One-hour programs on CD from the award-winning The Infinite Mind public radio series on topics of special interest to educators, teachers and parents. Produced in part with funding from the National Science Foundation.
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As many as a third of the children diagnosed with ADD - Attention Deficit Disorder - are tragically misdiagnosed. Their tantrums, fidgetiness, self-abuse and inability to pay attention are signs of a major mental illness - bipolar disorder, or manic depression. Worse yet, the standard treatments for ADD - stimulants like Ritalin and anti-depressants like Prozac - can provoke violence, psychosis and even suicidal mania in bipolar children. Guests in this special program include Janice and Dr. Demitri Papolos, best-selling authors of a new and ground-breaking book on bipolar children, and Martha Hellander, director of the Child and Adolescent Bipolar Foundation. The Infinite Mind's host, Dr. Fred Goodwin, one of the world's leading authorities on bipolar disorder, leads the discussion.
One-hour CD and printed transcript. |
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What happens in the brain when we learn? What do we know about learning, and how can it be applied in practical situations, like schools? In this hour, we talk to scientists and educators about applying research to learning. Guests include Dr. Kurt Fischer, the director of the Mind, Brain and Education program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education; Dr. William Greenough, chair of the Neuroscience Program at the University of Illinois; Dr. Ted Sizer, founder of the Coalition of Essential Schools; and Patmore Lewis, violinist with the New York Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.
One-hour CD and printed transcript. |
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Teen suicide has increased three-fold since the 1950s, while overall suicide rates have leveled off in recent years. There are some 4,000 teen suicides each year, and an estimated 80,000 attempted suicides. In this hour, we'll look at the risk factors, warning signs, and ways to prevent suicide among young people, and talk to the U.S. Surgeon General about his Call To Action to Prevent Suicide.
One-hour CD and printed transcript. |
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Why can some people name a note as soon as they hear it when others can't tell one from another? In this hour, we'll explore the mysterious ability known as perfect pitch. A cellist with perfect pitch will give a guided tour through the notes and keys. We'll also hear from a psychologist and geneticist who have different ideas about how many people have perfect pitch and why. And a report on Williams Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder which can cause physical and mental problems - and a sensitivity to music and pitch. Guests include: Gordon Grubb, a cellist with the Grossmont Symphony; Dr. Dan Levitin, a record producer and psychology professor at McGill University; Dr. Peter Gregersen, Chief of the Division of Biology and Human Genetics North Shore University Hospital; Dr. Ursula Bellugi, professor and director of the laboratory for cognitive neuroscience at the Salk Institute; Dr. Glen Schellenberg, professor of psychology at the University of Toronto; and Dr. Howard Lenhoff, professor emeritus at the University of California at Irvine. Commentary by John Hockenberry.
One-hour audio cassette and printed transcript. |
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The magic words "once upon a time" transport us to other worlds and other times. Storytelling is the primary technology of a preliterate age and has traveled through time to make its mark on history. Our brain constructs images and puts them into a narrative flow; our body projects those images onto an audience in front of the hearth, around a fire, sitting in the kitchen or on a stage. Guests include Diane Wolkstein, a master storyteller from New York City; Dr. Joseph Sobol, director of the Storytelling Graduate Program at East Tennessee State University and author of "The Storytellers' Journey: An American Revival;" Donald Davis, one of the nation's foremost storytellers; and Linda Blackman, founder and director of The Mothers' Living Stories Project. With commentary by John Hockenberry.
One-hour audio cassette and printed transcript. |
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As many as 1 in 7 American children are affected to some degree by dyslexia, which disables language skills but often bestows special abilities in the visual and spatial realm. This program explores what dyslexia is, and what it is not, with guests including author and producer Stephen J. Cannell, Thomas Viall of the International Dyslexia Association, Yale researcher Dr. Sally Shaywitz, Toronto entrepreneur Jay Mandarino, author Thomas G. West, virtual reality pioneer Daniel Sandin, children's author Jeanne Betancourt and her daughter, filmmaker Nicole Betancourt.
