GE143 Science and Technology for Life

Session 2: Fundamentals of Human Intelligence

Dr R Batzinger

Payap University

2023-08-15

0.1 Agenda

  1. Basic neural elements
  2. Structure of the brain
  3. Learning, feedback and control
  4. Limitations and Barriers
  5. Measures of human personality, memory, intelligence

1 Basic neural elements

1.1 Chemical Synapses

1.2 Nerve cell

  1. Neural transmitters arrive at the receptors

  2. The nerve fires when a threhold is reached.

  3. The axion fires along the nerve.

  4. The nerve end release neural transmitter.

1.2.1 Different types of nerves

  • Multimodal nerves - weighs between multiple inputs

  • Bimodal nerves - establishes context of the inputs

  • Unipolar nerves - triggers the corresponding muscle

1.2.2 Basic reflex

  • Sensory cells activate a nerve.

  • A chain of nerves transmit input to the central nervous system

  • The central nervous system triggers a response.

  • The response travels down the spine to activate the appropriate muscle.

2 Structure of the brain

2.0.1 Neocortex of the brain

### Function of Brain Regions

2.1 Wiring map of the brain map

Complexity of the Brain

Entity Drosophila Cat Dog Octopus Human
Neurons \(3.0\) x \(10^3\) \(2.5\) x \(10^8\) \(4.3\) x \(10^8\) \(5\) x \(10^8\) \(8.4\) x \(10^{10}\)
Synapses \(5.48\) x \(10^5\) \(1\) x \(10^{12}\) \(1.3\) x \(10^{12}\) \(3\) x \(10^{11}\) \(1\) x \(10^{14}\)
Neurons/Synapse 182 4000 3000 600 1200

2.2 Learning

  1. Repeated synapse reinforces the firing.
  2. Muscle memory develops with repeated practice.
  3. Feedback will adjusts the strength of the response
  4. Associated memories increase the likelihood of remembering.
  5. Smell, sounds and other senses are part of the memory.
  6. New memories and abilities can alter the memory
  7. New languages can effect performance in other languages
  8. Brain growth: 25% at birth, 90% at 5, 100% at 25

2.3 Rat Neurons in vitro Fly A Simulated Aircraft

Rat neurons

Flight simulator

2.4 Peak performance for Intellectual activities

Activity Peak Performance
Learning new languages at native ability 14 yrs
Memorizing/Processing speed 25 yrs
Facial recognition/problem solving 33 yrs
Emotional control/empathy 45 yrs
Vocabulary 65 yrs

3 Limitations and Barriers

3.1 Speed of nerve signal transmission

Type of nerve signal Speed
Muscle position 119 m/s
Pain signals 0.6m/s
Touch sensation 76.2m/s
Thought 25 m/s

Speed effected by

  • Drugs
  • Alcohol and stimulants
  • Cold
  • Stress
  • Nutrition
  • Health (Blood flow)

3.1.1 Hearing

3.2 Sensory adaptions

  • Blind spot Demonstrating
  • Sleep REM stage, dreams
  • Dream state problem solving
  • Relative movement moving eye, hand cordination
  • Speed, rotation and time distortions

3.3 Overload conditions

3.4 Perception adaptions

Bricks

Warp

3.4.1 3D Images

3D Illustions

3.4.2 3D Images

3D Illustions

3.4.3 3D Crosswalk

3.4.4 Other Classical Optical illusions

RabbitDuck

Ladies

3.4.5 Fooling the brain

Orientation RabbitDuck

Recognition at Focal point Ladies

4 Over riding systems

  • Parasympathetic sympathetic: Fight, flight (or freeze)
  • Endorphins: pain / pleasure

4.1 Personality Big 5 Personality Test

  • Openness - How open a person is to new ideas and experiences
  • Conscientiousness - How goal-directed, persistent, and organized a person is
  • Extraversion - How much a person is energized by the outside world
  • Agreeableness - How much a person puts others’ interests and needs ahead of their own
  • Neuroticism - How sensitive a person is to stress and negative emotional triggers

4.2 States of the Brain

  • Paying attention vs Mind-wandering
  • Boredom vs interest
  • Happy vs sad
  • Connected vs lonely
  • Confidence vs frustration

Range of Brain activity: (What defines privacy?)

  • Dreams
  • Thoughts
  • Feelings
  • Reactions
  • Actions
  • Repeated Behavior
  • Habits

4.3 Team Role (Belbin)

Social Roles:

  • Resource Investigator
  • Teamworker
  • Co-ordinator

Thinking roles:

  • Plant
  • Monitor Evaluator
  • Specialist

Action or Task roles:

  • Shaper
  • Implementer
  • Completer Finisher

4.4 Learning Preferences of Students

  • Learning environment
  • Degree of Social interaction
  • Access to Resources
  • Physical movement and variety
  • Hands on vs observation
  • Duration of the study session

4.4.1 Learning styles in older adults

Age Group Learning Style
45 to 55 Converger - thinking and doing while learning
55 to 65 Accommodator - feeling and doing
66 to 74 Diverger - feeling and watching
>75 Assimilator - thinking and watching

5 Human Intellect:

A Maze of multiple dimensions

  • Remember your number from a class count out.
  • Find the others in your group.
  • Establish definitions for the word contrasts.
  • Differentiate between these concepts.
  • Be prepared to summarize and report your findings.
  1. Knowledge vs Intelligence
  2. Skill vs Habit
  3. Wisdom vs Ability
  4. Attitude view vs Personality
  5. Charisma vs popularity
  6. Burnout vs depression

5.1 Measuring Aptitude Ability

  • IQ - spatial, verbal, mathematical and data recall abilities
  • EQ - Mature Judgment, social awareness, control of emotion
  • DIQ - Adapt to the parameters of a digitally connected world

5.2 Seeds of Creativity



He who pursues righteous and kindness,
will find life, righteousness,
and honor.

Prov 21:21

GE143 Session 2