Children are the greatest learning machines in the universe. University of California, Berkeley researchers are tapping the cognitive smarts of babies, toddlers, and preschoolers to program computers to think more like humans. Imagine if computers could learn as much and as quickly as they do,” says Alison Gopnik, a developmental psychologist at Berkeley and author of The Scientist in the Crib and The Philosophical Baby. “Young children are capable of solving problems that still pose a challenge for computers, such as learning languages and figuring out causal relationships,” says Tom Griffiths, director of UC Berkeley’s Computational Cognitive Science Lab. “We are hoping to make computers smarter by making them a little more like children.”View full size

Children are the greatest learning machines in the universe. University of California, Berkeley researchers are tapping the cognitive smarts of babies, toddlers, and preschoolers to program computers to think more like humans.

Imagine if computers could learn as much and as quickly as they do,” says Alison Gopnik, a developmental psychologist at Berkeley and author of The Scientist in the Crib and The Philosophical Baby.

“Young children are capable of solving problems that still pose a challenge for computers, such as learning languages and figuring out causal relationships,” says Tom Griffiths, director of UC Berkeley’s Computational Cognitive Science Lab. “We are hoping to make computers smarter by making them a little more like children.”

(Source: futurity.org)

As part of cognitive behavioral therapy, receiving text messages can make people feel less isolated. Research by Adrian Aguilera, a social welfare professor at the University of California, Berkeley, has found an upside to texting, especially for people who feel stressed out, isolated, and alone. “When I was in a difficult situation and I received a message, I felt much better. I felt cared for and supported. My mood even improved,” reported one Spanish-speaking patient in Aguilera’s cognitive behavior therapy group at San Francisco General Hospital. The project began in 2010 when Aguilera developed a customized “Short Message Service (SMS)” intervention program in which his patients were sent automated text messages prompting them to think and reply about their moods and responses to positive and negative daily interactions. Ref: Professional Psychology: Research and Practice. View full size

As part of cognitive behavioral therapy, receiving text messages can make people feel less isolated. Research by Adrian Aguilera, a social welfare professor at the University of California, Berkeley, has found an upside to texting, especially for people who feel stressed out, isolated, and alone.

“When I was in a difficult situation and I received a message, I felt much better. I felt cared for and supported. My mood even improved,” reported one Spanish-speaking patient in Aguilera’s cognitive behavior therapy group at San Francisco General Hospital.

The project began in 2010 when Aguilera developed a customized “Short Message Service (SMS)” intervention program in which his patients were sent automated text messages prompting them to think and reply about their moods and responses to positive and negative daily interactions.

(Source: futurity.org)

During REM sleep there is a sharp decrease in a brain chemical associated with stress. Reprocessing difficult memories in such an environment makes coping with them easier.  Published in Current Biology, the study offers some of the first insights into the emotional function of Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, which typically takes up 20 percent of a healthy human’s sleeping hours. Previous brain studies indicate that sleep patterns are disrupted in people with mood disorders such as PTSD and depression. The research unlocks many of the mysteries linking sleep to learning, memory, and mood regulation—and shows the importance of the REM dream state. Matthew Walker, associate professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of California, Berkeley.View full size

During REM sleep there is a sharp decrease in a brain chemical associated with stress. Reprocessing difficult memories in such an environment makes coping with them easier. 

Published in Current Biology, the study offers some of the first insights into the emotional function of Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, which typically takes up 20 percent of a healthy human’s sleeping hours. Previous brain studies indicate that sleep patterns are disrupted in people with mood disorders such as PTSD and depression.

The research unlocks many of the mysteries linking sleep to learning, memory, and mood regulation—and shows the importance of the REM dream state.

Matthew Walker, associate professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of California, Berkeley.