These edited reports were originally posted to the Current Topics, Therapy Online, and Cyberpsychology list-servs, August 2012.  

2012 Convention Highlights:
Transmedia Storytelling | Opening | 2012: Virtual Reality Goes to War | DSM5: Q&A | Drew Westen: Dysfunctional Democracy
Howard Gardner: Multiple Intelligences | Zimbardo: Anatomy of a TED Event

 

"Asynchronously Live" from Orlando, Florida

APA CONVENTION REPORT #1

August 2, 2012


Asynchronously Live from Orlando!
2 August 2012

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Disclaimer: I try to ensure accurate reports of study results, names, dates, etc., and use a combination of verbatim notes, presenter materials, Power Point data summaries, and direct follow-ups with presenters. If I have inadvertently mis-stated any information (names, dates, numbers, etc.) I would be grateful for any corrections and will be sure to update/correct any articles I present pertaining to these presentations.

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Hi, and greetings from Orlando!

Asynchronously live from the 120th Annual APA Convention of the American Psychological Association, this year meeting in Orlando, Florida.

As usual, the sessions I attend and report on are representative of my own areas of interest, primarily clinical psychology, psychotherapy, online/computer-facilitated mental health tools and resources, and some of the keynote/plenary sessions on the big trends and issues of general psychology. My goal "here" is to share some of this with those who are interested in psychology, both broad and some of the areas which at least fascinate a few of us, and for those who cannot be here to witness first-hand. My usual disclaimer: I do my best to be accurate, asking follow-up questions, taking extensive notes, and taking photos of elaborate charts and graphs to tease out and present in summary form, often after these asynchronously live reports which I will edit and revise as needed afterwards, and turn into more polished articles.

FWIW... Orlando is sunny and warm (or hot), not so humid thus far, with afternoon rain showers predicted. And now, some highlights of the 2012 APA Convention.

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Transmedia Storytelling-Creating Engagement and Meaning in Organizations, Education, and Practice

      
Drs. Keely Kolmes, Jerri Lynn Hogg, & Pamela Rutledge

The room was surprisingly full so early into the convention (even before the opening ceremony), with many well-known media and social psychologists in attendance. Dr. Rutledge began by noting how this is much more of a 'fun' topic than many psychology presentations - with their focus on pathology, and things like depression, anxiety, and so forth. In addition, research shows that the best time to engage a tired audience is not too early, not too late, so it's all good.

Dr. Rutledge introduced the panel and proceeded to paint a picture of just how prevalent and vital the power of story-telling is, and how effective the use of 'transmedia story-telling' can be, in particular. Done properly, developing a story can be a boon to a brand, such as Nike has done with the narrative of a Greek Goddess and "on to victory" storyline. By actively engaging an audience and turning them into engaged participants, organizations, products, celebrities, and institutions can do more than 'advertising'; they can offer "an invitation to inspiration".

Pamela Rutledge, Ph.D.

Story-telling is not new, Dr. Rutledge explained, but the tools we have today can facilitate entirely new ways of telling - and participating in - stories. After all, "We live in in a participatory culture", increasingly so. Morever, "storytelling is all about psychology".

So what is it - transmedia storytelling? First, some context.

Dr. Rutledge shared some statistics which [along with the Pew studies and research as reported by Larry Rosen, e.g.; see

 


Invited Plenary Address: Virtual Reality Goes to War: Innovations in Military Behavioral Health Care
Albert "Skip" Rizzo, Ph.D.

.]



One of the earliest and most-studied applications has been 'exposure therapy' treatment, using virtual reality. There have been dramatic successes in the treatment of claustrophobia (in Spain), as well as customized treatments for the fear of heights and other well-known phobias. Some aspects of flat-screen VR are well known now, such as World of Warcraft, and some applications can be deployed very inexpensively now, such as an application for 'upper extremities therapy' which entails a $50 webcam, chopsticks and handballs. More recent and sophisticated applications include things like stereoscopic VR using multiple flat screens and head-mounted displays. Such set-ups "used to cost $350,000 to implement" but can now be done for a fraction of the cost, making it much more accessible.

"We're going from the automated paradigm to leveraging immersion" and naturalistic environments, observed Dr. Rizzo. Knowledge continues to make advances in terms of both application and customizeability. We've come a long way since the early 90's introduction of computer-based treatments for simple phobias. Now there are treatments which are demonstrably effective, with a wealth of research finding VR treatments to work "as well as in-vivo exposure". In particular, exposure therapy has been amenable to VR-based treatment modalities. For example, there has been some impressive work in a laboratory in Spain focused on treatment of claustrophobia. (Onscreen we can see the animated depiction of a 3-D space with walls which can be manipulated.) In 1994, Rizzo noted, the phobia treatment imagery was not even all that realistic by today's standards, but it worked. Today it is 'virtually better' in every sense. Progress was continuous, with advances in 1995 (fear of heights) and 1997 (fear of flying). In 2000 the graphics started to become much more sophisticated.

                        

We see onscreen a literal 3-D replication of an air terminal and airplane, which we can travel through - virtually. Engaging virtual environments, such as this virtual San Diego Airport, provide treatment tools targeting specific fears, such as air travel.

Several research findings are highlighted, such as a 2008 meta-analytical study which compared VR versus real-world/imaginal (exposure) treatment components. Result: the VR modality equaled or surpassed the imaginal in terms of efficacy. "People suspend disbelief and react as if it is the real thing."

Given that among soldiers alone - more than 300,000 or one in 5 in 2008 - are returning home with PTSD, there is a good case to be made for the deployment of such technology-facilitated tools, applied by health/mental health professionals.

A video onscreen goes live, with a loud, percussive battlefield soundtrack and extremely realistic imagery. We hear and practically feel the rat-a-tat-tat of gunburst, and bombs or IEDs exploding in the distance. 'Creepy sounds' too. One needs to have been through it to feel the power fully, but this is realistic enough for today's audience to be impacted by the realism.

