Human Touch - A Key Ingredient

Hello there! Good morning and hope you are well and that the sun is shining over you!

It has been a while since I last posted to this blog. The past few weeks have been filled with a whirlwind trip to Mumbai, and then a chilling return to the coldest winter in thirty years in the UK.

Picking up from where I left off in the last post, today, we'll talk about a key element in human interaction that is often missing in human-computer interaction and in digital resources created for e-learning – the friendly touch. What does this really mean, and why is the human touch necessary for positive, gainful, interaction? Some recent research sheds more light on the subject.

“A warm touch seems to set off the release of oxytocin, a hormone that helps create a sensation of trust, and to reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol”.

Aha. This is something that perhaps we all instinctively know and understand. Yet, isn't it amazing how the human touch is often missing in the way we communicate, and in the way we create learning for the new age.

For those of us whose bread and butter often depends on hours spent on a machine that has become a much revered family member , and who like me, must work in virtual teams and do not often experience the joy of face to face communication with the project team, this becomes a critical factor in how we work together as a team and cooperate and collaborate. Ever thought about how the tone of your email can change with a simple greeting at the start?

So I’ve been thinking about this a lot. About the need to change the way we communicate, both online and offline, in a way that metaphorically at least, communicates the human touch. Very much a design issue don’t you think?

The Social Brain and The Need to Connect

I am a die hard fan of Dr Who, a British science fiction television series, in which the last of the Time Lords, (Dr Who) travels to different worlds in his amazing ship, the Tardis.

It’s a lonely life for the Doctor, whose world and people have long since been destroyed. Of course, it is the Doctor’s lovely lady companion, a woman from Planet Earth, who keeps him centred and helps him in his task of saving the different worlds from annhilation.

Now why am I going on about all of this? In one particular episode, New Earth, Dr Who discovers a hospital in which there are hundreds of pods containing artificially-grown humans, forcibly inflicted with numerous diseases. These human lab rats have never had contact with other humans and have never experienced being touched. Imagine that.

If you’ve not guessed it by now, the topic today is Social Brains.

The Channel 4 documentary, Man on Earth explores how Homo Sapiens survived the last Ice Age, and the events that led to the disappearance of their cousins, the Neanderthals. It is because the Neanderthals lacked our 'social brains', that they were unable to work out simple trades for goods and get help from outsiders, and this is what eventually led to their starvation and dying out in lonely communities.

Ralph Adolphs discusses the role of the social brain, or the “orbitofrontal cortex, which is located at the base of the frontal lobes, right behind the eyes, and the amygdala, a small structure deep within the brain. These two seem to integrate cognition and emotion, linking what we see in the outside world to an emotional response to it.” He describes the case of Phineas Gage and other patients who have suffered damage to the orbitofrontal cortex.

“If you ask these patients what their main difficulty in life is, they’ll tell you it’s social—they can’t understand other people’s emotions…In fact, their impairments in many respects resemble those seen in people with high-functioning autism.”

For more insight into the role and importance of social networks, the need to stay connected, and how even perceived isolation can be damaging, watch this video in which Professor John Cacioppo, co-founder of the study of social neuroscience, outlines the vital importance of altruistic behaviour, social connection, and inclusive communities.

Now what does all this tell us? And what should we now keep in mind when we try to create more effective learning programmes?

Bits of Psychology - Ego and Learning

Kevin Rose, founder of Digg, shares some of his research and insights in this video 9 Ways to Take Your Site from One to One Million Users.

The first point he makes is about Ego. He hits the nail on the head when he asks us to consider whether what we offer does anything to increase users' self-worth. There is much research to support this. This is good business practice and has much to do with user uptake of any offering. I think we should keep this in mind when we develop learning resources or any programme in which learner participation is crucial. In order to develop engaging and effective learning, we need to connect with learners and cultivate learning dispositions. He examines the Twitter story and why Followers work and how simple rewards and perks can make all the difference. Definitely worth thinking about in this world where the locus of control in education and training is now shifting and learning is a social activity. You can read a little bit more about psychology and understanding the people you design for here, How to Understand Your Users with Personas.

Angel's Advocates and Creating New Social Norms

The Wired to Connect dialogues is a series of dialogues between Daniel Goleman and several leading thinkers. In the dialogue called The Inner Compass for Ethics and Excellence, Daniel Goleman and Naomi Wolf share their thoughts about how to create new social norms and cultures in which women develop their leadership.

Naomi Wolf explains how in order to be heard, women need to use their "true voice" and let go of old, overlearned responses such as, presenting a "false front of compliance" and "playing it safe" and "placate". For women who want to make change, there is a need to get over the aversion to criticism. In order to change this wiring, they need to live by the maxim, feel the fear and do it anyway.

Goleman speaks about how Neuroplasticity comes into play - the brain shapes itself through repeated experiences and it's only by putting women in a place where they are compelled to take risks, will these old, play-it-safe responses be overwritten.

Goleman explains this shift in terms of the amygdala, the part of the brain that receives direct inputs from the senses, to trigger a response even before these stimuli are registered by the neocortex or the thinking centre. The amygdala triggers an emotional response even before the cortical centres (or the thinking brain) have fully understood what is happening.

