One may point out that many mathematicians and theoretical physicists are completely hopeless in labs, falling victim to the annoying habit of constantly losing items. It is vital to note that the activity of parts of the brain which share a functional role with a more researched function, like visual and spatial memory, is only correlational, and may only indicate that they share some functions at a higher or lower level. Other areas of the brain showed use by the subject, including a sector of the brain generally related to childlike “finger counting,” probably used in his mind to relate numbers to the visual cortex. Some of the areas that he and presumably prodigies use are brain sectors dealing in visual and spatial memory, as well as visual mental imagery. His brain, compared to six other controls, was studied using the PET scan, revealing separate areas of his brain that he manipulated to solve the complex problems. One subject never excelled as a child in mathematics, but he taught himself algorithms and tricks for calculatory speed, becoming capable of extremely complex mental math. The PET scans also answer questions about which specific areas of the brain associate themselves with prodigious number-manipulation. For example, experienced waiters have been found to hold the orders of up to twenty customers in their heads while they serve them, but perform only as well as an average person in number-sequence recognition. This memory, specific to a field of expertise, is capable of holding relevant information for extended periods, usually hours. PET Scans performed on several math prodigies have suggested thinking in terms of long-term working memory (LTWM). But some people (and chess tournaments are good places to look) are able to look further ahead than that, and the skill sets between games and mathematics are very similar. Beyond that it becomes very difficult to keep track of the different branches and details. Recent studies have indicated that ordinarily university students think 2, 3, or 4-ply when confronted with some kind of game-playing or problem-solving task. People typically think a few moves (or ply) ahead. A similar principle, for nearly the same mental mechanism, can be observed among players in games, such as, for example, chess or go. This is potentially one of the reasons why mental calculators do not necessarily go on to become mathematicians. Mental calculators are not to be confused with other mathematical prodigies, because mechanically carrying out and keeping track of progress in a calculation is very different from having an understanding of the deeper principles behind mathematics. ![]() “ Calculators,” those capable of mentally performing arithmetic, geometrical, or other complex mathematical operations normally reserved for electronic calculators, achieve six to seven times the typical blood flow to parts of the brain observed to be active during mathematical operations. Michael O'Boyle, an American psychologist working in Australia, however has recently utilized fMRI scanning of blood flow during mental operation in prodigies to display startling results. ![]() For this reason, most research on prodigies focuses on mathematical genius.įew studies have examined the neurological activity of prodigies. The quantifiable nature of mathematics and games make prodigious talent in these areas easier to identify and to define than in the cases of literature, philosophy, and to a lesser extent, art and music. However, these patterns of reasoning are unfortunately ubiquitous in literature and the public consciousness. IQ, age, neural plasticity, and mental capacity are part of a general cognitive performance metric framework which has little empirical or theoretical bearing on profound early ability in specific subjects. Much attention is given to vague concepts such as neuroplasticity or there is an implicit assumption that mental capacity scales roughly linearly with age (made explicit by the notion of 'ratio IQ' popularized by the Stanford LM), up to a certain point, and such approaches are clearly misguided. Age is perhaps one of the most striking factors, but again should not be the primary indicator of where one's talents will eventually lie. IQ tests are profoundly ill-equipped to gauge any specific talents, and are highly unreliable at both ends of the scale (as any widespread intelligence test is). Often, people become obsessed with the concepts of age or IQ. A common error in judgement occurs when one is attempting to evaluate a brilliant child.
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