Today there are many tailored programs - from the virtual classroom to a 'virtual World Trade Center', along with the Virtual Iraq and Afghanistan environments. More samples from the war situation were shown, replete with the sound of the humvees (vehicles) and the crackle of weapon fire. Multiple senses are engaged here - and additional sensory input channels are now available in some applications as well. The experience - and engagement - can be extremely powerful. Immersive.

Dr. Rizzo emphasized the emotional power evoked here, and the 'need to be sensitive' to it:
One needs to remember, "It's a tool in the hands of a well-trained clinician", not a stand-alone 'clinician of Oz'. It's a clinical interface. A tool.

Several studies were cited demonstrating the success with VR treatments, even where other treatments have failed [e.g., Rizzo et al]. The efficacy of VR-based exposure therapy is so compelling that such treatment is now widely accepted as 'evidence-based'. Meanwhile, researchers are continuously "gathering the evidence, incrementally", across the various treatments and applications.

In terms of particular challenges within 'military healthcare', one obstacle is not so much 'efficacy' as the willingness to seek treatment in the first place, with a common attitude, even if seriously hurting, of "I don't need mental help." One advantage here may be that less public self-exposure is required, and this may foster engagement.

There is also a special advantage of implementing a well-designed program, which is that "once you build a simulator you can repurpose it for a variety of situations" - such as using the Iraq environment as a foundation, with added mountains, for example, to turn it into an Afghanistan simulation. An airport or disaster site or simulated work environment might similarly be adapted for a specific situation. There is additional ongoing research involving the chemistry of behavioral extinction, and use of fMRI imaging [e.g., Roy et al].

Another recent application is in the area of 'stress resilience training' - with the developers' task involving the building of an 'emotional obstacle course'. The training is largely experiential, as opposed to 'death by Powerpoint', and basically emulates the principles of CBT.

Simulated patients with advanced voice recognition increasingly have the ability (via AI) to respond to individual concerns and interests. They are 'intelligent human agents' more than static automated programs. Another example of a training application: Virtual Patients.

Despite some hesitation (apparent in a video clip) we soon see a somewhat stilted interviewer who "starts acting like a real clinician", with this virtual patient. This training module appears at least as effective as more traditional medical/psychiatric practica involving actors. The simulated patients come equipped with sophisticated voice recognition and offer a wide array of individual responses. (Example: A quick and easy response to "Are you a Padres fan?")

And there is SimCoach. A demonstration video is onscreen: "Hi there! The name's William... but you can call me Bill." [See Demo Video ]

Here we see another example of virtual-human interview-skill building, as a new virtual character, Ellie, faces a real-life soldier, who seems skeptical and cautious. The soldier asks, 'why should I talk with you?'. Our virtual human replies: Well, this is private. And you can say what's on your mind. (pause) "I'd like to ask a few questions so I can figure out how to best help you. Would that be OK?" Predictably, the soldier is still reticent. But Ellie is both persistent and supportive, knowing the common feeling that nobody can possibly understand the horrors without having personally been there. "I don't want to say I know what you went through because I don't," she acknowledges. But she is there to listen, and maybe it will be helpful. She is non-judgmental, supportive, and empathetic as well, saying at one point, "that must be tough".

Where are we now, and what is our future like? Military funded projects continue and 'the architecture keeps on adapting'. Half the cases of PTSD, meanwhile, have not even been identified. And more and more applications are appearing for education and training purposes - for example SimCoach being used by the Atlanta Braves, and applications to study and modify classroom behavior, particularly inattention.

Augmented Reality, Second Life (virtual seminars and offices), mobile apps, and Virtual Reality: "the ultimate Skinner Box".

And as for war, it is an awful thing, clearly, with many victims, "but we can do what we can to help".

For more on this topic, please see the articles below and the

Drew Westen, Ph.D. - Harvard professor, consultant to media (CNN, etc.), caucuses, and politicians, presenting on:
The Psychology of Dysfunctional Democracy

First Dr. Westen made clear that he was not going to promote any specific candidate or party; rather he offered an indictment of the whole way that our Government has been bought, polarized, and ground to a near-halt. He would be equally sharp and blunt in his comments about both candidates for President, while noting the intervening variable of a quasi-3rd party: tea. ("You can't put lead in your teapot without brain damage.") He said he would surely offend fans of all candidates and parties with his directness, no doubt - but he'd offend equally in presenting each side.

DREW WESTEN - Harvard professor, consultant to media (CNN, etc.), caucuses, and politicians, author of The Psychology of Dysfunctional Democracy

Plenary Session
Saturday, 4 August 2012



"The Psychology of Dysfunctional Democracy: Where's Franklin Roosevelt When you Need Him?"
Drew Westen, Ph.D.

Transcribed verbatim - Now here's a man of many facts and soundbytes! Historical, political, and psychological.

Now, from a man who lives and breathes what might be called "the psychology of politics" .

He forewarns that he will be sharp and blunt in his comments about candidates, even a quasi-3rd party ('tea') Candidate. ("You can't put lead in your teapot without brain damage.")

As a starting point, Westen began with an FDR quote which he likened to his tea-party characterization:

"No business which depends for existence on paying less than living wages to its workers has any right to continue in this country. By living wages I mean more than a bare subsistence level - I mean the wages of decent living." - FDR

Dr. Westen noted that over the past 50 years we've gone from the popular perception that Government is benevolent and trustworthy to the opposite view.

"The government is actually not working that badly in many ways", Westen said. For example Medicaid and Social Security still exist, our troops are coming home... "So, how do we get back to Kansas?"

Actually, speaking of Wizard of Oz metaphors, some new variations were offered up in terms of the choices before Americans. Prevalent impressions:


- Tea Partiers: If I only had a brain

- "Fiscal Conservatives": If I only had a heart

- Democrats: If I only had courage

- The most popular political figure and institution in America today is "none of the above".


"The Presidential Contest: A Hobson's Choice"

Anyone of you ever given a Rorschach?
That's Romney.

We don't know what's in his heart - is it an empty vessel waiting to be filled? Even Romney seems not to know. You're for guns, gun control...immigration reform and self-deportation. He never said these things as Governor. So... 'he's either a bat or an insect' (his Rorschach profile).

