January 02, 2007
New season of BBC All in the Mind kicks off:
A new season of the BBC radio programme All in the Mind (not to be confused with the Australian ABC Radio programme of the same name) has just started and you can listen to the archives online.
The BBC version, to be fair, is a little more starched than the Aussie version, but covers a wider range of topics each week.
The first edition, broadcast just before Christmas, looked at the impact of reality TV on children who have been the subject of such TV programmes, and visits a unique suicide prevention drop-in centre.
The second in the series, broadcast tonight and available online from tomorrow evening, looks at false confessions and whether we all have think of the same colour when we think of a colour word.
It will also discuss the technology behind neurofeedback - a technique for 'training the brain' by turning EEG signals into something you can monitor and, therefore, learn to change.
As the technology has become cheaper, neurofeedback is becoming big business, with some dubious claims being made on its behalf (as a web search demonstrates).
However, despite the wild promises of some unscrupulous clinics, there is some sound science behind it and some early evidence it might help to improve certain mental abilities.
There's even a game - Mindball - that you can play purely with the power of thought. All in the Mind tries it out!
Link to BBC All in the Mind website with audio.