One-hour audio cassette and printed transcript. |
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We all have questions about what makes a good parent. Theories come and go with every generation, but what concrete advice can experts give us? In this program, we talk to Dr. Marguerite Barratt, director of Michigan State University's Institute for Children, Youth and Families about parenting young children, and to Dr. Harold Koplowicz, director and founder of the New York University Child Study Center, about raising teenagers. We'll also hear from Judith Rich Harris, author of The Nurture Assumption, on just how much influence parents really have. Plus, a visit to a parenting workshop by popular authors Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish, a discussion with best-selling author Annie Lamott, a performance by children's singer and songwriter Laurie Berkner, and commentary by John Hockenberry,.
One-hour audio cassette and printed transcript. |
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Nature? Or nurture? Twins may hold the answer. Identical twins raised apart report eerie similarities in lifestyle and preferences. Host Dr. Fred Goodwin, himself a twin, leads this exploration of the world of twin-ness. Guests include Dr. Nancy Segal, author of "Entwined Lives;" Dr. Thomas Bouchard, who directs the Minnesota Twin Study; Dr. Goodwin's twin brother Cliff; and two sets of identical twins, including brothers separated as infants and reunited after 40 years apart, along with "twin ambassadors" Debbie and Lisa Ganz. With commentary by John Hockenberry, father of twins Zoe and Olivia.
One-hour audio cassette and printed transcript. |
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In pre-industrialized societies, children learned the history, tradition and values of the cultures through their contact with elders. Today, kids hang with kids, middle-aged people go away to work and older people live in nursing homes or in Florida. This program looks at how our mobile, urban, technological world has segregated the generations, the consequences, and what some are doing to bridge this ever-widening generation gap.
One-hour audio cassette and printed transcript. |
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As reported cases of autism skyrocket, we hear from parents and people living with autistic disorders including author Temple Grandin, and the latest scientific research from Dr. Robert Koegel, a professor of psychology and Director of the Autism Research Center at the University of California at Santa Barbara. Actor Anthony Edwards from the hit TV show ER shares his own experiences, Hollywood producer Jonathan Shestack who founded Cure Autism Now, and Suzanne Vega performs.
One-hour audio cassette and printed transcript. |
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Youth violence has been in the news and on the minds of politicians and the public since school shootings brought the topic to front pages around the country. But scientists have been studying ways to predict and prevent it for decades. In this hour, we'll hear what they've learned, what biology can tell us about violence and what kids have to say on the subject. Guests include Dr. Carl Bell, Dr. John Coie, Michael English and Dr. Debra Neihoff.
One-hour audio cassette and printed transcript. |
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How important is a child's environment to the fateful first year of life? What are the respective roles of genes, and the way we treat an infant, in defining the type of person they become? Researchers report how babies respond to nurturing and learn languages. Plus the trials of a child prodigy, John Hockenberry, and your calls.
One-hour audio cassette and printed transcript. |
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ADD affects more than children -- doctors know it's often a grown-up disorder that can cripple smart, creative adults. But breakthroughs in treatment offer new hope. Featuring ADD expert Dr. Edward Hallowell, Dr. Marc Grossman, a developmental behavioral optometrist, performance artist, Reno, star of the upcoming HBO documentary, Reno Finds Her Mom. Plus: a national advocacy group fights for the rights of mentally ill kids behind bars.
One-hour audio cassette and printed transcript. |
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Play, the silly stuff of life, turns out to be more than just a good time. This hour of The Infinite Mind looks at the importance of play to both children and adults. We hear from a play therapist who explains how she uses play to help children, the director of a play room at a hospital's pediatric ward, as well as a toy designer and toy critic who discuss the role of technology in toys. Guests include: singer/songwriter Suzanne Vega; Dr. Diane Frey, Professor of Counseling at Wright State University; Sue Bratton, Clinical Director of the Counseling Department at the University of North Texas; and Cynthia Walter-Glickman, of the social work staff of Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center. Commentary by John Hockenberry. One-hour CD and printed transcript. |
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Everyone feels shy sometimes. Have you ever wondered what's going on in our minds and bodies when we experience shyness? This week, we look into both the social aspects and the biology of shyness. Guests include singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega, who talks about being a shy performer; Dr. Bernardo Carducci, the Director of the Shyness Research Institute at Indiana University Southeast; and two preeminent developmental psychologists, Dr. Jerome Kagan and Dr. Nathan Fox, who discuss whether shyness is an inborn trait. We also visit a support a support group for shy people. One-hour CD and printed transcript. |
