Ana Kasparian harming rights with her outrage
- David Wood (Apologetics Roadshow), Dave Chappelle; Eds., Wisdom Quarterly
Showing posts with label decision day. Show all posts
Showing posts with label decision day. Show all posts
Sunday, June 1, 2025
Chappelle's Guide to Abortion (Wood)
Tuesday, November 5, 2024
LIVE: Indecision 2024 (TDS) and news
Voting is a lot like driving. If you want to go backwards, put it in R. If you want to go forward, put it in D. If you are undecided, stay in N and idle or just shut it off altogether.
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| Bloodied but unbowed: Trump Media crashes |
- Early results say JD Vance is winning with 19 (Indiana and Kentucky) electoral votes to Tim Harris' 3, which was barely squeaked out in what was essentially a draw of less than the margin of error. Other Republican states are just closing (4:30 pm California time, where polls stay open until 8:00 pm and people can probably drop off until midnight) -- and worst of all, three Pennsylvania counties have experienced a computer glitch which is putting a halt to voting. People are waiting in line, and experts are being sent in to resolve the problem. Will it be fast enough for people to vote? All these things are setting up a massive court case for one side or the other to draw out. West Virginia has flipped to Vance, with a new Republican Senate seat. The gossip is that Democrats would have done better keeping Old Man G-Joe.
Trump media shares trading halted amid dramatic Election Day selloff
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| I'm not going to jail!!! |
The stock, which has been particularly volatile since it went public this summer, saw a sharp drop in price from $39.76 to $32.92 between 2:10 and 2:55 pm EST on Election Day.
The company, which operates Truth Social, saw its share price slightly rebound not long after sales were halted. Experts have said the stock will likely remain erratic throughout Election Day as the company’s relevance is largely reliant on Trump’s personal successes as the most prominent figure on Truth Social.
Trump’s company, which uses the ticker symbol DJT and is based out of Florida, suffered its largest percentage decline last week, taking off around $4 billion from its market cap, reported Yahoo! Finance.
- "Trump Media" shares halted amid dramatic Election Day selloff
- How Trump is feeling as some 2024 election results start to trickle in
- Trump Media shares gain 10 points in after hours trading as voting in heated presidential election nears end
- Scientists say they know how the universe will end
- World War 3 nuclear conflict could be triggered by three events, warns AI
- RFK Jr. thanks wife Cheryl Hines for sticking with him on Election Day
- Philly Police shut down Trump’s ‘massive cheating’ claims
- Polling station flub in swing state Pennsylvania will make vote counting ‘go very
- Don Juan Trump lawsuit served at Mar-a-Lago on Election Day court filing
- North Korea launches barrage of ballistic missiles on eve of the US election
- They were made without eggs or sperm. Are they human?
- Elon Musk's private jet has landed in Florida following report he'll be watching election results with his buddy Don Trump at Mar-a-Lago
- Lost Continent unlike anything found today discovered off the coast of Australia
- Loser lawyer Rudy Giuliani's apartment was emptied weeks ago, victims in defamation case say
🔴 STREAMING: 24 hours of Indecision 2024 | The Daily Show
Sunday, March 10, 2024
Study: impact of mindfulness meditation
PsyPost (doi.org/10.1177/17470218241228859); Dhr. Seven, Larson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
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| OpenAI's DALL·E (photo credit: OpenAI's DALL·E) © PsyPost |
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Recent research published in the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology suggests that even brief periods of mindfulness meditation (Buddhist sati) can have a profound impact on our ability to learn and make decisions.
Participants who practiced mindfulness meditation not only enhanced their ability to learn from unexpectedly positive outcomes but also demonstrated increased openness to new experiences, favoring exploration of novel options over reliance on familiar choices.
A growing body of evidence suggesting that mindfulness meditation, a practice rooted in ancient spiritual traditions in Buddhism and now integral to various contemporary psychological therapies, could have far-reaching effects on cognitive flexibility, emotional regulation, and stress reduction.
Beyond these recognized benefits, the researchers behind the new study sought to understand if and how a brief mindfulness intervention could directly influence the way individuals learn from feedback in decision-making scenarios, where outcomes are not guaranteed.
“Our interest in this topic was driven by the recognition of mindfulness meditation’s remarkably potent influence on human cognition and its capacity to modify deeply rooted social biases,” explained study author Marius Golubickis, a lecturer at the University of Aberdeen and head of the Aberdeen Computational Social Cognition Lab.
- Related video: A mental health expert explains how to improve work-life balance (USA TODAY)
- Mental Health Monday: Deep brain stimulation treatment for depression
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| I feel smarter because I remember more easily |
“The revelation that even brief, 5-minute meditation sessions can exert substantial impacts highlights the practicality and accessibility of these practices for people leading busy lives. This exploration into the simplicity and efficiency of mindfulness meditation opens fascinating avenues for enhancing learning and personal development, highlighting its vital role in our cognitive toolkit.”
The researchers recruited a sample of 60 participants with minimal to no prior experience in meditation. Participants’ backgrounds were diverse in terms of educational attainment, ranging from high school education to Ph.D. degrees.
These participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups, a mindfulness meditation group or a control group.
For those in the mindfulness group, the intervention consisted of a 5-minute guided meditation focused on mindful breathing. This exercise aimed to cultivate attention on the present moment in a non-judgmental manner, guiding participants to observe their breath and gently redirect their focus whenever distractions arose.
On the other hand, the control group engaged in a 5-minute task involving Chinese puzzles (Tangram), selected as a neutral activity unlikely to influence cognitive or emotional states in the same manner as mindfulness meditation.
Following these activities, all participants embarked on the primary experimental task: a Probabilistic Selection Task.
This task was designed to simulate decision-making under uncertainty, requiring participants to choose between pairs of symbols based on probabilistic feedback about their correctness.
The symbols, derived from Japanese Hiragana characters, were presented in pairs (AB, CD, EF), with each pair having a defined probability that choosing one symbol would result in positive feedback.
For example, choosing symbol A over B would yield a correct response 80% of the time.
This structure allowed the researchers to create a learning environment where participants had to discern and adapt to these probabilities over time, mirroring real-life decisions where outcomes are often uncertain.
To analyze the data, the researchers employed advanced computational modeling techniques, specifically the Reinforcement Learning Drift Diffusion Model (RL-DDM).
This model integrates reinforcement learning theories, which explain how behavior is shaped by feedback, with decision-making processes, capturing both the choice probabilities and the response times.
Golubickis and his colleagues found that participants who engaged in the mindfulness meditation session showed an enhanced ability to learn from positive feedback in uncertain decision-making scenarios compared to those in the control group.
This enhanced learning rate following positive feedback suggests that mindfulness meditation helps individuals to more effectively process and utilize information that exceeds their expectations, thereby optimizing their decision-making process in situations characterized by uncertainty.
The computational modeling analysis provided insights into the cognitive mechanisms underpinning these effects.
Mindfulness meditation appeared to influence several key cognitive processes involved in learning and decision-making.
Specifically, the meditation group exhibited faster learning rates from positive prediction errors, meaning they were quicker to adjust their expectations and behavior based on unexpectedly positive outcomes.
“Perhaps the most remarkable finding was the significant impact of brief mindfulness on the learning process, particularly its ability to heighten sensitivity to positive surprises,” Golubickis told PsyPost.
“This nuanced alteration suggests that even short periods of mindfulness meditation can profoundly influence our cognitive responses to unexpected positive outcomes, underscoring the potential for mindfulness to enhance how we perceive and learn from our experiences.”
The mindfulness group also displayed increased response caution, as evidenced by a higher decision threshold in the RL-DDM analysis.
This finding implies that mindfulness meditation leads individuals to require more evidence before making a decision, reflecting a more deliberate and less impulsive approach to choosing among uncertain options.
Additionally, the researchers found that mindfulness meditation influenced the tendency to explore rather than exploit, as indicated by changes in drift rate scaling — a measure of how strongly participants favored options with the highest expected value.
This shift towards exploration suggests that mindfulness encourages a more balanced approach to decision-making, where the value of gathering new information and experiencing novel outcomes is appreciated alongside the safety of sticking with known, rewarding options.
“Anchored in the fundamental premise that learning primarily occurs through making a mistake and receiving feedback, our study illuminates how a brief mindfulness intervention can refine this learning mechanism,” Golubickis explained.
“Specifically, it enhances how we process and benefit from feedback that surpasses expectations.”
“Consider a situation where someone anticipates a modest improvement in their skill after practice but experiences a significant leap instead.
Mindfulness also cultivates a disposition towards open-minded exploration, encouraging individuals to venture beyond known territories, show a willingness to consider competing viewpoints, and embrace new possibilities and alternative viewpoints.”
The findings reinforce the cognitive benefits of mindfulness meditation. But the research has some caveats, including the exclusive focus on one form of mindfulness practice and its immediate effects.
The longevity of these cognitive enhancements and their evolution with sustained mindfulness practice remain areas ripe for further exploration.
“A significant limitation of our study is the uncertainty regarding the duration of mindfulness effects on learning,” Golubickis said.
“These effects could last for 15 minutes or extend for several hours; the exact timeframe remains unclear.
Additionally, it’s unknown how these effects might evolve with long-term mindfulness practice, raising questions about the sustainability and potential growth of benefits over time.”
The researchers express an interest in broadening this inquiry to understand how mindfulness can intersect with various cognitive functions and serve as a tool for mental health interventions.
The potential of leveraging new technologies and computational methods to deepen our understanding of mindfulness and cognition also presents an exciting frontier for future research.
“Moving forward, our research will investigate mindfulness’s impact across cognitive functions, and of course its utility in mental health interventions,” Golubickis told PsyPost.
“A comprehensive approach to psychological well-being aligned with cognitive enhancements would be beneficial.”
“I would like to underscore the potential of new techniques and methodologies in this area of research,” he added.
“Along with AI computation and Digital Transformation, these technologies potentially offer invaluable insights, opening up new perspectives and enhancing our understanding in ways that would not be possible through traditional research approaches alone.
It can significantly enrich our analyses, providing a deeper, comprehension of cognition.”
