Integrating Positive Psychology and Autism.
Shrouded Weight
What is the expectation of me?
Disability is a weight indeed.
Uncertain Fate
Staying afloat, with hope so thin,
Struggling each day, just to survive within.
Overwhelmed
Waves of doubt come crashing in.
Waiting on undefined academic expectations, I'm supposed to meet
Disability adds weight to my limbs,
And anxiety skyrockets within.
Crimson Fridays
Feeling end of semester pressure #gradschool
If Blue is for Monday, then I assign Crimson for Friday
CRIMSON FRIDAYS
Attribution Errors
Another attribution error is the actor-observer bias, which relates to the tendency for individuals to attribute their own behavior to situational factors (e.g., "I was late because of traffic") but attribute the behavior of others to dispositional factors (e.g., "They were late because they're always irresponsible"). This bias highlights the differing perspectives people have when explaining their own actions versus the actions of others, often giving themselves the benefit of the doubt while judging others more critically. Understanding attribution errors is essential because they can lead to misunderstandings and conflicts in interpersonal relationships and can affect how individuals perceive and interact with others. Recognizing these biases can help people become more empathetic and make more accurate judgments about the behaviors and motivations of those around them.
p-value
What is a p-value?
At its core, a p-value is a number that helps us determine the significance of an observation or result in statistical analysis. Imagine you've conducted an experiment or a survey, and you want to know if your findings are meaningful or just a result of chance. The p-value is your guide.
The Role of Probability
To grasp p-values, you need to understand the concept of probability. Think of it as a measure of how likely something is to happen. In statistics, we often want to know the probability of observing certain data if there's no real effect or difference. This is where p-values come into play.
Hypotheses: The Foundation
In any scientific study, you start with two hypotheses: the null hypothesis (H0) and the alternative hypothesis (H1). The null hypothesis represents the idea that there's no significant effect or difference, while the alternative hypothesis suggests the opposite – that there is a significant effect or difference.
The Experiment and the Data
You gather your data, conduct your analysis, and calculate a test statistic, which quantifies the difference between your observed data and what you would expect under the null hypothesis. This test statistic follows a particular distribution, like the normal distribution for many common statistical tests.
The P-Value's Revelation
Here's the moment of truth: the p-value tells you the probability of obtaining a test statistic as extreme as, or more extreme than, the one you calculated if the null hypothesis is true. In simpler terms, it answers the question: "How likely is it that my observed results are just due to random chance?"
Interpreting P-Values
Now, the key interpretation comes into play. If your p-value is small, typically less than 0.05 (but it can vary depending on the field), it suggests that your observed results are unlikely to have occurred by chance alone. This is your green light to reject the null hypothesis and accept that you've found something significant.
Conversely, if your p-value is large (greater than 0.05), it indicates that your observed results are quite likely to be explained by random chance, and you should stick with the null hypothesis.
It's Not Absolute Proof
One crucial thing to understand is that p-values don't provide absolute proof or disproof. They offer a level of evidence, but they can't tell you the size of an effect or whether it's practically meaningful. They merely guide you in determining if your results are statistically significant.
The Decerebrate Cat Walking Experiment
In the realm of scientific exploration, certain experiments push boundariesin ways not acceptable by modern ethical standards. One such experiment involves decerebrate cats (popular in the 1940-50s and not done anymore), but which shed light on locomotion,
The Decerebrate Cat Walking Experiment: The video showcases a decerebrate cat walking on a treadmill at varying speeds, revealing three distinct gait patterns. Decerebrate cats have had their cerebral cortex removed, leaving the brainstem intact. Essentially the cat was paralyzed as its spinal cord didn't talk to its brain anymore which means there was not enough muscle tone to keep the body upright; so researched used a harness to hold the weight of the body.
Locomotion was initiated by sensory input of the limbs on the moving thredmill.
The primary goal of these experiments was to explore the extent of the brain's involvement in controlling movement. At what level in the brain is behavior (locomotion) controlled. Researchers aimed to test the idea that much of locomotion control might be inherent to an animal's biomechanics, rather than relying heavily on conscious brain commands.
Findings:
- Minimal Brain Control: during locomotion, especially in activities like walking, trotting, or running, minimal control comes from the brain itself. Instead, the experiments suggest that a significant portion of locomotion control is achieved through biomechanical and morphological features of the animal's body.
- Biomechanical Design: The experiments support the concept of passive dynamic locomotion, which proposes that animals are capable of controlling their movements efficiently by taking advantage of their natural biomechanical structure.
Phrenology according to Gall. A Historical Curiosity
The prevailing view of the era was dominated by religious or philosophical beliefs rather than empirical research. Gall's ideas challenged long-held beliefs about the nature of the mind and the brain and landed in a lot of hot water.
And the hot water was not just religions, but also social. Phrenology also had practical implications, as some individuals and organizations began using it for character assessment in various contexts, such as education and employment. This raised ethical and legal questions about the fairness and validity of making judgments about people based on phrenological assessments.
Gall's most notable contribution was his intricate neuroanatomy diagram, which depicted the brain as a series of localized faculties or organs, each responsible for a particular aspect of personality or behavior. The size of these organs corresponded to a person's character traits and abilities. Obviously this is quite incredulous by today's standards - a historical curiousity.
- Firmness (in frontal lobe) Development of this area in the frontal lobe was associated with determination, willpower, and the ability to persevere in the face of challenges.
- Immortality: linked to religious and moral tendencies, as well as a sense of spirituality.
