What do you do when you just can't figure something out? For zombies, it's pretty simple. They can just keep bashing their brains against the wall. But living brains are a lot more complex. It turns out, though, that if you understand just a little bit of some of the basics about how your brain works, you can learn more easily and be less frustrated. 當無論如何都想不出辦法時 你會怎么做呢？ 對于僵尸們來說 這個問題很簡單 他們只需要不停地用腦子去撞墻 但是活生生的大腦要復雜得多 不過事實證明 如果你了解自己大腦是如何運作的 哪怕只了解很少的一部分 你學起來都會更容易 少走彎路
Researchers have found that we have two fundamentally different modes of thinking. Here, I'll call them the Focused and the Diffuse modes. 研究者們發(fā)現(xiàn) 我們有兩種完全不同的思考模式 在這里 我把它們稱作專注模式和發(fā)散模式
We're familiar with focusing. It's when you concentrate intently on something you're trying to learn or to understand. But we're not so familiar with diffuse thinking. Turns out that this more relaxed thinking style is related to a set of neural resting states. 我們都很熟悉 '專注' 當你一心一意的專注于某些東西上 試著去學習或者去理解它們的時候 就是“專注” 但是我們還不太熟悉發(fā)散模式的思維方式 我們發(fā)現(xiàn) 與這種更加放松的思考模式互相關聯(lián)的一系列神經(jīng)皆處于靜息狀態(tài) 我們發(fā)現(xiàn) 與這種更加放松的思考模式互相關聯(lián)的一系列神經(jīng)皆處于靜息狀態(tài)
We're going to use an analogy of the game of pinball to help us understand these two thinking modes. Incidentally, both metaphor and analogy are really helpful when you're trying to learn something new. 我們將會用一個類似彈珠的游戲 幫助我們理解這兩種思維模式 順帶一提 當我們學習新的東西的時候 比喻和類比都是很有用的方法
If you remember, a pinball game works by, you pull back on the plunger, release it, and a ball goes boinking out, bouncing around on the rubber bumpers, and that's how you get points. So, here's your brain, with the ears right here, and the eyes looking upwards. And we can lay that pinball machine right down inside it. So, there you go. There's the analogy for the focused mode. The blue bumper bumpers here are placed very close to one another. See this orange pattern here towards the top? It represents a familiar thought pattern. Maybe involving something simple like adding some numbers, or more advanced ideas like literary criticism or calculating electromagnetic flows. You think a thought, boom, it takes off, moves smoothly along. And then, as it's bouncing around on the bumpers, you're able to figure out the problem you're trying to solve, or. The concept you're trying to understand that's related to something you're rather familiar with. 如果你還記得的話 彈珠游戲的玩法是 你按下按鈕 然后松手 一顆彈珠就會彈出來 在橡膠緩沖器之間彈跳 然后你就可以得分 這是你大腦的示意圖 耳朵在這里 眼睛向上看 我們可以放進來一個彈珠機 游戲開始 這個類似于專注模式 藍色的緩沖器放得很密集 一個挨著一個 看到上方的橙色區(qū)域了么？ 它代表著已熟知的思維模式 可能包括一些簡單的 類似數(shù)字相加 或者更復雜的想法 類似文學評論 或是電磁流量的計算 當你想到一個點子 它就會像彈珠一樣'嘭'的一聲發(fā)射出來然后平緩的向前移動 隨著它在緩沖器之間彈跳 你可以找到解決問題的思路 明白你試圖理解的觀念 這些都是與你之前較熟悉的事物有聯(lián)系的
So look at how that thought moves smoothly around on the fuzzy underlying orange neural pathway. In some sense it's as if it's traveling along a familiar, nicely paved road. But what if the problem you're working on needs new ideas or approaches? Concepts you haven't thought of before. That's symbolized here by this neural pattern towards the bottom of the pinball machine area. But if you haven't thought that thought before, you don't even know how that pattern feels or where it is. So how are you going to develop that new thought in the first place? Not only do you not know where the pattern is or what the pattern looks like, but see all the rubber bumpers that are blocking your access whatever direction you do decide to move in? 所以在模糊的橙色神經(jīng)通路部分 你可以看到你的思路相當順暢 從某種意義上說 這就像是在一個你熟悉的平坦大道上行走一樣 但是如果你正在思考的問題需要新的點子或解決辦法該怎么辦？ 需要一些你從未想到過的概念該怎么辦？ 那就像是這個神經(jīng)模型的這一部分 在接近彈珠機器底部的這一區(qū)域 但是如果你之前沒有想過這個想法 你甚至不知道這個模式是怎么樣的 又或是它究竟在哪里 那么 你到底要怎么開始構(gòu)建這個新想法呢？ 你不僅不知道這個模式在哪里或是看起來怎么樣 而且 看到這些緩沖器了么 他們都是攔路虎 不論你選擇向哪邊移動 阻礙都存在