- The study, “Brief mindfulness-based meditation enhances the speed of learning following positive prediction errors,” was authored by Marius Golubickis, Lucy B. G. Tan, Parnian Jalalian, Johanna K Falbén, and Neil C Macrae.
- Study reveals the remarkable impact of meditation on basic cognitive mechanisms during learning (PsyPost via msn.com)
More from PsyPost
Wednesday, July 5, 2023
The limits of computing -- a paradox (video)
Jade Tan-Holmes, Up and Atom;; CC Liu, Sheldon S. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
Hey, Jade, who is math genius "Cleo"?
How this one question breaks computers
CHAPTERS
- 0:00 A double edged sword
- 1:00 Universality
- 3:09 Thanks Nebula
- 4:32 How do we know there are problems computers will never solve?
- 6:05 Hilbert's Program
- 7:59 Decidability
- 11:39 Turing hears about the Entscheidungsproblem (uh-oh)
- 13:27 The Halting Problem
- 16:42 Undecidability
Computer Science Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription! go.nebula.tv/upandatom
Recommended shows
Hi! I'm Jade. [Give me money.] Like to consider supporting Up and Atom? Head over to the Patreon page: patreon.com/upandatom. Visit the Up and Atom store store.nebula.app/collections... Subscribe to Up and Atom for physics, math, and computer science videos: upandatom. For a one-time donation, head over to PayPal: paypal.me/upandatomshows. Sources matjaz.substack.com/p/why-are... khanacademy.org/computing... udacity.com/course/intro-...
Hi! I'm Jade. [Give me money.] Like to consider supporting Up and Atom? Head over to the Patreon page: patreon.com/upandatom. Visit the Up and Atom store store.nebula.app/collections... Subscribe to Up and Atom for physics, math, and computer science videos: upandatom. For a one-time donation, head over to PayPal: paypal.me/upandatomshows. Sources matjaz.substack.com/p/why-are... khanacademy.org/computing... udacity.com/course/intro-...
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Sunday, November 3, 2013
Moral Tribes: Emotion, Reason, Gap (forum)
CC Liu, Seth Auberon, Wisdom Quarterly; KPCC FM (scpr.org)
Dr. Joshua Greene, Harvard Moral Cognition Lab, talks about morally-based decision-making
and the brain. Although matters of morality are abstract, there are ways of examining brains while we decide, allowing for the collection of data about brain activity in
parallel with our decisions. In this way, we
can better understand which brain circuits drive different types of
decisions, particularly those involving moral judgment.
Why can't we come together on climate change? Should the rich pay higher
taxes? Should they use their profits to help desperate strangers on the other side
of the world? Do gays have a right to marry? Does a woman with an
unwanted pregnancy have a right to choose? Is it wrong to eat animals
because we care more about their taste than their pain?
On Thursday, Nov. 14th, explore how we make decisions about such questions as KPCC's science reporter Sanden Totten speaks with guest Dr. Joshua Greene, director of Harvard University's Moral Cognition Lab and author of Moral Tribes: Emotion, Reason, and the Gap Between Us and Them.
On Thursday, Nov. 14th, explore how we make decisions about such questions as KPCC's science reporter Sanden Totten speaks with guest Dr. Joshua Greene, director of Harvard University's Moral Cognition Lab and author of Moral Tribes: Emotion, Reason, and the Gap Between Us and Them.
Through a "Me vs. Us" and "Us vs. Them" lens, Dr. Greene takes a
penetrating and entirely original look at the ways in which neuroscience
and evolution guide our moral decision-making process.
(TED Talks) "Experience vs. Memory," Nobel laureate and
founder of "behavioral economics" Prof. Kahneman reveals how our
"experiencing selves" and our "remembering selves" perceive happiness
differently. This new insight has profound implications for economics,
public policy, and our own self-awareness. He is regarded as the world's most influential living
psychologist.
In the tradition
of Prof. Daniel Kahneman's Thinking, Fast and Slow, Moral Tribes
deftly reveals the science behind our modern thinking and moral
dilemmas and offers a new way of looking at and resolving seemingly
irresolvable moral issues.
- Crawford Family Forum, Pasadena
- 7:00 pm - Program
- Admission is FREE with RSVPs
- AUDIO: Comedy "Adam West on Kanye West"
- Marianne Williamson announces run for Congress
- Natural alternative for healthy women's SEX drive
- Fighting tickets remains a right in police state
Friday, May 1, 2009
May Day is College Decision Day
TIME
Kentucky's Berea College does not charge any of its students tuition.
For high school seniors, May 1 was D-Day. Decision Day. After weeks of weighing the pros and cons, they had until the last mail pickup on Friday to postmark a deposit to reserve a spot in next year's freshman class.
In this spring of economic certainty, many nationally known schools are sweating over whether they'll enroll, or "yield," enough students to fill the class — an outcome officials won't know for sure until all the deposits are tallied over the coming weeks.
But in a tiny corner of Kentucky, one little college is doing just fine. Berea College is on track to yield 78% of the students it accepted this year — and thereby beat Harvard's 2008 haul. The school's secret? Free tuition. More>>
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