[Those familiar with the concept of 'primary process' might enjoy the Westen version of the 'GOP primary process' - 'unintelligent design, naturally selecting for inbreeding of ignorance and intolerance'.] And his sponsors: "No concern for a)truth b)common decency, or c)what you'd said before."

Like McCain, he comes in 'twisted like a pretzel' to make it, and 'flip-flopping all over'. Soul of a lizard, all stripped away...except for the aggression. And preaching the Gospel of St. George [Bush:] In 8 years he destroyed the world economy.

And now...

Anyone ever given a Rorschach?
Obama. First year.

He never gave any indication of what he felt... did surveys on attitudes towards gays but consistently opposed 'gay marriage'.
His first morning as president he played golf with the president of JP Morgan. His 'peeps'? "I guess if that's popularism, CEO's are his 'peeps' "

He had both houses, super-majorities, and people rooting for him. Yet he "chose not to take bold action and has proven himself unable to create jobs, the top agenda of voters".

2010 - The stimulus is gutted. Hopefully Obama will learn why people hate him, and how to talk about jobs in a motivational way.

If Obama is elected: 4 more years of gridlock? "Where his empathy circuits have been firing during his first 3 years, I have no idea." But if there is 4 more years of gridlock in a dysfunctional House, bottom line: "Which do you prefer: A Depression or another Lost Decade?"

So, perhaps dysfunction is the problem. What are the causes?

Causes of Dysfunction:

1. "Money can't buy me love. But it can buy me Washington." ('How much to talk with you - for a minute? Two minutes?')

2. The end of the two political paradigms of the 20th century

3. The pollster-driven life [And: "their answers are invariably wrong."]

Some additional factors to consider, beginning with cause #1- Money

-- The cost of the average Senate seat in 2010 was $10 million
-- If you stick rotten apples into a barrel the whole barrel gets rotten. "If I could name 15 Senators who are not bought, I'd be lucky".
-- Corruption is in the eye of the beholder.
-- Why has no major player been prosecuted on Wall Street? Americans are angry about this!

Returning to FDR, Westen again quoted him as saying (paraphrasing) 'Never have the forces of money been so strongly aligned against one candidate, and I welcome their hatred.' Today, candidates might change that to ...'and I welcome their bundled money', and bank bailouts, and toxic assets.

Echoing a major theme espoused by Philip Zimbardo, Westen commented that in the end "a corrupt system corrupts even good people."

And the dominant thinking is so changed. Why not tell the banks, you ARE going to cut your rates for underwater mortgages? But our system is "owned and operated by Wall Street". Why do we extend subsidies and tax breaks for the super-prosperous oil companies while pushing to cut the meager entitlements of people who depend on them to have even a decent human existence such as described by FDR? Why are tax rates on the rich down 2/3 since Eisenhower? Under Eisenhower the rich payed 90%! Why did GE pay no taxes last year despite $14Billion in profits? (" Hey, for even 1 Billion I'd be happy to pay 30%!")

Cause #2: Demise of the Political Paradigms

We may think of some paradigms in moral or practical terms: What's fair? What leads to prosperity? We might consider the analogy of paradigms in science - normal science, and revolutionary science. In the case of Obama in 2008, he was empowered to challenge the system and then chose to play the system, something Westen finds 'repugnant' when he considers how "promised hope and change and delivered neither" Yet equally revulsive policy shifts have come from the GOP as well, for example in terms of the all-out war on unions. "Roosevelt built the middle class with the help of unions." We have the 'natural science' paradigms, followed by Presidents as diverse as Nixon (who launched the EPA) and Eisenhower (building a highway system, not promoting fracking). And then there was the Reagan 'Revolution' and the launch of a movement to 'return to the 14th Century' via a social agenda. Alongside that was a declared 'culture war', as described by Reagan's speechwriter, Pat Buchanan. Domestic issues, gender roles, gender equality. A half century past the 1960's, we've still not passed the ERA (Equal Rights Amendment). [How would these play today?] And there is/was the morality debate as context for divisions - 'purity' versus sexuality, for example. And mantras of the day: Reagan spoke of 'love of country', Bush cheered to 'support our troops'. Reagan actually stoked the 'us versus them' divisiveness, racial and otherwise. His legacy? Reagan tripled the national debt while running as a fiscal conservative: "true genius". In the end he polarized the nation ("You're either with us or against us") so that 'no successor could bring together the incoherent strands of Reaganism'. Bush (2) tried, and doubled the national debt while beginning his term with a huge surplus. ("To be fair, Newt Gingrich was Speaker of the House at the time.)

And finally, Obama: 'The Uncertain President', as illustrated by a lengthy quote (2011) by Obama explaining why he is for environmental protection but overriding the EPA due to "the importance of reducing regulatory burdens and regulatory uncertainty...". Whose paradigm is this? As Dr. Westen described it, this reads like a greatest hits list of Republican talking points. Why, he wonders, is the President not standing up and taking on those who would ruin our fragile environment? "Thank you very much, Mr. President, for poisoning my children."

And yet it could actually be worse if a pure-blood corporatist like Romney got to assert a new paradigm to his liking. There is plenty of blame, disappointment, and skepticism to go around, and ultimately, 'the system' and 'We the People' (of the human variety) will be victims or change agents to bring about a new and functional democracy.

In conclusion:

-- The Great American Middle Class was built brick by brick, and it is being dismantled brick by brick.

-- No one even knows how many people are out of work or holding down two, three, or four jobs just to get by.

-- The jobs that are coming back pay half the wages of the jobs we've lost and lack the benefits

-- 400 families have more wealth than half of the families in the U.S. combined (150 million people)

"We face an election between the Tin man and Oz - I'll let you decide which is which. What we need from our leaders is courage. Courage to take on vested interests, and to work on behalf of the American middle class."


And now for something completely different - or maybe not.

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HOWARD GARDNER - of Multiple Intelligences fame, spoke about his history and work with MI. He occasionally noted a concept as being compatible with some of Westen's observations, just minutes earlier.