To get to this new thought pattern, you need a different way of thinking. And that's represented here, by the diffuse mode. Look at how widely spaced the rubber bumpers are. Thought takes off, look at how it moves widely, bounces around. It could travel a long way before being interrupted by hitting a bumper. In this diffuse mode of thinking, you can look at things broadly from a very different, big-picture perspective. You can make new neural connections traveling along new pathways. You can't focus in as tightly as you often need to, to finalize any kind of problem solving. Or understand the finest aspects of a concept. But you can at least get to the initial place you need to be in to home in on a solution.要開啟一個新的思維模式 你需要一個不同的思路 就像這里示意的一樣 你需要發(fā)散模式 你看 這些橡膠緩沖器之間有非常大的空間 想法蹦出來以后 可以看到它運動區(qū)域很大 跳來跳去 在被緩沖器撞到而停止之前 它可以彈跳很長一段距離 在這個發(fā)散的思維模式下 你可以更概括地看事物 這是一種完全不同的全景視角 隨著這個想法在新通道間穿梭 你便可以建立起新的神經(jīng)連接 你不能像以前那樣專注于 落實某個問題的解決方法 或者理解某個概念中最細微的方面 但是你至少可以找到一個解決問題的出發(fā)點 但是你至少可以找到一個解決問題的出發(fā)點
Now as far as neuroscientists know right now, you're either in the focused mode or the diffuse mode of thinking. It seems you can't be in both thinking modes at the same time. It's kind of like a coin. We can see either one side, or the other side of the coin. But not both sides at the same time. Being in one mode seems to limit your access to the other mode's way of thinking. 就目前神經(jīng)學家所知,專注模式與發(fā)散模式只能單獨存在.看起來人們不能同時使用兩種模式。這有點像一枚硬幣，我們一次只能看到它的其中一面，但是卻不能同時看到兩面。在一個模式中思考看起來會阻礙轉(zhuǎn)換到另外一個思維模式。
In our next video we're going to see how some extraordinary people access their diffuse ways of thinking to do great things. 在我們的下一個視頻中 我們將會看到 一些杰出人物是怎樣通過發(fā)散思維來成就杰作的 感謝大家選修“如何學習” 我是芭芭拉·奧克利
So let's take a look at some famous people from history who used their different thinking modes to help them with their problem solving. If you look at that guy right there, he was Salvador Dali, a very well known Surrealist painter of the 20th century. He was the very definition of a wild and crazy guy. You can see him here with his pet ocelot, Babou. 讓我們來看看歷史上的一些名人 是如何用不同的思考模式來幫助他們解決問題的 看到這邊這個家伙了嗎 他叫薩爾瓦多·達利 ( Salvador Dalí ) 20世紀著名的超現(xiàn)實主義畫家 他是個典型的狂人和瘋子 這是他還有他的寵物豹貓 Babou
Dalí used to have an interesting technique to help him come up with his fantastically creative Surrealist paintings. He'd relax in a chair and let his mind go free, often still vaguely thinking about what he had been previously focusing on. He'd have a key in his hand, dangling it just above the floor. And as he would slip into his dreams, falling asleep, the key would fall from his hand and the clatter would wake him up, just in time so he could gather up those diffuse mode connections and ideas in his mind. And off he'd go back into the focused mode bringing with him the new connections he'd made while in the diffuse mode. 達利曾用過一種很有意思的方法 來幫助他創(chuàng)作那些創(chuàng)意無限的超現(xiàn)實派畫作 他會坐在椅子上 放空自己的大腦 并常常會漫無目的地思考一下之前的工作 他會手拿一把鑰匙 在地面上方晃來晃去 當他睡著進入夢鄉(xiāng)的時候 鑰匙會從手里摔到地上發(fā)出噠的一聲 恰到好處地把他叫醒 這樣他就能把腦海中那些 在發(fā)散模式下得到的的聯(lián)想和點子及時地收集起來 然后他會帶著這些在發(fā)散模式下得到的新想法 回到專注模式里去
Now you might think, well, you know, that's okay for an artist, but what is it have to do with more scientific or mathematical kinds of thinking? Well, if you look down here, this guy was Thomas Edison, one of the most brilliant inventors ever. According to legend, what Edison used to do was he'd sit and relax in his chair, holding ball bearings in his hand. He'd relax away letting his mind run free, although it would often noodle back in a much more relaxed way to what he'd been focusing on previously.那你們可能會想 沒錯 對藝術家來說這沒問題 但這對更為科學或者具有數(shù)學性的思考又有什么幫助呢？ 好 如果你們往下看 這個家伙叫托馬斯·愛迪生 ( Thomas Edison ) 史上最杰出的發(fā)明家之一 據(jù)傳 愛迪生會坐在椅子上放松 手上抓幾個滾珠軸承 他會放松自己的身體和意識 盡管他會經(jīng)常以更為放松的方式回想之前的工作
