Week 7

Santiago Ramon - Founder of neuro anatomy 

Artist Santiago Ramon was very fascinating as he was the founder of neuro-anatomy. He was the one who really understood on a macroscopic level the nervous system. He introduced neuronal generation and degeneration and how neurons work together. This was very interesting to me, because as a Cognitive Science major who studies neurology as well, I have never been taught who the founder of all these neural mechanisms was. We learn about the different neural changes and mechanics in the brain and body, but are never taught the history behind the founders of it.

Weather App 

One big thing related to neuroscience as well is the idea of consciousness. Based on the advancements in the technological industry, many people worry about the impact that computers have on society. One main concern is whether we as humans have become slaves to the machines. As of right now, we can safely say there is a fine line between humans and computers, however we see subtle changes within our society that can one day erase this line. For example, we depend on our devices for most pieces of advice. We used to be able to look outside and check the weather then decide what to wear that day, but now instead of heading for the window, we head for our phones to check what the weather app says.

Turing Test

One experiment done from this was the Turing test. A person was on the other side of the machine and responded to it and their task was to see if they could tell whether they were talking to a machine or a person based on the responses they heard. In most cases, they were able to tell, but there were also instances where they were not able to tell the difference. This is where concern rose. Just like our human brain, and the neural connections in our brain, with an input and output, this is how the machine works. Once we give an input, then we are able to get a proper output. 

Works Cited:

Giovanni Frazzetto and Suzanne Anker. “Neuroculture”. Science and Society. November 2009. Web.

Mark Halpern, "The Trouble with the Turing Test," The New Atlantis, Number 11, Winter 2006, pp. 42-63. http://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/the-trouble-with-the-turing-test

  

Turing. “Computing Machinery and Intelligence”. The Imitation Game. Web. http://www.loebner.net/Prizef/TuringArticle.html

Vesna, Victoria. “Conscious / Memory (Part 1).” Lecture. 16 Nov 2012. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=DLVQIwOn7o8

Vesna, Victoria. Lecture. “Conscious / Memory (Part 2).” 16 Nov 2012. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Xlg5wXHWZNI