- Veneration (Parietal Love): related to feelings of respect, admiration, and reverence for authority figures or ideals
- Destructiveness (in lower back of brain): aggressive and combative behaviors, as well as a propensity for violence.
- Benevolence (frontal love): linked to kindness, empathy, and a compassionate nature.
- Acquisitiveness (forehead): desire for material wealth and possessions.
- Wit (Frontal Lobe): responsible for humor, quick thinking, and cleverness.
- Love of Offspring (back of brain):linked to parental instincts and the love and care of one's children.
- Secretiveness (Upper back of brain): associated with the tendency to keep secrets and be discreet.
- Self-Esteem (upper back of head): related to self-confidence, pride, and a sense of self-worth.
Null but Noteworthy Results
Picture this: scientists, huddled in labs, fervently running experiments, only to be met with a lack of statistically significant findings. It's when scientists don't get that big "Eureka!" moment they hoped for, meaning their experiments didn't yield any jaw-dropping, statistically significant results.
Our pursuit of knowledge should never be solely about finding "yes" or "no" answers. Embracing "Null but Noteworthy" results sparks curiosity, opening doors to entirely new avenues of inquiry. Like a maze with countless paths, these unassuming results may hold the key to groundbreaking revelations.
By acknowledging and sharing these seemingly modest findings, researchers foster an environment of honesty and integrity in science. No more sweeping those "unsuccessful" studies under the rug! It's time to celebrate the courage it takes to publish these results and the potential they have to refine our understanding of the world.
I think we need to remember that in a universe brimming with complexity, not every puzzle piece fits perfectly – and that's okay! These "Null but Noteworthy" results serve as guideposts for future investigations, leading us towards answers that might have otherwise remained hidden.
So, the next time you stumble upon a study with lackluster headlines, pause for a moment and give it a chance. Embrace the power of "Null but Noteworthy" - you never know what intriguing revelations might lie beneath the surface.
Stay curious, stay bold, and let's celebrate the beauty of scientific exploration in all its forms! 🧠
Low Crohbach's Alpha
Schrödinger's cat
In the thought experiment, a cat is placed in a sealed box along with a radioactive substance, a Geiger counter, and a poison. If the Geiger counter detects a radioactive decay, it will trigger the poison and the cat will die. However, according to quantum mechanics, the radioactive decay is in a superposition of states, both decayed and not decayed, until it is observed. Therefore, until the box is opened and the radioactive decay is observed, the cat is considered to be both alive and dead, in a superposition of states.
The thought experiment is often used to illustrate the concept of superposition and the idea that a quantum system can exist in multiple states simultaneously. It also highlights the role of observation and measurement in quantum mechanics, and the idea that the act of observation can collapse a superposition into a definite state.
The uncertainty principle
The uncertainty principle was first formulated by Werner Heisenberg in 1927 and is often expressed mathematically as: Δx * Δp >= h/4π, where Δx is the uncertainty in the position of the particle, Δp is the uncertainty in its momentum, and h is Planck's constant.
The uncertainty principle has important implications for the behavior of subatomic particles, as it means that they cannot be precisely described or predicted in the same way that macroscopic objects can be. Instead, quantum mechanics uses probabilistic descriptions to predict the behavior of particles, based on the wave function that describes the probability distribution of the particle's position and momentum.
The uncertainty principle also has broader implications for our understanding of the nature of reality, as it challenges our intuition and classical conceptions of how the world works. It has become a central concept in modern physics and has led to the development of many important technologies, including the scanning tunneling microscope and the laser.
POM 101
I completed the Protection of Minors Training this morning.
Why is this important - while a majority of students are not-minors, universities do cross path with thousands of children each year with all the programs they run., ~50K kids/year at Vandy, per the training.
Apparently 1:10 kids get abused (median age 9) but only 38% disclose and 90% perpetrators are known to the child. Types of abuse include physical, sexual, neglect and emotional.
When it comes to abuse, most just focus on the physical or sexual parts. I want to address childhood "abuse" in the context of disabled kids who are also subject to endless rounds of emotional abuse and neglect all through childhood. It's terribly unreported, not even acknowledged, and we carry lifelong emotional scars well into adulthood.
Here is a small example: Throughout my special education years in elementary I was moved around multiple classrooms, sometimes are many as 4 in the course of one school year. How is that not emotional abuse by teachers who openly did not want me in their classrooms and resentful of my presence. How does that make a small child feel. How it is that the very people we are supposed to trust to nurture and support us (the 98% of folks we are surrounded by), end up as the perpetuators of lifelong emotional trauma for us.
Last Lecture
As a graduating senior I got to attend a college tradition, a very motivational, Last Lecture by Astrophysics professor, Alexei Filipenko of the exploding supernova and black holes fame. Berkeley has all these amazing faculty who are just so interesting and engaging to listen to. You are just swept away when listening to them. For instance, when Prof Filippenko explains hawking radiation in class, he comes dressed as a black hole, and scatters shiny candy around class. And of course his t-shirt says, Dark Energy is the new black.
It was a lovely last lecture that led us through his personal journey, and his work, which was quite incredible to hear as well as motivational. He really focused on how how endless curiosity led him to where he is today.
The late Carl Sagan had said there were three important characteristics we needed, kindness, kindness and kindness. Professor Filippenko added empathy and curiosity to that list.
Oh, and the picture on the bottom is a quote from Socrates which says Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel. I think back to what Swami says about character being the end of education.