Neuroscience
Heard a podcast of Malcolm Gladwell (mp3 file) speaking at Hamline University School of Law last November. I suspect he was recounting many stories from Blink, and he is quite a storyteller.
His thesis is that quick decisions based on few bits of data are more accurate than decisions based which take a long time to reach and are based on multiple data sources. This sounds very intriguing. He points to some research (not footnoted in the podcast) where Emergency Department doctors are more accurate at diagnosing heart attacks with only 4 bits of data (none of which is patient age, prior heart attack history, or recent drug use).
This, he says, is counterintuitive, but true. It's fascinating, and he is a marvelous storyteller.
Being a librarian-to-scientists, I wanted more, um, scientific proof to support what he was saying. Still, since I am in the car for long stretches of time, I do like a good story, and this is one that made me think.
- Spotting Malcolm Gladwell
You'd probably have more luck avoiding media coverage of the financial crisis than you would Malcolm Gladwell, so busy has the man been promoting his new book Outliers. To save you drowning in all the reviews and interviews, the Digest lays out links...
- Elsewhere
For when you've had enough of journal articles: Britain has become the true Prozac Nation, claims Lib Dem Leader Nick Clegg. From New York magazine: Kids lie all the time - they've learned how to from their parents. A recent episode of Horizon...
- Blink!
Malcolm Gladwell's new book, Blink, is now available. Today's New York Times Book Review features a review of the book, written by David Brooks. The review is available here (free registration required). Previous discussion of Blink and...
- Deconstructing Scientific Articles
I spent some time this evening reading thoughtful, well-reasoned critiques of a few recent medical studies. On his blog, Genomics, Evolution, and Pseudoscience, Steven Salzberg describes 5 problems about the recent report that Cresor can result in "a...
- Favorite Children's Books
Two very interesting "sets of information" lately on my favorite children's books. (I say "sets of information" because one is a podcast of a lecture, and the other is an article / interview / podcast ... so what is the proper name for these bits...
Neuroscience
Counterintuitive, but True
Heard a podcast of Malcolm Gladwell (mp3 file) speaking at Hamline University School of Law last November. I suspect he was recounting many stories from Blink, and he is quite a storyteller.
His thesis is that quick decisions based on few bits of data are more accurate than decisions based which take a long time to reach and are based on multiple data sources. This sounds very intriguing. He points to some research (not footnoted in the podcast) where Emergency Department doctors are more accurate at diagnosing heart attacks with only 4 bits of data (none of which is patient age, prior heart attack history, or recent drug use).
This, he says, is counterintuitive, but true. It's fascinating, and he is a marvelous storyteller.
Being a librarian-to-scientists, I wanted more, um, scientific proof to support what he was saying. Still, since I am in the car for long stretches of time, I do like a good story, and this is one that made me think.
- Spotting Malcolm Gladwell
You'd probably have more luck avoiding media coverage of the financial crisis than you would Malcolm Gladwell, so busy has the man been promoting his new book Outliers. To save you drowning in all the reviews and interviews, the Digest lays out links...
- Elsewhere
For when you've had enough of journal articles: Britain has become the true Prozac Nation, claims Lib Dem Leader Nick Clegg. From New York magazine: Kids lie all the time - they've learned how to from their parents. A recent episode of Horizon...
- Blink!
Malcolm Gladwell's new book, Blink, is now available. Today's New York Times Book Review features a review of the book, written by David Brooks. The review is available here (free registration required). Previous discussion of Blink and...
- Deconstructing Scientific Articles
I spent some time this evening reading thoughtful, well-reasoned critiques of a few recent medical studies. On his blog, Genomics, Evolution, and Pseudoscience, Steven Salzberg describes 5 problems about the recent report that Cresor can result in "a...
- Favorite Children's Books
Two very interesting "sets of information" lately on my favorite children's books. (I say "sets of information" because one is a podcast of a lecture, and the other is an article / interview / podcast ... so what is the proper name for these bits...