Full report to follow ASAP, but in sum Dr. Gardner presented his 8 intelligences and how they have been implemented globally, from Montessori preschools to other types of settings altogether. For whatever reasons, he's seen that education has taken to his work more so than psychology. (More on that to come). He compared some concepts to those of Piaget, and mentioned Gladwell's Outliers in terms of "intelligence" notions. He stopped to comment, playfully, "A few of you are tweeting; I'm reading what you say! Anyone here know what books are?" Wonderful. He even postulated a new type of intelligence used online. More detail coming ... Running now to "How to give a killer TED event" - as presented by Dr. Phil Zimbardo's 'Analysis of a Ted Talk'. [See below]

Later... back at the computer:

 



INVITED PLENARY #3323
Howard Gardner
Theory of Multiple Intelligence: First 29 Years

Howard Gardner, of Multiple Intelligences fame, as its originator, spoke now on his own definitions and observations, regarding the concepts and implementations of his 'MI' theory. Over thirty years.

Interestingly, like me, Dr. Gardner had just watched Drew Westen (political consultant) talk about the dynamics at play in Washington politics and public's perception, as reported above, 'here and now'. He alluded to some of Dr. Westen's points and also mentioned other influential works such as Malcolm Gladwell's 'Outliers', which relates to the topic in that Gladwell describes a larger context for 'success' than any single intellectual factor.

Dr. Gardner described the development of his model over the past (nearly) 30 years, sharing some highlights of his career and key influences. At Harvard, where he teaches in the Graduate School of Education, he became absorbed in Project Zero, which explored the nature of autistic thinking. Four years ago he wrote a children's book, while immersed in work with brain damaged children. "Every day I was seeing kids who were good at an art form but not other things." He's already been familiar with the seminal work of Oliver Sacks (for example, 'The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat'), and appreciated the fact that "the way the mind and brain work isn't always intuitively clear". [A slide shows one result of his interest in the nature of cognition among those with significant brain damage: his book, 'The Shattered Mind'.]

And now, direct from the 'inventor' himself, how he views the meaning of 'multiple intelligences'.

The Theory: MI

Gardner began by saying he surely wasn't the first to look at differences; there was Thorndike's work, based on 'evolutionary evidence' involving prodigies, learning disability, autism... now add to this the question of "What kind of abilities and roles are valued by different cultures?".

And speaking of culture, and reflecting the evolutionary impact of today's world:

"I think in the digital world there may be other intelligences beneath the surface."

A broad perspective on 'intelligence' requires, Gardner argued, an inter-disciplinary effort (biology, anthropology etc.), "beyond psychometric testing and beyond sensory modalities". With this in mind, he has elaborated a "set of 8 specific criteria for what is/is not an intelligence".

The Definition

Gardner provided his own definition of 'an intelligence':

"An intelligence is the biopsychological potential to process information in certain ways, in order to solve problems or fashion products that are valued in a culture or community." [emphasis his]

In his model, one thinks "of several relatively independent computer, not a single all-purpose one." He rejects the notion of 'g' as the single ruler of our intellect, as if we have "a single all-purpose computer inside our skull."

Up on the big screen (and in the image above on our smaller screens), Dr. Gardner showed a list of his 8 multiple intelligences, and a corresponding lifestyle which might capitalize on a particular intelligence:

OUR 8 INTELLIGENCES:

1. Linguistic ---- poet

2. Logical-mathematical ---- scientist

3. Musical ---- composer

4. Spatial ---- architect

5.Bodily-kinesthetic ---- dancer

6.Interpersonal ---- leader

7.Intrapersonal ---- reflective individual

8. Naturalist ---- botanist


Gardner noted that the first two, for example, may overlap or supplement each other, although they "may or may not correlate", experimentally. Think of law professors. They need both skills, the verbal and logical in order to be successful. Dr. Westen, he noted, illustrated some of the dynamics in his look at lawyer-turned-President Obama. Neither candidate in this case seems to be strong on the Intrapersonal dimension, having self-awareness.

Gardner also cited some similar or parallel notions of particular intelligences, such as the focus by Goleman on interpersonal/social intelligence. Gardner has also been struck by the possibility of a 'pedagogical intelligence', derived from his observations of children: for example, "a 4 year old can teach a 2 year old, but differently than teaching a 6 year old." Should we go on to posit a 'spiritual intelligence'? Existential intelligence?

And now...

MI News Flash! "I am no longer in the business of announcing new intelligences - that's up to you."


For now it is the 8 key intelligences: "Everyone in this room has 8 intelligences... they make us human, cognitively speaking." Moreover, referencing twin studies as well as observation, "No two people--not even identical twins (or clones) -- have exactly the same profile of intelligences."

A slide onscreen shows a Rorschach ink blot, and is labeled: "The Middle 1980's - 'MI' as an Educational Rorschach..."

Dr. Gardner described how oftentimes his theory served within educational systems in a way he did not envision, and his ideas were implemented in ways he did not see as necessarily helpful, especially when applied rigidly. It became a sort of movement, or mantra, "We need to teach in 7 ways" (there were 7 at the time). The thing is, "I didn't say any of that!" Over 10 or 15 years he has been interested in how his ideas have been implemented educationally. In particular, consider these 'two educational claims' about the necessary components for teaching and learning.

-- Individualize - Learn as much about each learner as you can, present materials in an intelligence-friendly way and assess that way as well.

-- Pluralize - Decide what is truly important and present that content in a number of ways, addressing the relevant intelligences. "Note: NOT learning styles!" That is from onscreen. Continuing, Gardner underscored the point:

"If you try to cover too much stuff, a year or two later there will be nothing left - unless you re-learn it. [Two benefits of pluralization are that] you reach more people. If you teach pluralization you teach learners what it means to really learn something well...understanding is always multi-faceted." And he repeated, "Multiple intelligence is NOT learning styles!" If your 'musical computer' works well, embrace it. (Learning styles may be real factors, and 'playfulness', for example, may be an avenue of engagement, or style, but not an intelligence.) He sees the concepts continue to be confused.