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It's human to connect. Without the opportunity for consistent relationships early in life, though, development founders. This show explores attachment disorder and attachment problems that affect children who have been abused and neglected. Guests include psychiatrist Dr. Charles Zeanah, clinical psychologist Robert Karen, Thais Tepper, the founder of the Network for the Post-Institutionalized Child, and Joyce Peters, the adoptive mother of a child with attachment disorder. One-hour CD and printed transcript. |
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This week, in an encore presentation, The Infinite Mind takes a look at lying, from the vague lies of politeness (for instance, "Fine, thank you" or "You look wonderful") to serious lies ("I didn't do it," for example). The show starts off with a look at a character from the children's animated show "Rugrats," and follows up with a look at real children, with child psychiatrist Dr. Elizabeth Berger. Dr. Paul Ekman, University of California, San Francisco, clues us into what he's found in over thirty years of researching why and how people lie. J.J. Newberry, of the Institute of Analytic Interviewing, tells us how he puts Dr. Ekman's findings into action in training police. And is lying in therapy necessarily bad? According to some psychiatrists, lies, fantasy, dreams, and the truth itself are all grist for the mill. We also hear from filmmaker Pola Rapaport, about her recent documentary, "Family Secrets." Plus, John Hockenberry recalls the Rodney King case, in which the adage "the camera never lies" was turned on its head. One-hour CD and printed transcript. |
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As many as 1 in 7 American children are affected to some degree by dyslexia, which disables language skills but often bestows special abilities in the visual and spatial realm. This program explores what dyslexia is, and what it is not, with guests including author and producer Stephen J. Cannell, Thomas Viall of the International Dyslexia Association, Yale researcher Dr. Sally Shaywitz, Toronto entrepreneur Jay Mandarino, author Thomas G. West, virtual reality pioneer Daniel Sandin, children's author Jeanne Betancourt and her daughter, filmmaker Nicole Betancourt. One-hour CD and printed transcript. |
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Locked inside the silent world of the autistic child is an unimaginable richness of color, sensation and sound. As if an opera singer was performing a beautiful aria in the forest -- with no audience to hear. The brain of the autistic child becomes locked away, unreachable by language. Until recently blamed on bad parenting, autism is now known to be a genetic disorder, with medications and behavioral therapies able to help many children. As reported cases of autism skyrocket, we hear from parents and people living with autistic disorders including Cure Autism Now founder and Hollywood producer Jonathan Shestack and author Temple Grandin, and the latest scientific research. Actor Anthony Edwards from the hit TV show ER shares his own experiences, and Suzanne Vega performs. One-hour CD and printed transcript. |
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Intelligence is a word we use everyday. But what does it really mean? Is it a single, measurable factor, or a combination of factors? In this hour, Dr. Goodwin talks to experts about what we mean when we talk about intelligence, how we measure it, and how it relates to performance in school, work and life. Plus, a special report from the White House Conference on Mental Health. We hear from President Clinton, First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, Al and Tipper Gore and others at this summit meeting on care for people with mental illneses. One-hour CD and printed transcript. |
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The ins and outs of bilingual education have been hotly debated, but what is actually going on in the bilingual brain? This week we look at bilingualism, and what it tells us about the human capacity for making sense of the world around us. Guests include writer Julia Alvarez; Dr. Joy Hirsch, who heads a magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) laboratory at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center; Dr. Ellen Bialystok, a cognitive psychologist who is Professor of Psychology at Toronto's York University; Lynette Holloway, an education reporter for the New York Times and commentary by John Hockenberry. One-hour CD and printed transcript. |
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New memory research is teaching scientists how the brain remembers, why it forgets, and, potentially, how to improve memory. In this hour, we talk about the new research. We also dispel some common memory myths, talk to kids about memory, and visit a memory enhancement class. Plus, singer/songwriter Dar Williams remembers her childhood in song, and commentary from John Hockenberry. One-hour CD and printed transcript. |
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It's called the disease from which people die twice. Only a few generations back, our bodies wore out long before our minds. Today, living longer can also mean losing one's mental capacity to Alzheimer's, a debilitating and terminal disease. However, dramatic inroads in research could lead to the prevention and treatment of this disease within the next decade. This program also looks at geriatric depression. Guests include: Dr. Trey Sunderland from the National Institute of Mental Health, Judy Riggs of the Alzheimer's Association, filmmaker Deborah Hoffmann and Dr. Dan Blazer of Duke University Medical Center. One-hour CD and printed transcript. |
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