Brain Difference Between Psychopaths and Normals Psychopaths have a 10% larger striatum than non-psychopaths, suggesting biological differences in brain structure. This enlargement is tied to impulsivity and a higher craving for stimulation. I wonder if this is part of what we see in the differences in criminality and violence that I have posted about recently. In some domains I have higher impulsivity and need for stimulation. I'll have to think about what that means and where the divide it.
Parallel Parking Championship I sent this to Son #5, Kyle, who is masterful at this.
Go over and check out a few controversial topics at Grokipedia versus Wikipedia. Bernadine Dohrn (21 mentions of violence, 16 mentions of bombings) versus Bernadine Dohrn (no mentions of violence except in the footnotes, one mention of bombing). Or compare Alger Hiss versus Alger Hiss.
In Almost All Fictional Worlds, God Exists, by Robin Hanson at Overcoming Bias, linked by Rob Henderson It’s not that a deity appears directly in tales. It is that the fundamental basis of stories appears to be the link between the moral decisions made by the protagonists and the same characters’ ultimate destiny.
The tylenol/autism brouhaha is an escape hatch for RFK Jr. who wanted to claim it was vaccines but had to settle for this, which is going to amount to a medication long off-patent having to put a warning label on. To repeat: the increase in autism diagnoses is a product of progressively milder symptoms being allowed for diagnosis. It doesn't mean they "aren't real" - there were misdiagnoses fifty years ago as well. Behavior is complicated.
RFKjr is now walking back the Tylenol claim:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/rfk-jr-admits-doesn-t-185033218.html
Parallel parking:
ReplyDeleteI had the benefit of someone who explained the process/steps/decision-points in a way that made clear sense to me, leaving only practice on the current vehicle to make the process into one that's more-often-than-not a quick and smooth one. (not that there are ever any witnesses when I do it perfectly. . .)
What I DON'T understand is drivers behind someone parking in busy traffic who don't have patience to let the less confident drivers complete the task without getting far too close, or aggressively passing. That usually is counterproductive in terms of getting traffic moving in the most expedient way.
"...Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, they found that the striatum, a region in the forebrain, was about 10% larger in individuals with psychopathic traits compared to people with little or no such tendencies. Psychopaths, or individuals who display psychopathic traits..."
ReplyDeleteThat seems like a too-neat elision of 'brain states' with 'showing traits' with 'is a psychopath.' If showing these traits (more frequently? ever?) is equivalent with psychopathy, and the brain state produces the traits, then you have a nice little pre-crime setup for would-be social engineers. 'Everyone gets a brain scan, and then those whose brains are too large get...'
@ Grim - yup. CS Lewis made a powerful argument that punishment was kinder than rehabilitation by the authorities. It was at least finite and attached to something you had actually done. But to keep treating you until you are fixed could be endless. We saw that at the hospital. Once you are NGRI - not guilty by reason of insanity - some government agency is going to own you forever.
ReplyDeleteParallel parking...I was in downtown Minneapolis and a woman was trying tro park with considerable difficulty. A couple of people were looking and laughing. She yelled "It's not nice to watch people parallel parking!"
ReplyDelete