In reflecting on how his work has been read, implemented, and mis-implemented, he noted that his work has generally been much more readily embraced by the educational community than by psychology. He offered 'three speculations' as to why:

1. Psychology has a vested interest in the theory and technology of IQ and IQ tests ('moving gravestones in a graveyard')

2. New tests of intelligence(s) are expected to correlate with standard measures

3. Psychologists would like an experimental test of MI and it is not that kind of a theory -- it's a synthesis of much data and will eventually be judged on its utility

Still, even as his work may be mis-applied, many have reported amazing results from its application. He did a BBC show where the host noted how test scores went up 'because of Gardner'. Given his healthy skepticism, he replied that he'd be happy to take the credit - but not the blame.

Traveling Memes: Domestic Next Gardner addressed what he called (onscreen) 'Traveling Memes', or mission statements. He shared the mission statement as he described in 1983, guiding his work with the Key Learning Community: "...to research and develop innovative practices in teaching to celebrate diversity in our population and our communities and to personalize education by building upon each student's strengths in the following areas: Linguistic, Musical, Logical-Mathematical, Spatial, Bodily-Kinesthetic, Naturalistic, Interpersonal and Intrapersonal..."

Moving forward, some images of adaptations of his concepts from around the world - an image of an ad in Macau for condensed milk, said to have the magic power to develop all 8 intelligences, a work, by Michael Moore ('Stupid White Men'), Frames of Mind, and a book he co-edited, 'Multiple Intelligences Around the World'. He has visited China frequently, observing a popular class (in 2004) where classes involved all students drawing a goldfish. Why so popular in China? One reason may be the strong belief (elsewhere as well, of course) that 'my child is very special'. Or, 'my child is not so good in writing, but is very smart interpersonally'.

And then there is the 'Piaget Question', or 'American Question': How do you test it? Gardner spoke of Project Spectrum, the Explorama at DanfossUnivers in Denmark, and various applications in pre-schools, particularly the Montessori method. "We had a naturalist corner... lots of board games... both logic and social intelligence. [And some manifest this a bit differently: "they realize they can cheat if they understand better" than their peers. "We discourage this."]

Now turning to the future, and 'Intelligences for Tomorrow', beginning with "some speculations about 'MI' and the concept of intelligence(s) in the future." He begins by consideration of 'the breadth of the concept (emotional, moral, creative?) and the issue of 'pure' versus 'contextual' assessment. Do we want finer categories (e.g., 'financial intelligence'; he quipped that perhaps 'if you have this one you can buy the others'.) "Intelligences for what?" He thinks, much as he respects him, "Goleman ['EQ'] conflates prescription and proscription - you can have a good computer used for destructive ends."

What response would you get, Gardner queried, if you ask kids who the smartest man is today? Bill Gates, most likely. Gardner gave a nod here to Malcolm Gladwell's hugely influential book, 'Outliers', which profiled Gates and other superstars, noting not only intelligence, but the importance of being 'in the right place and time'. And what if you were born 100 years ago...

"You're so well-behaved! But a few of you are tweeting! I'm reading what you say! Any of you know what 'books' are?"

Now we take for granted things like computers, distance learning, iPads and phones. "You can keep on learning indefinitely, or until you become senile." A slide lists some 'what happens to multiple intelligences at older ages. In sum, they are internalized; they may 'go underground' but don't disappear. "Personalized mental representations continue and perhaps even become more differentiated. [And] computers, distance learning may nourish these different profiles."

Some final thoughts before concluding and opening up to some questions: Firstly, one can consider people as diverse as a Mandela or a criminal against humanity, without regard to a specific intelligence - "intelligences are essentially amoral." He aspires to "push in a positive way rather than say 'oy vey'" and strives to encourage what he terms the 3 E's of Good Work: "Excellent in quality, technically; Personally engaging, meaningful; and Carried out in an ethical manner." Just as one can continue to learn, "It's never too early to nurture the good worker."

Question: "Would you rather know last year's grades, or IQ? No two people have the same profile. Psychologists have some interest but educators, much more so.

A 'closing thought' now: "Intelligence plus character - that is the mark of a true education.". The source: Martin Luther King, Jr. ."

Now a brief Q&A with Howard Gardner:

Q: What are your thoughts on the highly gifted?
A: You can guess - I think highly gifted prodigies occur in different sectors; socially they don't need special attention... [But] you can't assume like Terman that if you get an IQ test everything is fine.

Q: Is there a 'sexual intelligence'?
A: Is it about humor, or sex? [Perhaps involved in performance skills would be] interpersonal intelligence and verbal intelligence, maybe artistic...

Q: In couples therapy, we see logical people and sensitive people. Are they different styles?
A: I don't like the word 'styles'! But awareness can help... I don't think you need to know MI theory to have a good marriage, but it probably doesn't hurt.

Q: Isn't it true that IQ is not based on biology, but on behavior? Citing Anastasi, for example...
A: Sounds like Sternberg. An intelligent person adapts to the environment, or if you are fortunate/powerful enough, gets the environment to adapt to you. My hesitancy: I don't think there's such a thing as adaptability per se. I might be color blind, deaf... but...

And time was up for this event.

Next up: Philip Zimbardo on how to give an engaging, dynamic TED event, and what you'll need to know.
 

HOW TO DO A TED
Phil Zimbardo, Ph.D.





Most importantly, in my view: he looked very well. Despite past and present health struggles, tonight he walked around the stage, consistent with his take-away from doing several TED events, "you have to own the stage". TED imitating TED, here the one and only Phil Zimbardo (who hours earlier had won an award for his lifetime contribution to psychology) shares with us his experience with the power of the TED presentation, as both participant and observer.

TED began in 2006. The rule: 18 minutes or less. TED features have attracted over 100 Million views on YouTube and the TED Website.

APA leadership has been watching TED presentations and learning, and also advising potential participants on how to approach a TED talk as a presenter. He speaks quickly now, as is necessary to survive a TED performance - with a strict time limit and the need to be as engaging as possible within that time.

Zimbardo began with a bit of context - what he has been focused on, between the lure of studying the nature of evil (e.g., The Lucifer Effect) and now trying to directly contribute to some good. Thus his interest in time perspectives, and his new e-book about 'why boys are struggling and what we can do about it.' Tonight he wants to help others do great talks, should they have the opportunity.

