logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2025
43m 16s

Networks of the Mind

Kyle Polich
About this episode

A man goes into a bar… This is the beginning of a riddle that our guest, Yoed Kennet, an assistant professor at the Technion's Faculty of Data and Decision Sciences, uses to measure creativity in subjects.

In our talk, Yoed speaks about how to combine cognitive science and network science to explore the complexities and decode the mysteries of the human mind.

The listeners will learn how network science provides tools to map and analyze human memory, revealing how problem-solving and creativity emerge from changes in semantic memory structures.

Key insights include the role of memory restructuring during moments of insight, the connection between semantic networks and creative thinking, and how understanding these processes can improve problem-solving and analogical reasoning.

Real-life applications span enhancing creativity in the workplace, building tools to combat cognitive rigidity in aging, and improving learning strategies by fostering richer, more flexible mental networks.

-------------------------------

Want to listen ad-free?  Try our Graphs Course?  Join Data Skeptic+ for $5 / month of $50 / year

https://plus.dataskeptic.com

Up next
Jul 6
The Network Diversion Problem
In this episode, Professor Pål Grønås Drange from the University of Bergen, introduces the field of Parameterized Complexity - a powerful framework for tackling hard computational problems by focusing on specific structural aspects of the input. This framework allows researchers ... Show More
46m 14s
Jun 28
Complex Dynamic in Networks
In this episode, we learn why simply analyzing the structure of a network is not enough, and how the dynamics - the actual mechanisms of interaction between components - can drastically change how information or influence spreads. Our guest, Professor Baruch Barzel of Bar-Ilan Un ... Show More
56 m
Jun 22
Github Network Analysis
In this episode we'll discuss how to use Github data as a network to extract insights about teamwork. Our guest, Gabriel Ramirez, manager of the notifications team at GitHub, will show how to apply network analysis to better understand and improve collaboration within his enginee ... Show More
36m 46s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2023
Neuroscience for Learning - Neuroplasticity - Brain wiring
In this episode, Stella and Karen delve into the fascinating world of neuroplasticity and its impact on learning. Join us as we explore how our brains form and reform connections through the use of glucose, electricity, and chemicals. Discover the truth about the brain's cap ... Show More
5m 56s
Jul 2017
14: Artificial Thought (Neural Networks)
Go to www.brilliant.org/breakingmathpodcast to learn neural networks, everyday physics, computer science fundamentals, the joy of problem solving, and many related topics in science, technology, engineering, and math.  Mathematics takes inspiration from all forms with which life ... Show More
1h 5m
Nov 2024
How to Improve at Learning Using Neuroscience & AI | Dr. Terry Sejnowski
In this episode, my guest is Dr. Terry Sejnowski, Ph.D., professor of computational neurobiology at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. He is world-renowned for exploring how our brain processes and stores information and, with that understanding, for developing tools that ... Show More
2h 34m
Sep 2024
How to Improve Memory & Focus Using Science Protocols | Dr. Charan Ranganath
In this episode, my guest is Dr. Charan Ranganath, Ph.D., professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of California, Davis, and a world expert on the neuroscience of memory. We discuss how memory works, what causes diseases of dementia like Alzheimer’s, and science ... Show More
2h 39m
Nov 2024
Solving Problems with Purpose: The Scientific Method Behind Design Thinking
In this episode of "Solving Problems with Purpose," we dive deep into the fascinating intersection of science and creativity. We explore how the scientific method powers the Design Thinking process, providing a structured yet flexible approach to solving complex problems. From em ... Show More
19m 42s
Mar 2025
M. Chirimuuta, "The Brain Abstracted: Simplification in the History and Philosophy of Neuroscience" (MIT Press, 2024)
This book is available open access here. The Brain Abstracted: Simplification in the History and Philosophy of Neuroscience (MIT Press, 2024), Mazviita Chirimuuta argues that the standard ways neuroscientists simplify the human brain to build models for their research purposes mi ... Show More
52m 44s
Mar 2025
1123: David Eagleman | Your Prehistoric Brain on Modern Problems
David Eagleman explains why counterfeiting works, how our empathy fails, why mind reading remains elusive, and if we'll ever upload our minds to computers. What We Discuss with David Eagleman: Dr. David Eagleman worked with the European Central Bank on anti-counterfeiting measure ... Show More
1h 9m
Jun 2024
135 - Jake Quilty-Dunn: The Language of Thought Hypothesis in Cognitive Science
Joseph chats with Prof. Jake Quilty-Dunn, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the Department of Philosophy and the Center for Cognitive Science Rutgers University. Prof. Quilty-Dunn works primarily in philosophy of mind and cognitive science. Much of his research concerns distin ... Show More
47m 45s
Oct 2024
The Stone Age Brain in a Digital World: Synesthesia, Mindfulness, and the Art of Disconnecting with Dr. Richard Cytowic (Part Two)
In part 2, neurologist Dr. Richard Cytowic delves deeper into his pioneering research on synesthesia and its profound implications on how we understand perception. He explains how synesthesia challenges the outdated notion of brain modularity, revealing the brain's inherent cross ... Show More
27m 26s
Jul 2024
#374 — Consciousness and the Physical World
Sam Harris speaks with Christof Koch about the nature of consciousness. They discuss Christof’s development as a neuroscientist, his collaboration with Francis Crick, change blindness and binocular rivalry, sleep and anesthesia, the limits of physicalism, non-locality, brains as ... Show More
42m 7s