When women speak with their true voices, this shift resonates outwards, and is instantly and almost unconsciously, perceived by listeners (via the amygdala) and plays a significant role in building trust.

Goleman shares a story about an organisation that has developed the concept of the Angel's Advocate, a powerful and real way of creating a new culture and social norms. In this organisation, there is a tradition that whenever anyone advocates a new idea, the next person who speaks must support it. This allows breathing room for new ideas, and ensures that not every new idea is killed at the outset. This practice is now standard operating procedure in that organisation.

So for all of you who long for change - there's many routes - use your true voice, face up to and do not fear criticism, take risks often, and be an angel's advocate...in Gandhi's words, well, just go ahead and be the change!

Skepticism vs. The Need to Believe

We were recently watching the Paul Merton in India series on the tele and my ten year old son was amazed by what he didn't know about India. And more than a little disturbed as he watched with a new set of eyes, the land where a majority survive not on bread and water, but on belief alone. It made us a little sad really. I am a skeptic at heart, and feel that truth above all else must prevail. And though only ten, and unable to articulate why he felt so uncomfortable with the complex ritualism that seems to define a large part of India (and even the tech-savvy part of India), he does know that something's not quite right.

Is it sheer coincidence then (please let it be!), that The Guardian weekly science podcasts invited guest Prof Chris French - coordinator of the anomalistic psychology research unit at Goldsmiths, University of London - to share his ideas and the work being done on the subject of Anomalistic Psychology. You can listen to the Guardian podcast here. You can also get access to the audio and video presentations of the anomalistic psychology research unit at Goldsmiths here.

Anomalistic psychology seeks to provide non-paranormal explanations for a whole range of para-normal experiences. And to teach critical thinking. And to help people understand the nature of evidence and assess the worth of evidence, and why they should believe more in certain forms of evidence than in others. In other words, it seeks to teach people to adopt a scientific, skeptical approach to life and phenomena.

In a country where poverty, hunger and homelessness abound, there is no doubt that paranormal beliefs can play a positive role - that of a shock absorber that makes it possible to face each day of hardship. It's often a case of Believe or Go Mad with Frustration or Die from Despair. But where belief and blind faith take away from people their faith in themselves and their own power of decision making, it can do no good. Where belief is used to make puppets of people and disempower them and keep them from achieving their true potential, it can do no good.

Derren Brown, master conjurer and mindtrickster is also a promoter of skepticism and critical thinking. Read more about his views here.

I fear that change may be a long time coming in India. But please let it begin here and now. Surely there is more to science education and IT advances than merely a foothold to the world of material advancement? Surely above all else, it is about building questioning minds and evidence based thinking?

I Want it Now(!)

We recently came across a product called I Want It in an electronic goods store and had a good laugh about its tongue-in-cheek jibe at today's consumer. Something to think about in this fast moving, fast changing world, where attention spans are short and the name of the game is instant gratification. It is a world where people want quick results and easy answers.

In his book Emotional Intelligence (Why it can matter more than IQ), Daniel Goleman describes The Marshmallow Test conducted by Walter Mischel. A group of four year olds were offered two marshmallows if they could wait till the researcher returned, and one if they didn't want to wait.

"There is perhaps no psychological skill more fundamental than resisting impulse. It is the root of all emotional self-control..." (Goleman, 2004, p.81)

When these children were tracked down fourteen years later, it was found that those who had resisted temptation at the age of four, were now more socially competent and better able to cope with life's frustrations than those who had given in to impulse and grabbed the one marshmallow. They also fared better academically than those who had acted on whim. "More than a decade later, they were still able to delay gratification in pursuit of their goals."

But there's hope for us all. As Goleman states, "There is ample evidence that emotional skills such as impulse control and accurately reading a social situation can be learned."

Reference: Goleman, Daniel,(2004), Emotional Intelligence and Working with Emotional Intelligence, Bloomsbury Publishing

Changin Times and the Evolving Self

(Image courtesy: Paavan Karia)

"Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you
Is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'..." Bob Dylan

Do you remember this Bob Dylan classic?

Classic because its still true and relevant today. Today I write about some eternal truths. Changing times and The Evolving Self (Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi). In this brilliant discourse, Csikszentmihalyi delves into the role played by evolutionary adaptation and wired in, genetic programmes in shaping our psychology. And how in order to survive and progress and adapt to changing times, we must remain flexibhle because "with each generation the conditions that affect human consciousness change in subtle but important ways "(p.42). He recognises that in order for the human race to thrive, there is a need to develop skills beyond logic and rational thought because:

"The future...is not constrained by rules and predictable outcomes. We need to cultivate more than logic if we want to thrive in it. We must foster intuition to anticipate changes before they occur; empathy to understand that which cannot be clearly expressed; wisdom to see the connection between apparently unrelated events and creativity to discover new ways of defining problems, new rules that will make it possible to adapt to the unexpected."

For providers of learning, there is much to chew upon. Let us awaken to the changing times and the need to change the way learning is dished out. Let us stop cultivating sheep (no offence to sheep!).

For more insight into changing paradigms and new perspectives into learning, listen to this podcast - Informal Learning – an interview with Brian Sutton.