TED approached Zimbardo 4 years ago with an invitation to give a presentation. First question:

What is TED? Technology. Education. Design.

You can organize a Ted-ZX event on your own, by the way but such events carry a $7500 registration fee for the 4 days. In 2008, he was fortunate to enjoy first-class treatment (via Virgin Air!) and was summoned to a rehearsal. "I never had to rehearse!" Soon he understood why it was important. He'd be face-to-face with a big digital countdown clock: 18:00 minutes. Ready-set-go! He found he'd gathered "too many slides" and he needed to condense his prepared presentation. Clips from his TED event flashed on the big screen behind him now as he is telling the TED audience how "good people could be seduced across the line" in his (in)famous Stanford Prison Study, and proceeds to address the nature of evil.

"Evil is the exercise of power. That's the key."

A slide is projected: "Evil, Evil Everywhere - Google 'evil' - a word so empty that it should surely have withered away - and up come 136 million hits in a third of a second."

OK, so there are '3 factors' -

1) Dispositional: What do people bring into the system? ("The Bad Apples")
2) Situational: What does the system bring to people? ("The Bad Barrel")
3) Systemic: How do system and people interact? "Broad influences: political, economic, legal power" ("The Bad Barrel-Makers")
Example: Abu Ghraib - "Don't blame us. It's not the system.... "

"I become an expert witness [with] access to top secret files." Evil. Flash back to the dungeon. OMG- the counter says 6 minutes left, 20 slides to go... speed up! (Zimbardo's pitch and movement and rate of speech all accelerate.) "I'm interested in what surrounds the bad barrel... The power is in the system! Three factors - dispositional (the bad apples), situational (the bad barrel) and the systemic - broad influences, political, economic, legal (the bad barrel-makers) ... villains and heroes... social psychology research... "

A summary cartoon is displayed - brilliant: what looks like a police interrogation room and the man in the tie says: "I'm neither a good cop nor a bad cop, Jerome. Like yourself, I'm a complex amalgam of positive and negative personality traits that emerge or not, depending on circumstances."

The clock is ticking, time is running out...

Home stretch. "A few more evil details, unveil heroes, and... finito!". That was the plan, but as he went into final conclusions, via the Schlesinger report on parallels between the Stanford Prison Experiment (SPE) and Abu Ghraib... "Power without oversight is a recipe for abuse..." And just as the punch line was ready to deliver, describing the other end of the spectrum, societal and fantasy and every-day people heroes... As he was about to conclude by speaking of his present interest in heroism, time was up!

00:00 Game over.

In this case, fortunately, he was given special dispensation to finish his conclusion (quickly), with the producer stepping up to share that he knows about 'heroism as the antidote to evil'. Villains and Heroes. Social Psychology Research. Real-world parallels...

Zimbardo concluded by ending the SPE story: it ended with " the heroic woman who stopped the Stanford Prison Study... "And the good news: I married her." And he has been continuing in his efforts at evoking 'heroic imagination' as well.

[You can see his APA presentation on the SPE, which he presented along with his wife and former SPE participants, here.]

Now Zimbardo turned from his experience as a participant to some of his favorite TED presentations, chosen both to entertain and instruct on how to do a really great TED presentation. [I was familiar with some but not all of the clips, and will share some of them which I can locate, after the conference.] Now through these samples he'd like to 'lay out essential guidelines for success -- in Content and in Delivery'

All the TED clips were engaging, fascinating, and fast-paced. Dan Ariely, a cognitive psychologist, on 'Using a simple demo to reveal new ideas'. Visual illusion. Here the image of two rubix cube objects with multi-colored facets were shown, two highlighted. They absolutely look different, but if you mask the surroundings you can see they're the same color. "I think of illusion as a metaphor... an evolutionary role [with] decision-making implications.



Zimbardo painted now with a broader brush, to illustrate the importance of nuance and appearance, along with manipulation. He gave the example of a study looking at why some countries have very high rates of organ donation (e.g., Sweden) while others in similar areas (e.g., Denmark) have very low rates. The short version is that a huge difference was made by changing from a check-box which must be checked to be a donor to a system where it is 'opt-out' and the norm is to be a contributor. All the difference was in the Motor Vehicles form. And the point? In many situations we are manipulated into a norm, while "we might have an illusion of decision-making."

Moving back to the big screen and visual power as presented on TED, as "A dynamic duo presents dramatic never seen before visuals". The team is Beverly and Dereck Joubert, wildlife photographers, conservationists, and humanists. Zimbardo introduces this amazing footage with the observation that the subject matter, 'lions and hyenas' is parallel to gang warfare. What followed (and was aired via TED) were some totally amazing images, of lions, elephants, and lightening, with the herd of lions intent on conquering a lone elephant. Says the narrator, "People believe death starts in the eyes..." and for a moment it looks like this mighty elephant may be worn out and giving up. "Or, something else can happen, the will to fight." Here, a picture truly is worth a thousand words. Meanwhile there is a leopard who is becoming comfortable in the couple's car. Says the husband of his wife, "she felt she's been displaced" by the leopard. From the humorous to the heart-wrenching: A tigress picks up a tiny baby monkey, after killing its mother, and protects it from gathering hyenas. Protector, yet killer. A conflict, almost "like a girl on the verge of becoming a woman."

Cut to Jane McGonigal, psychologist and director of Gaming, Institute of the Future.

Lesson point: Begin with immediate impact.

McGonigal begins her talk: "My goal for the next decade is to try to make it as easy to save the world in real life as it is to save the world in online games". At the time of her presentation (2010) some 3 billion hours a week were spent playing online games. "I believe that if we want to survive the next century on this planet we need to increase that total dramatically", she continues. By her calculations we must see 21 billion hours of gameplay a week by the end of the next decade, if we want to ensure the future survival of the human species. This is essential, she says, and the path to solving problems of hunger, poverty, climate change, global conflict, and obesity.

And to one of my own favorites, Hans Rosling, Swedish Statistician.

Lesson point: Giving life to static numbers, powerful graphic displays.

