Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, Ed.DMary Helen Immordino-Yang, Ed.D

• University of Southern California

• Neuroscientist– learning – creativity – culture – morality

• Role of Emotion in Cognition

Two Brain SystemsTwo Brain SystemsMutually ExclusiveMutually Exclusive

Default Mode (DM) or Default Mode (DM) or Intrinsic NetworkIntrinsic Network

aka “Looking In”aka “Looking In”

Extrinsic NetworkExtrinsic Network

aka “Looking Out”aka “Looking Out” Daydreaming/Rest Reflection Off-line consolidation Meditation Abstract Moral Social

Emotions Thinking about

ONESELF

External Attention Goal Directed Concentration on a

task Social Media Concrete, Physical

World

Default Mode (DM) NetworkDefault Mode (DM) Network

Brain System

PAIN-based emotions

REWARD-based emotions

Social Emotions

About other

People’s

Minds

Intrinsic or Default Default ModeMode Network

Compassion for Social Pain

Admiration for Virtue

Primary

Emotions About other

People’s

Bodies

ExtrinsicExtrinsic Network

Compassion for Physical Pain

Admiration for Skill

Posteromedial Cortices (PMC) of the Parietal Lobe (pink) IntrospectiveAdmiration for Virtue & Compassion for Social Pain (AV/CSP, blue → green)

Admiration for Skill & Compassion for Physical Pain (AS/CPP, orange → yellow).

Immordino-Yang M H et al. PNAS 2009;106:8021-8026

©2009 by National Academy of Sciences

A Better Brain measured by:A Better Brain measured by:• The Efficiency with which Brain toggles

between DM (Looking In)DM (Looking In) and Looking Looking OutOut

• The Strength of connectivity between DMDM regions during “Rest”

– Stronger DMDM connectivity (cross-talk) correlated with Higher IQ

– Posses better cognitive abilities for making connections between disparate pieces of information

Reflective Pause Activates Reflective Pause Activates DM DM Access to Moral EmotionsAccess to Moral Emotions

• Pauses are a behavioral manifestation of DMDM neural activity

• The more a subject reflectively paused– The more cognitively abstract & complex

answers– The more DMDM activity they showed in the

scanner when recalling moral emotions– The stronger over DMDM activity was during rest

Emotions InterruptedEmotions Interrupted

• The DMDM is the pathway through which the brain processes social, moral emotionssocial, moral emotions

• However, DMDM is only active when “Looking In”• Highly vulnerable to disruption from

environmental distraction—such as:– Educational goals that consistently impose high

attention demands– Constant contact with Technology/Phones

• Result Young brains stuck in the Concrete!

Can Too Much Texting Make Can Too Much Texting Make Teens Shallow?Teens Shallow?

• Paul Trapnell, PhD, of the University of Winnipeg

• Study: Young People Who Text Frequently Focus on Wealth, Image; Less on Moral, Spiritual Goals

• 2,300 college students• Ages 18 to 22.• Texting Data collected 2007 – 2011• (Not clear if texting causes the shallows or if Shallows just text more)

• High Levels of Texting were:High Levels of Texting were:

PositivelyPositively correlated with NegativelyNegatively correlated with

Out group prejudice Materialism

Indigenous groups’ rights Moral reflectiveness Motivation to promote

social equality Perceived importance of

living with integrity

The Marshmallow TestThe Marshmallow Test

• The Marshmallow Test – YouTube

• Distraction/Avoidance strategy worked relatively well at resisting

• But children who imagined future possibilities (constructive internal constructive internal reflectionreflection)—ie: how good the 2nd marshmallow would taste, delayed delayed the longest!the longest!

Cultivate “Looking In”Cultivate “Looking In”

• Healthy Psychological development requires opportunities and skills for “Looking In”

• Frame learning environments to teach and practice internal, self-directed processing– HS students who journaled before a test

about their beliefs about their test performance scored significantly higher

Let the Children PlayLet the Children Play

• Inadequate opportunity for children to play & adolescents to reflect quietly and daydream may have negative consequences—– for social-emotional well-being – for ability to attend to tasks.

WisdomWisdom

• Reason + Compassion• Dalai Lama Reflects on Co

mpassion• Skilled learner uses these

two networks appropriately• Moves between them with

ease• Brain toggle skills include:

– Gaze aversion– Pause, slowed speech– Closed eyes