Forward Thinking

Could music be the answer to keeping us sharp in old age? Listen to Dr Judy Okely talk about an exciting new project looking at the potential connection between musical experiences and healthy ageing in the brain. Related links: Judy Okely  Forward Thinking blog Healthy mental ageing - the Lothian Birth Cohorts

Should we really be using baby words with infants? Linguists at the University of Edinburgh have been researching the use of baby talk words and Dr Barbora Skarabela is one of them. Barbora and her colleagues recently did a study which found that words like “choo-choo” help babies pick up language quicker than adult language alone! Listen to the podcast to find out more about this research into children’s language development.Related links:Wee Science | Learning from kids while they playForward Thinking | Research, news and views from Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences

Our ability to keep track of ongoing thoughts, plans, actions, current tasks, and changes around us is essential for everyday living. This ability is known as working memory, a system of the brain that allows us to focus on what we are doing, switch tasks, solve problems, or do several things at once such as walking and talking. However, scientists disagree about what limits our working memory ability, and how those limits change as people grow older.The project Working Memory Across the Adult Lifespan (WoMAAC) brings together three research groups who disagree with different theories of how and why working memory changes with age. Here to discuss are psychology researchers Professor Robert Logie and Dr Alicia Forsberg, both part of the University of Edinburgh project team. Related links:WoMAAC project website

How can we understand how language changes over time?Historical linguists aim to map this language change through time by looking at both the structure and sounds of the language as well as its social environment. Minority, non-European languages such as indigenous American ones are barely represented in research on language change and limits our understanding of language change as a whole. Linguistics researcher Dr Ben Molineux is creating the first digitally-based account of change in Mapudungun, the endangered, ancestral language of the Mapuche people of Chile and Argentina.Related links:Corpus of Historical MapudungunBen Molineaux

Traditionally, politics has been about compromise. Being part of a shared community, whether local, national, or international, has been about negotiation, reciprocity, and trust. How can territorial identity influence, and perhaps even distort, perceptions of fairness? Perceptions of intergroup (un)fairness and of being “left behind,” for example, provided much of the momentum behind the UK Brexit decision.  Here to discuss are Director of the Neuropolitics Research Lab Professor Laura Cram and Lecturer in Psychology Dr Adam Moore, both from the University of Edinburgh.Related links:Neuropolitics Research LabLaura Cram Adam Moore

How should Nietzsche's work influence our daily lives? MSc Public Engagement and Science Communication graduate Tremaine Billham talks to philosophy lecturer Dave Ward on what we can learn from Nietzsche.Related links:Dave WardDr Dave Ward: Research in a Nutshell On the Genealogy of Morals by Friedrich Nietzsche | GoodreadsForward Thinking blogForward Thinking podcast on iTunes

Linguistics is the scientific study of language and its structure, it looks at the nature of language and communication – which is integral to being human. So why don’t more people know about it? Here to discuss are Dr Graeme Trousdale and Dr Pavel Iosad, both lecturers in Linguistics and English Language at the University of Edinburgh. Both Pavel and Graeme are keen supporters of the Linguistics Olympiad, which is a competition, where students of all ages and abilities can compete to solve linguistic data problems. They are also working on introducing Linguistics as a school subject.Related links:Pavel IosadGraeme TrousdaleUnited Kingdom Linguistics OlympiadInternational Linguistics OlympiadTowards an A-level in Linguistics | Committee for Linguistics in Education

Did you know that Scotland is home to the longest study of human cognition in the world?  Contemporary Scottish Artist Fionna Carlisle and Lothian Birth Cohorts Director Professor Ian Deary discuss how they came to collaborate on an exhibition of the Lothian Birth Cohort participants, which is showing from Friday 26 October to Saturday 24 November 2018 at the Firestation Gallery at the Edinburgh College of Art.Related links:Forward Thinking blogFionna CarliseIan DearyCentre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology Godfrey Thompson Project | Documenting the understanding of human intelligence

How can we understand and challenge the oppression of women using philosophy? Senior Lecturer in Philosophy Dr Elinor Mason explains feminist philosophy, exploring gender roles as well as ways to challenge unconscious biases. Find out more about Elinor’s research and her upcoming show at the 2018 Edinburgh Festival Fringe which tackles the complexities inherent in women’s sexual refusal. Disclaimer: Whilst not explicit, this podcast does deal with adult themes. Related links: Elinor Mason #YesAllMen | Edinburgh Festival Fringe Delusions of Gender by Cordelia Fine | Blackwell’s Testosterone Rex by Cordelia Fine | The Royal Society I Am Not An Easy Man | Netflix Hannah Gadsby: Nanette | Netflix

Does speaking multiple languages make you smarter? Linguistics professor Antonella Sorace thinks bilingualism has many benefits that go beyond language, for example in task switching. Science communications student Susie (Shuoqi) Qu talks to Antonella Sorace about research into bilingualism and the work of her research and information centre Bilingualism Matters. Related links: Antonella Sorace Bilingualism Matters