Distinguished Lecture Series: Measuring Brains - From Phrenology to the Present Day

Location
Block 2, Dubai International Academic City, P.O. 341799, University of Birmingham Dubai
Dates
Wednesday 22 January 2020 (18:00-20:30)
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Phrenologists believed that character and mental abilities could be inferred from head size and shape. While this belief has little empirical support, many of the assumptions that underpinned phrenology are consistent with what we now know about the links between brain structure and function and our mental abilities. This knowledge stems from studies of people with selective brain injuries, and studies where brain activity and brain structure have been measured using new brain imaging techniques.

In this talk, Prof Wilding will introduce key assumptions of phrenology and describe findings in neuropsychology and neuroscience that are relevant to them. This will also provide the opportunity to share some of the intriguing ways in which our mental abilities change following brain damage, and the science behind some of the ways it is now possible to measure how our brains operate.

Schedule for the evening:
6.00 - 6.30pm Welcome and refreshments
6.30 - 7.30pm Guest Lecture 
7.30 - 8.30pm Networking

Ed Wilding

Professor Ed Wilding, Head of the School of Psychology, University of Birmingham

Ed Wilding is Head of the School of Psychology. He was previously Associate Pro-Vice Chancellor for the Graduate School and Research Career Development at the University of Nottingham. Ed studies human long-term memory, focusing on particular on how memory retrieval works, and how the brain supports retrieval.

Read Ed's full profile