Human brains “mirroring” computer actions

I’ve been reading about “mirror neurons” lately, trying to understand why we like stories.  I understand why we like to tell stories — there are lots of evolutionary advantages to wanting to communicate, to get others to pay you attention.  But why do we like to consume stories?  What advantage is there to wanting to hear others’ stories?  This is relevant for my contextualized computing education notions — why does wrapping a story around CS1 lead to increased retention?  One possible answer is that we are wired to mimic others’ activities, through our mirror neurons, potentially leading to vicarious learning.

Which is why the findings linked below are interesting.  Turns out that our mirror neurons fire even when watching a computer do something.

Surprisingly, when players were observing their competitor make selections, the players’ brains were activated as if they were performing these actions themselves.  Such ‘mirror neuron’ activities occur when we observe the actions of other humans but here the players knew their opponent was just a computer and no animated graphics were used.  Previously, it has been suggested that the mirror neuron system supports a type of unconscious mind-reading that helps us, for example, judge others’ intentions.

Dr Howard-Jones added: “We were surprised to see the mirror neuron system activating in response to a computer.  If the human brain can respond as though a computer has a mind, that’s probably good news for those wishing to use the computer as a teacher.”

via Bristol University | News from the University | GSOE and Department of Computer Science.

Matthias and Gordon win SIGCSE 2011 Honors

I’ve been meaning to post this note from Dan Joyce to the SIGCSE Members list.  Congratulations to Matthias and Gordon! Both well-deserved honors!

It is my pleasure to announce the 2011 SIGCSE award winners.

The SIGCSE Award for Lifetime Service to the Computer Science Education Community has been awarded to Gordon Davies, Department of Computing, Open University (retired).

The SIGCSE Award for Outstanding Contribution to Computer Science Education has been awarded to Matthias Felleisen, Trustee Professor at College of Computer Science, Northeastern University. (Ed note: Known for his TeachScheme approach, DrScheme, and the new Racket environment.)

Professor Felleisen will give a plenary address at the Technical Symposium.

Professor Davies will address the First Timer’s luncheon at the Technical Symposium.

These awards will be presented at the 42nd SIGCSE Technical Symposium being held in Dallas, Texas, USA, March 9-12, 2011.

I am sure you will join me in congratulating these outstanding educators.

For more information about these awards, including lists of previous winners, please see http://sigcse.org/programs/awards

Dan Joyce
Vice Chair SIGCSE