Chinwag Psych Reading Material Round-Up

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Chinwag Psych May 9, is a conference and online publication covering psychology, neuroscience and machine learning for business and marketing. 

To give you a run down of the most interesting articles on the internet this week Jamillah has curated a list for your reading pleasure.  

To grab a ticket for the event there are some great deals available, simply click here, to find out more.

Don’t panic, it’s Just Neuroscience.

The Federal Government in the US is pledging $100m to explore the human brain. Sounds complicated but according to futurist Ray Kurzweil, the brain is both complex and not complex.

Marketplace.org had a chat with the man himself and you can listen to the interview here where he also talks about his exploration of natural language at Google.

Read more here.

Presentation is Key

Marketing Professor Jonah Berger describes how discounts can seem more appealing depending on how they are presented to consumers. The same discount shown as a percentage could be more appealing than the same amount taken off. Take a look at the video on Business Insider where he also touches on exclusivity.

Read more here.

Transparency for the Brain

Over on Wired, check out the video from Nature describing how scientists at Stanford have created a transparent view of a mouse brain. Extraordinary visualisations show how molecules can be labelled in whole brains. Find out how to make a brain transparent here:

Read more here.

Mundat Dundar wins Award to Enhance Machine Learning

Congratulations to Mundat Dundar of Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). He has won the CAREER award and will be using his prize to continue his work on machine learning.

According to Dundar, computers can only classify data based on the training data set it is given to establish analysis. Dundar is exploring ways in which computers can actively and continually update and adapt to new information - or put simply - teach itself to recognise changes in data and adapt accordingly. A step toward dealing with real world information.

Read more here (link removed at publisher's request)

However Smart Machine Learning is, there’s Still Room for Humans

While tech companies look to automate more processes through machine learning, we’re not all going to be redundant yet. According to a report in ZDNet the way that humans teach these machines is key to their success.

So although machines appear to be getting ‘smarter’ as Tony Baer of Ovum says “We will never take people out of the equation”. That’s not to say our roles might not change of course.

Read more here.

Neuroscience and Innovation

Forbes has completed a three-part series on neuroscience and innovation with business advisor Janet Crawford. The final installment has four simple tips for creating innovation according to neuroscience - or according to Janet at least. Check out the other installments for a more rounded view.

Read more here.

// Get your psych ticket here.

Photo (cc) Ryan Smith Photography.