Snap judgments? Hey, we all
make them about each other. The truth is when we see new faces, we categorize
them in milliseconds. Our brains can have a person boxed and labeled before we’re
even aware. Are they guilty or not
guilty? Would they get your vote? Do you fear or trust them? Are they angry?
Happy?
So what’s going on in our
brains while these split-second, unconscious stereotypes and evaluations are
being processed? Social and experimental psychologist Jon Freeman is looking to
find out. He asks:
-- What are the neural and
perceptual mechanisms underlying stereotypes?
-- Why are facial cues so
important?
-- Can our unconscious first
impressions actually morph the way we “see,” or perceive, someone?
-- What are the consequences
of our unconscious initial judgments?
Director of the
Social Cognitive & Neural Sciences Lab and assistant professor of
psychology at NYU, Jon Freeman uses brain imaging, behavioral techniques, and
computational modeling to study the
mechanisms underlying how we see and understand other people, including social
categories and group membership, personality traits, and emotion. Recently, he was named to Forbes' “30 Under 30 in Science” and
was a featured scientist on Through the
Wormhole with Morgan Freeman. He is the author of over 60 scientific papers
and the developer of the data collection and analysis software,
MouseTracker.
Before & After
--Get "BRAAAAAINS," our wet-wired, zombie-stereotyping cocktail of the night
--Submit to our dopamine-spiked neuro-grooves
--Stick around for the
thought-provoking Q&A
This edition of the Secret
Science Club meets Tuesday, October 25, 8 pm @ the Bell House, 149 7th
St. (between 2nd and 3rd avenues) in Gowanus, Brooklyn. Subway: F or G to 4th Ave, R to 9th St.
Doors open at 7:30 pm. Please bring ID: 21+. No
cover.