When Edison would fall asleep, the ball bearings would drop and clatter to the ground just as with Dalí. And it would wake Edison up and off he'd go with his ideas from the diffuse mode, ready to take them into the focused mode and build on them. So the bottom line is, when you're learning something new, especially something that's a little more difficult, your mind needs to be able to go back and forth between the two different learning modes. That's what helps you learn effectively. You might think of it as a bit analogous to building your strength by lifting weights. You would never plan to compete in a weight lifting competition by waiting until the very day before a meet and then spending that entire day working out like a fiend. I mean, it just doesn't happen that way. To gain muscular structure, you need to do a little work every day, gradually allowing your muscles to grow. Similarly, to build neuro-structure, you need to do a little work every day, gradually allowing yourself to grow a neuro-scaffold to hang your thinking on, a little bit every day and that's the trick. 當愛迪生睡著的時候 那些滾珠軸承就會掉到地上 發(fā)出噠的一聲 就和達利 (的鑰匙) 一樣 這樣就會吵醒愛迪生 然后他就可以帶著發(fā)散模式下得到的點子回到專注模式當中 所以這里要強調(diào)的是 當你學習一些新的東西 尤其是比較難的東西的時候 你的大腦需要有一種 在兩種學習模式之間來回轉(zhuǎn)換的能力 這能幫助你更高效地學習 你可以把它和 通過舉重來提升力量做類比 你不可能直到 某次舉重比賽的前一天 再花一整天時間來進行魔鬼訓練 我是說 這樣根本行不通 想要獲得肌肉 你就必須每天做一點鍛煉 讓它們逐步增長 類似地 想要鍛煉你的神經(jīng) 你就需要每天做一點練習 逐步建立起支撐你思考的神經(jīng)骨架 每天做一點 這就是關鍵所在
In summary then, we learned that analogies provide powerful techniques for learning. We learned about how the brain's two different thinking modes, focused and diffuse, each helps us learn, but in very different ways. And finally, we learn that learning something difficult can take time. Your brain needs to alternate its ways of learning as it grapples with and assimilates the new material. 總結(jié)一下 我們了解到 類比教會了我們強有力的學習方法 我們學習了大腦的兩種不同的思考模式 專注和發(fā)散 它們都能幫助我們學習 只不過是用完全不同的方式 最后 我們了解到學習困難的東西需要相當?shù)臅r間 你的大腦需要轉(zhuǎn)變它的學習方式 以此來努力面對和消化新的事物
Thanks for learning about learning. I'm Barbara Oakley.
感謝大家選修 “如何學習” 我是芭芭拉·奧克利
Relevant reading
Andrews-Hanna, J . R. 'The Brain's Default Network and Its Adaptive Role in Internal Mentation.' Neuroscientist 18, no. 3 (J un 2012): 251-70.
Immordino-Yang, M. H., J . A. Christodoulou, and V. Singh. 'Rest Is Not Idleness: Implications of the Brain's Default Mode for Human Development and Education.' Perspectives on Psychological Science 7, no. 4 (2012):
352-64.
Moussa MN, Steen MR, Laurienti PJ , Hayasaka S (2012) Consistency of Network Modules in Resting-State fMRI Connectome Data. PLoS ONE 7(8): e44428. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0044428.
Raichle, Marcus E, and Abraham Z Snyder. 'A Default Mode of Brain Function: A Brief History of an Evolving Idea.' NeuroImage 37, no. 4 (2007): 1083-90.
Dali, Salvador. Fifty Secrets of Magic Craftsmanship. Dover, 1948 (reprint 1992).
Root-Bernstein, Robert S., and Michelle M. Root-Bernstein. Sparks of Genius. NY: Houghton Mifflin, 1999.
Takeuchi, H., Y. Taki, H. Hashizume, Y. Sassa, T. Nagase, R. Nouchi, and R. Kawashima. 'The Association between Resting Functional Connectivity and Creativity.' Cerebral Cortex 22, no. 12 (Jan 10 2012): 2921-29.
