Sorry Baroness Susan Greenfield, I won't buy your version of Autism which you clearly throw in to make your ideas more important.
"Autistic people are very comfortable in the computer world because relationships do not depend on the tone of the voice, body language, or pheromones."
Yes, it is true that Autistic people don't disambiguate ambiguity the same way. It is also true that this form of contact may allow them to be attuned to their interaction better as they don't get so distracted by their environment.
"It is literally what you see is what you get.
"I wonder that given the malleability of the brain, whether this is responsible for the rise in autism."
I wonder whether Greenfield has a brain at all.
I would kindly suggest Greenfield to do some research on the subject and notice that many kids develop Autism before the age where they in front of screens.
Then Greenfield could do more research on twins where one has autism and the other doesn't and see if the mother's screen usage has an impact.
I suggest Greenfield to take a close look at molecular biology and how chemicals can influence development apart from DNA. You know that this is not completely understood.
Wouldn't it be nice if there were such a simple solution to this issue. Still, with life's diversity, I believe Autism to be due to that.
Finally, just what is Greenfield's idealized concept of interaction anyway? I think it is rather whack.
Yes the brain is malleable. None of the many children I've seen develop into someone on the Autistic spectrum differed in terms of how much they watched tv.
Can the Internet change your brain?
Summary
The relentless bombardment of video, music and information online could permanently alter our brains and trigger neurological disorders, according to an eminent neurologist.
Topics
The relentless bombardment of video, music and information online could permanently alter our brains and trigger neurological disorders, according to an eminent neurologist.
With Western children spending more than six hours per day sat in front of a screen, Baroness Susan Greenfield told the Gartner Identity and Access Management Summit it's no coincidence an increasing number of children are today being treated for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.
The brain is susceptible to being reshaped by our experiences, she said, citing a recent study where London cabbies who memorized the streets of the capital displayed significant growth in the hippocampus - an area of the brain connected with memory.
Describing the online world, Greenfield added: "You are living in a child-like world of actions and sensations that do not mean anything other than what you see is what you get.
"Screen thinking is strongly sensational, short in span, has no conceptual framework, no metaphors and favors process over concept."
Greenfield said that relationships forged in the "computer world", through social networks and multiplayer environments such as Second Life, are "intruding on the full spectrum of human relationships".
"Autistic people are very comfortable in the computer world because relationships do not depend on the tone of the voice, body language, or pheromones.
"It is literally what you see is what you get.
"I wonder that given the malleability of the brain, whether this is responsible for the rise in autism."
Unless action is taken our sense of personal identity will be replaced by the false identities of social networks or the collective identities on Wikipedia, or be destroyed altogether by a fixation on the quick rewards of the internet, Greenfield said.
This article was originally posted on silicon.com.
Talkback Most Recent of 9 Talkback(s)
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javajunkie@...24th Mar 2009 -
I'll Second That Opinion
Whack. What an elegant application of the concept. Thank you for your comment JavaJunkie - it saved me a lot of typing.
Half-baked 'science' like this is why so many distrust the findings of the scientific community. Isn't their some governing body out there who can call shenanigans on this type of pseudo-scientist?
mack6824th Mar 2009 -
Yup.
Mine's MUSH now.
Feldwebel Wolfenstool24th Mar 2009 -
This was on NEWSNIGHT weeks ago...
It was unfounded speculation, for the most part. Ben
Goldacre did a valiant job trying to point this out,
asking instead for some proper research...
triptogenetica24th Mar 2009 -
RE: Can the Internet change your brain?
I think that what they call "attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder" has always existed and will always exist with or without the internet. They diagnose it more often, but it's just a name for a whole bunch of problems that were there before. The same goes for the statement (here in germany), that nowadays we have alcoholic, violent children. As if that had not existed 20 years ago...
daniel a.25th Mar 2009 -
RE: Can the Internet change your brain?
Electronic games are the worst. Our parents thought we were bad and unruly, try getting a child off a Playstation and their behaviour afterwards is appalling!
david@...25th Mar 2009 -
nothing to do with games
Try getting a child off anything they enjoy; be it a good book at night, building with LEGO or whatever.
There are a few studies which demonstrate that (many) computer games improve intelligence in kids. So I'd be inclined to let them play and apply the normal efforts to keep their behaviour and discipline reasonable.
If you do nothing but unload the kid on a PS2 for 6 hours, then suddenly reappear and demand that they stop and sleep, no wonder they react poorly.
exolon25th Mar 2009 -
RE: Can the Internet change your brain?
I've been working on and with computers for 26+ years and I have a great imagination.
ancrawford25th Mar 2009 -
neurology..
neurology,psychology and psychiatry are too accurate than forecasting, the only difference is forecasting do not promise you to change a winter storm in a sunny day.
magallanes25th Mar 2009
Talkback - Tell Us What You Think
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