“We Speak with the Left Hemisphere": The Story of Paul Broca’s Discovery that Changed Our Understanding of the Human Brain
ABSTRACT: In 1865, Paul Broca declared “We speak with the left hemisphere.” It would become one of the most important declarations in the history of the neurosciences because it signalled a fundamental change in our understanding of the human brain. The story, or at least small parts of it, is routinely told in books and articles in neuropsychology, neurology, history of psychology, and, increasingly, textbooks in general psychology and brain and behavior, and the terms “Broca’s area,” “Broca’s region,” and “Broca’s aphasia” are among the best known eponyms in medicine and the brain sciences. Many of these accounts, however, are, more or less, pro forma, skipping over some important parts of the story and, in my view, mischaracterizing certain other parts. In this talk, I want to go more deeply into the historical record because the actual story is more interesting (and less straightforward) than the one usually told. I’ll begin with a brief account of Broca’s early life and education and of what led him to…
Emory Event Topic: Academics. College. Graduate. Lectures & Meetings. Event Open To: All. Presenter: Lauren Harris, PhD (Psychology, Michigan State University). Department/Organization: Center for Mind Brain and Culture. Series: CMBC Spring 2012 Lecture Series. Cost: Free. Building/Room: Psychology Building. Contact Name: Center for Mind, Brain, and Culture (Tamara Beck). Contact Email: cmbc@emory.edu.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
Psychology and Interdisciplinary Sciences Building (PAIS), Room 290.
For more info visit cmbc.emory.edu. In Search of the Creative Brain: Frederic Chopin and George Sand
ABSTRACT: This lecture focuses on the intersection between aesthetics and neuroscience, and draws on research for my book-in-progress, The Graphological Impulse. Relying on “documents” of creative work, textual and musical, that emerged in an unusually productive summer Chopin and Sand spent in the countryside, I present, in a first part, an analysis of the emergence of two artworks in a blend of phenomenological and formal perspectives. The archive I use is, crucially, that of handwritten materials, which enable us to trace a creative process. The simultaneous emergence of two masterpieces of composition in related genres (music and lyrical prose) begs the question of the role played by the environment in this creative process. Capitalizing on the “ecological” explanations current in creativity studies (explanations derived from neuroscience), I offer suggestions as to how recent scientific research on synaesthesia or on unconscious processes, as well as models of brain plasticity, might help us analyze the…
Emory Event Topic: Academics. College. Graduate. Lectures & Meetings. Event Open To: All. Presenter: Evelyne Ender, PhD (Department of Romance Languages, Hunter College, CUNY). Department/Organization: Center for Mind Brain and Culture. Series: CMBC Spring 2012 Lecture Series. Cost: Free. Building/Room: White Hall. Contact Name: Center for Mind, Brain, and Culture (Tamara Beck). Contact Email: cmbc@emory.edu.
Thursday, February 23, 2012, 4:15 PM – 5:15 PM.
White Hall, Room 110.
For more info visit cmbc.emory.edu. Handwriting: The Hand, the Brain, the Eye, the Ear
This lunch session will address the course of Dr. Ender’s engagement with the concept of graphology, bridging some of the topics of her Thursday lecture to focus specifically on implications of the emergent transition from hand-written, manuscript technologies to digital modes of writing and archival expression. This talk will survey several approaches to this transition in contemporary empirical research with the goal of opening up productive new possibilities for encounters between humanistic and scientific perspectives.
Emory Event Topic: Academics. College. Graduate. Lectures & Meetings. Event Open To: Faculty. Graduate Students. PhD. Students. Presenter: Evelyne Ender, PhD (Romance Languages, Hunter College, CUNY). Department/Organization: Center for Mind Brain and Culture. Series: CMBC Spring 2012 Lunch Colloquium Series. Cost: Free. Contact Name: Center for Mind, Brain, and Culture (Tamara Beck). Contact Email: cmbc@emory.edu.
Friday, February 24, 2012, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Limited seating by reservation only. Opportunities to register will be announced. Priority registration will be given to affiliates of the CMBC.