This is another must-see-to-appreciate presentation. Using 3-dimensional colored bubbles to represent things like population growth, fertility rates, and other trends, his presentation is spell-binding, "like a textbook or a Tinton" explaining we and them. Life expectancy, global shifts, all made exciting.

You can see Rosling's 2006 TED presentation (with over 4 million visits so far), below:



[A shorter version is on YouTube, here].

Next clip, and a favorite of his, says Zimbardo.

Lesson point: Defining ultimate stage presence sincere, humble, clarity of message, smooth gestures.

The presentation: Bryan Stevenson, Public Interest Lawyer for the disadvantaged in the South. "We have a hard time talking about race", he begins. "Now consider Apartheid, truth, reconciliation. We haven't done that." How would it feel, he asks his audience, to live in a nation state and watch the government executing its own people. "It's that mind-heart connection that I believe compels us to not just be attentive to all the bright and dazzling things but also the dark and difficult things.” (Bryan Stevenson) ... We're not fully human until we pay attention to suffering.




And now Tony Robbins, Motivational Speaker and Trainer, illustrates the next lesson point:

Owning the stage to inspire and motivate, with direct audience engagement.

He struts around and 'owns the stage', it is clear. He is asking, 'why don't people succeed? Excuses!' And he jumps into the crowd. He talks about the Supreme Court. He proclaims that "the defining factor is never resources, it's resourcefulness!" High energy personified.

Next we are treated to a sample of Cindy Gallop on 'sex education' as she sees it and preaches on her website: offering up a potpourri of possibly shocking self-revelation about her sex life. She exemplifies, with her shock value another ingredient:

The most provocative, violation of expectation, personal revelation.

Gallop certainly unloaded some unique ideas and history. Zimbardo plays more of the clip, saying to cover our eyes if offended by talk of sex acts. "I date younger men", she begins. And it goes graphic, so much so that it stirs a lot of discussion, but is not sent out as a regular TED event as it was deemed inappropriate for children.

"Girls want love, not porno acts", comments Zimbardo. He goes on to list several related social issues which may relate to the conversation, for example the notion that "Guys are failing". He sees a negative impact of 'excessive videogaming' as well as from so much freely available hard-core pornography. [facetious] No worries, Johnny's in his room, it's private, and time for gaming, porno, whatever... But back up. Forty percent of children in the U.S. grow up without a father. For women 30 and younger, 50%. Mothers remain the source of unconditional love while the fathers are pushing to succeed. So many factors to consider...

And back to life and death, mortality. Many of us have seen this (possibly on '60 Minutes' in addition to TED). A living example of the will to life, and a great illustration of an engaging TED talk.

Lesson point: Re-enacting a near tragedy, discovering new meaning in life.

Here is an incredible TED presentation by a neurosurgeon who brings along with her onstage, a real human brain, complete with dangling spinal cord. She knows brains well, but it took a while to realize when her own brain was suddenly imploding and she realized she'd lost her body's pilot... A brain hemorrhage. She's seeing a stroke this time from the inside out.

This TED video is now the most-watched ever, at over 9 million views!

Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, Harvard Neuroscientist begins by showing the human brain, with its 2 hemispheres, the left being a 'serial processor', and the right side a 'parallel processor'. Hemispheres think differently, have different 'personalities'. The left hemisphere is linear thinking, it looks at the past, the future, details of details... categorizes and predicts the future from the past, thinks in words: 'Remember to do your laundry!' My left hemisphere says 'I am', separate from you... the portion of my brain that I lost. It "gripped me and then it released me". She got on her exercise machine and noticed that her hands looked like claws. "Very Peculiar... Whoa! I'm a weird looking thing!" She seemed somewhere outside her body, yet needed to take charge: OK muscles: Contract! Relax... My left-hemisphere brain chatter went silent" - like a mute switch. "I felt enormous, and expansive".I can no longer define the boundaries of my body. For a moment her left-brain voice returned to say: "We got a problem" And then 'back to la-la land'."I felt this sense of peacefulness... Imagine what it would feel like to lose 37 years of emotional baggage."

I've got to shower and get to work. But my right arm is paralyzed.
I realized I had a stroke. Cool: How many brain scientists get to study a stroke from the inside out?. But I have to go to work...

She realizes she should call her office but she cannot read her own business card - "Forty five minutes to go one inch into a stack of cards. I do not understand numbers. I do not understand telephones." She tries to match the squiggles on the card with the squiggles on the telephone - but, back to la la land. Did I dial that number? Eventually, miraculously, "a colleague picks up the phone and says grorghhhhrr. He sounds like a golden retriever. So I say, rghgrrrg! And I sound like a Golden Retriever". Next thing, I'm in an ambulance. In that moment I knew it was over, or a doctor will rescue me...

See it for yourself (there's lots more than I summarized here to engage the viewer, and it is delivered masterfully).

Talk about powerful, and the power to grip in 18 minutes or less! Ideas worth sharing...

So what are some of the other ingredients (aside from these amazingly gifted presenters) necessary for a memorable TED talk? With tonight's timer counting down now as well, Zimbardo would review some secrets of content as well as delivery, use of humor, and useful tools.

Secrets of Content

Here a slide onscreen detailed some key presentation points for successful TED talks, such as we've just seen:

-- One Big Idea, worth sharing with the General Public, elegantly presented

-- Personal Story, relevant to main theme.

-- Revelation, small thing yielding Big impact, reversal of audience expectations

-- Novel examples illustrating key points

-- Not information dense -- 3 ideas max.


Secrets of Delivery:

-- Timing, Tight, New TED Talk Model, 12-20 minutes

-- (PRACTICE, with shorter max time)

-- Pacing: fast, smooth, high energy, full of Passion

-- Humor, selectively used to engage audience affect

-- Move Around a bit, Own the Stage in Performer Role

--Use hand gestures effectively to communicate feelings, direct audience attention

-- Use Visuals powerfully, with video clips, Keynote, or the new online presentation creator: Prezi.

