variant had no marital trouble.) Second, it's possible to have marital difficulties but not have the gene variant. (Again, 15 percent of the men with no copies of the variant did have trouble.) So, taking the results at face value, if you're a man and have the variant... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1782533 Wed, 10 Sep 2008 15:29:00 +0100 1782533 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1655441&cid=t_142960_122_f&fid=34756&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbrainethics.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F07%2F25%2Fsway-irrational-desires-and-errors%2F Just noticed this very attractive title by the Brafman brothers- The book, Sway – the irresistable pull of irrational behavior, “will challenge your every thought”, according to a NY Times review. And it gets similarly good reviews from other prominent people, like Michael Shermer, the author of the recent book The mind of the market, which I blogged about recently. I found a couple of good videos on this book that’s good to share: A longer version with more nuances can be seen here: So after this, you get the idea: unconscious, automatic thought patterns act out and cause irrational behaviours, sometimes at the worst possible time and place.The questions raised are, of course, interesting and important. Why do we sometimes make horrific decisions, despite having ... BRAINETHICS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1655441 Fri, 25 Jul 2008 12:29:06 +0100 1655441 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1625589&cid=t_142960_122_f&fid=34756&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbrainethics.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F07%2F16%2Fserotonin-and-value-based-decision-making%2F Can antidepressive medicine alter your decision behaviour? A recent paper in Science now demonstrates that alterations in subjects’ serotonin levels leads to significant changes in their decision making behaviour. In the study, subjects were set to play the Ultimatum Game repeatedly. Subjects had to do the task two times at two different days, and at one of the days they were administered an acute tryptophan depletion (ATD), i.e., their serotonin levels would drop for a period of time. The design was double-blind and placebo controlled. The Ultimatum Game is an experimental economics game in which two players interact to decide how to divide a sum of money that is given to them. The first player proposes how to divide the sum between themselves, and the second player can either accep... BRAINETHICS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1625589 Wed, 16 Jul 2008 09:52:49 +0100 1625589 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2786034&cid=t_142960_109_f&fid=38952&url=http%3A%2F%2Fschlockdoc.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F07%2Fbiology-vs-psychology-false-dichotomy.html (Source: psychobabble) psychobabble blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2786034 Fri, 11 Jul 2008 02:20:00 +0100 2786034 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2786035&cid=t_142960_109_f&fid=38952&url=http%3A%2F%2Fschlockdoc.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F07%2Ffree-will-and-eating-disorders.html (Source: psychobabble) psychobabble blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2786035 Thu, 03 Jul 2008 03:46:00 +0100 2786035 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1508389&cid=t_142960_85_f&fid=34924&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.baggas.com%2Fposts%2F2008%2F06%2F11%2Fa-few-good-links%2F The Exigent City - this is a fascinating in-depth article from the New York Times on the history, sociology and architecture of refugee camps around the world. They also have a good article on the groth of new cities. Ben Witherington writes an excellent post on God’s freedom, love, and human free-will. I’ve been pondering some of these issues lately so this is very timely. On the US election, this article compares the online presence of Obama and McCain, and this article looks at McCain’s strategy in searching for a Vice President - Google! Apple News from the WWDC conference. A better, cheaper iPhone with 3G and GPS, coming to Australia soon (wonder how long I will be able to resist?). An upgraded .Mac service (no trouble resisting that) and a new Mac OSX ‘Snow Le... Baggas' Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1508389 Wed, 11 Jun 2008 01:56:31 +0100 1508389 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1492053&cid=t_142960_122_f&fid=34756&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbrainethics.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F06%2F04%2Foxytocin-the-direct-route-to-altruism%2F In relation to our previous and well-visited post about oxytocin, we should mention a new study that uses this very substance in a neuroeconomic set-up. In the study, recently published by Neuron, and headed by Baumgartner et al., it was found that the administration of oxytocin affected subjects’ in a trust game. In particular, it was found that subjects that received oxytocin were not affected by information about co-players that cheated. Or, as put in the abstract: (…) subjects in the oxytocin group show no change in their trusting behavior after they learned that their trust had been breached several times while subjects receiving placebo decrease their trust. That is extremely interesting. This suggests that oxytocin, a mammalian hormone + neurotransmitter that is known to... BRAINETHICS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1492053 Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:29:48 +0100 1492053 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1432936&cid=t_142960_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F05%2F09%2Finterview-of-eric-kandel%2F Here is a twenty-one minute interview of Nobel Laureate Eric Kandel, discussing memory, free will, the history of science, Freud, and his work with pharmaceutical companies among other things. This video comes from Science Blogs. (Source: The Situationist) The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1432936 Fri, 09 May 2008 16:00:51 +0100 1432936 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1240363&cid=t_142960_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F237148716%2F Dear Mr or Mrs Next US President, We are glad to welcome you to our blog carnival. After a short hiatus, Encephalon is back and gathering steam. We have prepared this "revival" edition just for you, so you can be well informed and impress us all during the upcoming Sciencedebate 2008. Without further ado, let's proceed to the questions posed by 24 bloggers on neuroscience and psychology issues. We hope they provide, at the very least, good mental stimulation for you and your advisors. Big Questions Do I deserve to vote even if I don't have Free Will? (Marc at Neuroscientifically Challenged). If culture sculpts our brains, what can our brains do to refine our culture first? (Stephanie at Brains On Purpose). Is God more than a flying brain? (Jessica at bioephemera). Is Your brain r... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1240363 Tue, 19 Feb 2008 06:47:33 +0100 1240363 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1239450&cid=t_142960_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F237148716%2F Dear Mr or Mrs Next US President, We are glad to welcome you to our blog carnival. After a short hiatus, Encephalon is back gathering steam. We have prepared this "revival" edition just for you, so you can be well informed and impress us all during the upcoming Sciencedebate 2008. Without further ado, let's proceed to the questions posed by 23 bloggers on neuroscience and psychology issues. We hope they provide, at the very least, good mental stimulation for you and your advisors. Big Questions Do I deserve to vote even if I don't have Free Will? (Marc at Neuroscientifically Challenged). If culture sculpts our brains, what can our brains do to refine our culture first? (Stephanie at Brains On Purpose). Is God more than a flying brain? (Jessica at bioephemera). Is Your brain reall... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1239450 Mon, 18 Feb 2008 20:17:59 +0100 1239450 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=823673&cid=t_142960_109_f&fid=35677&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FBrainBasedBusiness%2F%7E3%2F148711110%2Fresearcher_who_redefined_free.html What separates people who steal from the public purse and those who give back millions to help others? That moment of choice ... which makes some a sinner and others a saint … consumed Benjamin Libet’s research until his July 23 death at the age of 91. Libet’s well respected research points to a smaller window on choices than once observed, according to latimes.com. After 20 years of studying the brain, Libet concluded that instead of a free will, the mind has a free won’t. Through a series of experiments Libet and his research team observed electrodes imbedded deep in the brains of epilepsy patients - and measured neural circuits stimulated.He compared how long a signal is required to elicit a response and how long that response took. Electrical sti... BrainBasedBusiness blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=823673 Mon, 27 Aug 2007 09:48:43 +0100 823673