For more info visit cmbc.emory.edu. The Continuing Enigma of Left-Handedness
ABSTRACT: Left-handers are a minority in all human populations. For this reason, the existence of left hand preference has simultaneously fascinated and puzzled researchers. This talk will focus on the ongoing enigmas of left hand preference that remain elusive such as the relationship between left preference and pathology, family resemblances and differences in the side of hand preference, and studies of hand preference across cultures.
Emory Event Topic: Academics. College. Graduate. Lectures & Meetings. Event Open To: All. Presenter: Clare Porac, PhD (Psychology, Pennsylvania State University). Department/Organization: Center for Mind Brain and Culture. Series: CMBC Spring 2012 Lecture Series. Cost: Free. Building/Room: Psychology Building. Contact Name: Center for Mind, Brain, and Culture (Tamara Beck). Contact Email: cmbc@emory.edu.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
Psychology and Interdisciplinary Sciences Building (PAIS), Room 290.
For more info visit cmbc.emory.edu. Narrative: Films and Texts
How does one transform a literary narrative into film? What is the difference between writing for a narrative text and writing for a film? How might the author invoke scene, place, character and other elements differently depending on the medium? This discussion session will highlight Dr. Rushdie's expertise in narrative and how it functions in a variety of forms.
Emory Event Topic: Academics. College. Graduate. Lectures & Meetings. Event Open To: Faculty. Graduate Students. PhD. Students. Presenter: Salman Rushdie, University Distinguished Professor, Emory University. Department/Organization: Center for Mind Brain and Culture. Series: CMBC Spring 2012 Lunch Colloquium Series. Cost: Free. Contact Name: Center for Mind, Brain, and Culture (Tamara Beck). Contact Email: cmbc@emory.edu.
Thursday, March 1, 2012, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Limited seating by reservation
only. Opportunities to register will be announced. Priority registration will be given to affiliates of the CMBC.
For more info visit cmbc.emory.edu. Metaphors and the Mind
Emory's Center for Mind, Brain, and Culture and the Laney Graduate School’s New Thinkers, New Leaders program will present a one-day symposium: Metaphors and the Mind. Held in conjunction with Laura Otis’s and Krish Sathian’s graduate course, “Images, Metaphors, and the Brain,” this symposium will bring together three innovative writers (Jim Grimsley, Salman Rushdie, and Joseph Skibell) with three leading neuroscientists who do cutting-edge research on language (Anjan Chatterjee, Seana Coulson, David Kemmerer). The authors will read from their works and offer insights into the creative processes underlying literary writing, exchanging ideas with the scientists, who will present recent findings on the relevant brain mechanisms. Emory faculty, students, staff, and community members are invited to attend and participate in the discussion. The symposium will take place from 9-5 in Cox Hall and is free of charge.
Speaker/Presenter: Krish Sathian (Department of Neurology, Emory University) and Laura Otis (Department of English, Emory University); Jim Grimsley (Creative Writing, Emory University), Salman Rushdie (Distinguished University Professor, Emory University), Joseph Skibell (Creative Writing, Emory University), Anjan Chatterjee (Neurology, University of Pennsylvania), Seana Coulson (Cognitive Science, University of California San Diego), David Kemmerer (Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences and Psychological Sciences, Purdue Un… Building/Room: Cox Hall. Department/Organization: Center for Mind Brain and Culture. Cost: Free. Event Open To: Emory Community. Contact Name: Center for Mind, Brain, and Culture (Tamara Beck). Contact Email: cmbc@emory.edu. Region: *Metro Atlanta*.
Thursday, March 8, 2012, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM.
Cox Hall Ballroom.
For more info visit cmbc.emory.edu. Are Humans the Only Linguistic Species?
SYNOPSIS: Humans have language, which is a form of communication. Other animals have communication, but not language. This is usually how the debate about the uniqueness of our "language instinct" is summarized. But then there are apes that have learned symbolic communication, honey bees with dance language, and other possible exceptions. So, how unique is human language? Two experts of primate behavior debate the issue.
Emory Event Topic: Academics. College. Graduate. Lectures & Meetings. Event Open To: All. Presenter: Harold Gouzoules, PhD (Psychology, Emory University) and Frans de Waal (Psychology, Emory University and Living Links, Yerkes). Department/Organization: Center for Mind Brain and Culture. Series: CMBC Spring 2012 Lecture Series. Cost: Free. Building/Room: Psychology Building. Contact Name: Center for Mind, Brain, and Culture (Tamara Beck). Contact Email: cmbc@emory.edu.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
Psychology and Interdisciplinary Sciences Building (PAIS), Room 290.