Zimbardo noted that in his case the hand gestures come easily ("I'm Sicilian, so it's natural!"). He underscored the importance of visuals: "You cannot give a lecture without visuals" He suggests that presenters (to TED, at any rate) 'never use Powerpoint: Use Keynote; If that means buying a Mac, it's worth it... it allows embedded videos. And there is also a new tool, Prezi [www.prezi.com] which is said to 'bridge the visual landscape between whiteboards and slides'.

TED Talks are really two talks in one, one for the audience, the other for the 'Internet world'. Post-production takes 6-20 hours per talk, integrating input from 3 video sources, deleting glitches, etc. by a video team. It is now headed by Michael Glass, and was formerly headed by Jason Wishnow, both Stanford Alums.

The TED tapings use 3 cameras, on on the speaker, one on the audience, one on the screen. No talking heads doing TED presentations. Some more incredibly effective TED presentations - by extraordinary people.

In closing, Zimbardo reminded us that TED presenters are 'actors on a stage' - in addition to whatever else they bring to the topic. He ended with his final tutorial: "Don't believe any of my advice, according to new statistical analysis of features of best vs. worst TED talks". The video sample features Sebastian Wernicke, Satirist Statistician.

            

The several lists, Venn Diagrams, and bar graphs are all very compelling but in the end boil down to the talking points of Zimbardo - with a twist. The presentation parodies the art of 'reverse engineering a TED talk' (like we do 'here and now'!). The illustration above depicts a simple mapping of our pleasure and engagement motivators, while each new graphic drills down into the 'real statistical explanations' for successful talks. There's a list of 'good words', including: You, Happiness, Brain, French, Coffee, Choice, Data; other words are supposed 'bad words' such as So, Oxygen, Aircraft, Building, Problem, Computer, Girls.... And from there Wernicke extrapolates out to good words like Happiness, People, Emotions, Ethics, Thought and Psychology... and bad words like Weather, Media, Animal and Plants, Transportation, Men... A graph illustrates the mean time for presentations which are 'fascinating' (9 to 15 minutes), or even 'Jaw-dropping'. The most favorited of all-time came in at just over the time limit (8:15) while the least favorited clocked in at 11:56. On the shorter side, the graph indicates one should 'KEEP TALKING'. And there are rule exceptions, with 'beautiful' and 'Ingenious' playing well at under 15 minutes. THe audience (still in Wernicke's presentation) is told that one needs to provide a service to the audience - I'll give you xyz, you're going to.... And "It's OK to fake intellectual capacity", using phrases such as et cetera et cetera. A diagram is offered up to show the ideal speaker's appearance (long hair, glasses), color swatches promise the key words for 'setting the mood for being rated'.... And so it goes. Not without some kernels of truth perhaps, but clearly painted as a broad parody of how one might prep for maximum TED effectiveness.

Perhaps the truth lies in between this simplistic and satirical version of how to be the master of a TED presentation, and the detailed and personal observations of the very serious social psychologist, Philip Zimbardo. Personally, I have confidence that Zimbardo has just presented as good a preparation for a TED event as can be had. I'm reminded of 'how to get to Carnegie Hall' (practice, practice...) It helps to be gifted from the start and have the vast experience in teaching or research or natural science as have had so many of these amazing presenters. As for Zimbardo, his last bit of advice for those who do get the opportunity to present a TED: "Talk as long as they will let you - until they drag you off the stage!"

--

And that is the last of the formal activities for me at this year's 120th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association.

I hope you've found something interesting. I'll add more detail, links and references in the next phase - editing down from this raw, often literal reportage, which I've shared with several group lists.

The conference ends tomorrow (Sunday) and I'll be spending my remaining time browsing through the various products, books and exhibits in the exhibition hall, and working on this write-up in addition to hopefully seeing a day of Orlando's offerings.

For now, take care, enjoy, and Regards from APA Convention 2012 - in Orlando, Florida.

Ciao for now.
'Dr.Mike'

---------

Disclaimer: I try to ensure accurate reports of study results, names, dates, etc., and use a combination of verbatim notes, presenter materials, Power Point data summaries, and direct follow-ups with presenters. If I have inadvertently misstated or mis-typed any information (names, dates, numbers, etc.) I would be grateful for any corrections and will be sure to update/correct any articles I present pertaining to these presentations.

--

Michael Fenichel, Ph.D.
psychservices.com





INDEX OF 2001 APA Convention Articles:
Behavioral Telehealth | E-biz of Mental Health | 2001: A Cyberspace Odyssey

INDEX OF 2002 APA Convention Articles:
CyberSex & Cyber-Infidelity | Beck & Ellis 2002 | Behavior Therapy | CyberPsychology | E-Ethics

2003 Convention Highlights: Full Text | Beck 2003 | Quality of Online Health Info | Sternberg's Vision

2005 Convention Highlights:   Opening Session | Pioneers of Behavior Therapy
Distinguished Elders of Psychotherapy | Legends Discuss Psychology | Online Clinical Work | Town Hall Meeting

2006 Convention Highlights:
Opening | Online Psychotherapy & Research | Psychological Vital Signs | Advances in Cognitive Therapy
Brok on Chaplin | Conversation with Aaron T. Beck - 2006 | Dr.Phil | 21st Century Ethics | Media: Town Hall '06

2007 Convention Highlights:
Humanizing an Inhumane World | Opening Session | Albert Bandura | Linehan, on Suicide
Psychology's Future | Conversation with Aaron T. Beck - 2007 | Evil, Hate, & Horror

2008 Convention Highlights:
Grand Theft Childhood | Opening | Malcolm Gladwell | College Success, Love, Hate, More | My Life With Asperger's
My Space, You Tube, Psychotherapy, Relationships... | Aaron T. Beck - 2008 | The Mind and Brain of Voters

2009 Convention Highlights:
Internet: Pathway for Networking, Connecting, and Addiction | Opening | Virtual Psychology & Therapy | Q&A with Zimbardo | Seligman: Positive Education | Future of Internet Media | Sex, Love, & Psychology | How Dogs Think
;

2010 Convention Highlights:
Online Support Groups & Applications | Evidence & Ethical Practice | Opening Ceremony | Sir Michael Rutter: Resilience
Group Memory | Psychology in the Digital Age | Steven Hayes: What Psychotherapists Have that the World Needs Now

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