Comments on: Neuroscience of the human brain while freestyle rapping http://boingboing.net/2012/11/16/the-neuroscience-of-the-human.html Brain candy for Happy Mutants Sat, 25 May 2013 10:42:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: noah django http://boingboing.net/2012/11/16/the-neuroscience-of-the-human.html#comment-1585378 noah django Sat, 17 Nov 2012 07:16:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=194653#comment-1585378 "Spontaneous improvisation is a complex cognitive process that shares features with what has been characterized as a ‘flow’ state" interesting that the scientists and rappers both independently decided to use that word.  the rappers use "flow" specifically to describe their unique style, but also to describe rapping well e.g. "he was flowing," "he had the flow," which certainly is a reflection of the proper mental state.  must be something in the zeitgeist. the thing about the use of foam padding during the scans to keep their heads from bobbing was pretty good.  they made a point to note that all the subjects were right-handed, too.  this was by design because lefties and their different types of brains would skew the results, or just happenstance because righties dominate the population? curious if the results would change at all by studying recognized world-class freestylers vs the local guys that they rounded up.  video related, it's a world-class freestyler: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TAAx01TMi8 “Spontaneous improvisation is a complex cognitive process that shares features with what has been characterized as a ‘flow’ state”
interesting that the scientists and rappers both independently decided to use that word.  the rappers use “flow” specifically to describe their unique style, but also to describe rapping well e.g. “he was flowing,” “he had the flow,” which certainly is a reflection of the proper mental state.  must be something in the zeitgeist.

the thing about the use of foam padding during the scans to keep their heads from bobbing was pretty good.  they made a point to note that all the subjects were right-handed, too.  this was by design because lefties and their different types of brains would skew the results, or just happenstance because righties dominate the population?

curious if the results would change at all by studying recognized world-class freestylers vs the local guys that they rounded up.  video related, it’s a world-class freestyler:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TAAx01TMi8

]]> By: noah django http://boingboing.net/2012/11/16/the-neuroscience-of-the-human.html#comment-1585372 noah django Sat, 17 Nov 2012 06:52:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=194653#comment-1585372  "z=36" nice.  ”z=36″
nice.

]]> By: AdrenalineSleep http://boingboing.net/2012/11/16/the-neuroscience-of-the-human.html#comment-1585089 AdrenalineSleep Fri, 16 Nov 2012 22:48:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=194653#comment-1585089 The study is trying to show a contrast the difference between the brain while it is rapping something that is already known and rehearsed against times when it is rapping words that are made up along the way. It's less about trying to find out what the brain is doing while rapping and more like trying to identify what the brain is doing while being creative. Think of it this way: (brain_rapping + improvisation) - brain-_rapping = improvisation  The end result is about improvisation (or optimistically, about creativity) not about rapping. One of the collaborators in this study did the same thing with Jazz Pianists. (jazz_piano + improvisation) - jazz_piano = improvisation.  If the results are similar in nature, then they are getting at what it means to generate something creatively absent any specific act. The challenge is finding a way to get people in an MRI doing something that you can assess as creative. In theory, it could be extrapolated to be happening in painting or dancing but it's harder to fit someone's brain in a scanner being perfectly still. The study is trying to show a contrast the difference between the brain while it is rapping something that is already known and rehearsed against times when it is rapping words that are made up along the way. It’s less about trying to find out what the brain is doing while rapping and more like trying to identify what the brain is doing while being creative. Think of it this way:

(brain_rapping + improvisation) – brain-_rapping = improvisation 

The end result is about improvisation (or optimistically, about creativity) not about rapping. One of the collaborators in this study did the same thing with Jazz Pianists. (jazz_piano + improvisation) – jazz_piano = improvisation. 

If the results are similar in nature, then they are getting at what it means to generate something creatively absent any specific act. The challenge is finding a way to get people in an MRI doing something that you can assess as creative. In theory, it could be extrapolated to be happening in painting or dancing but it’s harder to fit someone’s brain in a scanner being perfectly still.

]]> By: pduggie http://boingboing.net/2012/11/16/the-neuroscience-of-the-human.html#comment-1584831 pduggie Fri, 16 Nov 2012 19:21:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=194653#comment-1584831 Is that showing how rap affects their brains, or how their brains are causing rap? Is that showing how rap affects their brains, or how their brains are causing rap?

]]> By: Xeni Jardin http://boingboing.net/2012/11/16/the-neuroscience-of-the-human.html#comment-1584641 Xeni Jardin Fri, 16 Nov 2012 17:26:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=194653#comment-1584641 I was looking for you on IM to brag about it. Thanks! I was looking for you on IM to brag about it. Thanks!

]]> By: Rob Beschizza http://boingboing.net/2012/11/16/the-neuroscience-of-the-human.html#comment-1584618 Rob Beschizza Fri, 16 Nov 2012 17:14:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=194653#comment-1584618 Nice shoop! Nice shoop!

]]> By: AdrenalineSleep http://boingboing.net/2012/11/16/the-neuroscience-of-the-human.html#comment-1584600 AdrenalineSleep Fri, 16 Nov 2012 17:06:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=194653#comment-1584600 This is an interesting follow up to studies conducted by Charles Limb on <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0001679" rel="nofollow">improvisation</a>. He did a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkRJG510CKo" rel="nofollow">TED Talk</a> regarding his studies and this looks like a replication of those results. As someone who is also doing research studying similar phenomena, this is very exciting and  promising news. This is an interesting follow up to studies conducted by Charles Limb on improvisation. He did a TED Talk regarding his studies and this looks like a replication of those results. As someone who is also doing research studying similar phenomena, this is very exciting and  promising news.

]]>