For more info visit cmbc.emory.edu. PostDoc Mixer
Please join the Directors of the CMBC and your fellow Post-Docs for a social event.
●Meet and foster connections with other Post-Docs
●Build community
●Learn how being part of the CMBC can help you to do all of the above!
Department/Organization: Center for Mind Brain and Culture. School: Emory University. Region: *Metro Atlanta*. Cost: Free. Building/Room: Psychology Building. Contact Name: Tamara Beck. Contact Email: cmbc@emory.edu.
Thursday, March 29, 2012, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM.
Psychology and Interdisciplinary Sciences Building (PAIS), Room 464.
Aging and Post-reproductive Life in a Traditional World: Behavior, Physiology and Theory
Sponsored by the Department of Anthropology; co-sponsored by the CMBC.
Emory Event Topic: Academics. College. Graduate. Lectures & Meetings. Event Open To: All. Presenter: Hillard Kaplan, PhD (Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico). Department/Organization: Center for Mind Brain and Culture. Series: CMBC Spring 2012 Lecture Series. Cost: Free. Building/Room: White Hall. Contact Name: Center for Mind, Brain, and Culture (Tamara Beck). Contact Email: cmbc@emory.edu.
Monday, April 9, 2012, 3:15 PM – 4:15 PM.
White Hall, Room 205.
For more info visit cmbc.emory.edu. Lifelong Bilingualism: Linguistic Costs, Cognitive Benefits, and Long-term Consequences
ABSTRACT: A growing body of research using both behavioral and neuroimaging data points to a significant effect of bilingualism on cognitive outcomes across the lifespan. The main finding is evidence for the enhancement of executive control at all stages in the lifespan, with the most dramatic results being maintained cognitive performance in elderly adults, and protection against the onset of dementia. A more complex picture emerges when the cognitive advantages of bilingualism are considered together with the costs to linguistic processing. I will review evidence for both these outcomes and propose a framework for understanding the mechanism that could lead to these positive and negative consequences of bilingualism.
Sponsored by the Emory College Language Center; co-sponsored by the CMBC.
Emory Event Topic: Academics. College. Graduate. Lectures & Meetings. Event Open To: All. Presenter: Ellen Bialystok, PhD (Cognitive Development, York University, Toronto). Department/Organization: Center for Mind Brain and Culture. Series: CMBC Spring 2012 Lecture Series. Cost: Free. Contact Name: Center for Mind, Brain, and Culture (Tamara Beck). Contact Email: cmbc@emory.edu.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
Woodruff Library, Jones Room.
For more info visit cmbc.emory.edu. The Zany Science
ABSTRACT: Dr. Ngai is known for her innovative work in affect theory, which she makes speak to critical issues in African-American studies, feminism, queer theory, media studies, and aesthetics. Ugly Feelings—her first book—broke new ground by drawing attention to the "minor emotions," like irritation or boredom, in modernist texts ranging from Nella Larsen to Martin Heidegger. Ngai asks how attention to these critically ignored feelings might shake up our understanding of aesthetic values and their relation to social resistance. Ngai is also the author of more than twelve scholarly articles and a forthcoming book, Our Aesthetic Categories: Zany, Cute, and Interesting, which further her thinking on the intersections of affect, aesthetics, and modernity, while extending her study over a wide range of canonical and marginal texts of the twentieth century.
Sponsored by the Kemp Malone Committee of the Deparment of English;co-sponsored by the CMBC.
Emory Event Topic: Academics. College. Graduate. Lectures & Meetings. Event Open To: All. Presenter: Sianne Ngai, PhD (Department of English, Stanford University). Department/Organization: Center for Mind Brain and Culture. Series: CMBC Spring 2012 Lecture Series. Cost: Free. Building/Room: Winship Ballroom. Contact Name: Center for Mind, Brain, and Culture (Tamara Beck). Contact Email: cmbc@emory.edu.
Monday, April 23, 2012, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
Winship Ballroom.
For more info visit cmbc.emory.edu.