Bonus Blog: Is AI Harmful to Students?

Readers of my blog may be interested in this recent event from Valparaiso University’s Christ College, where students debated the proposition “on balance, the rise of Artificial Intelligence harms students more than it helps them.” (So the “pro” team was arguing against students using AI, and the “con” team was arguing that it’s OK). If you work in education, or are just an interested observer, you might be intrigued by what these bright students thought were the most compelling reasons for and against their own use of emerging artificial intelligence technologies. I should note that both sides were explicitly instructed not to bring up the issue of reliability or AI-generated “hallucinations,” because it was felt that this would distract from the main question. That’s probably fair, as hallucinations have gotten a lot of press yet are also decreasing in frequency and severity with each new iteration of the technology. My daughter Ruth was one of the speakers for the “pro” side, but I won’t spoil this by telling you who won! https://www.youtube.com/live/iZ0FKG_O4LU?si=TZFmf1lnpubwh_Im

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Why Does Psychotherapy Work? Look to the Intuitive Mind for Answers

Jerome Frank's 1961 book Persuasion and Healing popularized the idea of "common factors" that explain the benefits of psychotherapy, building on ideas that were first articulated by Saul Rosenzweig in 1936 and again by Sol Garfield in 1957. Frank's book emphasized the importance of (a) the therapeutic relationship, (b) the therapist's ability to explain the client's problems, (c) the client's expectation of change, and (d) the use of healing rituals. Later theorists emphasized other factors like feedback and empathy that are sub-components of the therapeutic relationship, and that can be clearly differentiated from specific behavior-change techniques like cognitive restructuring or behavioral reinforcement . Additional aspects of therapy that are sometimes identified as common factors include the opportunity to confront difficult past experiences, the opportunity for a "corrective emotional experience" with the therapist, and the chance t...

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Last Tuesday was Mardi Gras, traditionally a day of excess just before the start of the church season of Lent. Lent (from the Old English lencten meaning "springtime") is one of two penitential times in the Christian church year, when people are asked to repent for their sins and engage in various forms of self-denial. Many people still talk about "giving something up" for Lent. It seems ironic, then, that the season of Lent should start with a scheduled day of debauchery, "Fat Tuesday" in French, when people are encouraged to eat pancakes or King Cake, drink alcohol, dress in outlandish outfits, and dance in the streets. The event even has theological underpinnings: Medieval clergy offered pre-planned absolution at the start of Lent on the day that is also called "Shrove Tuesday," from the Old English verb shrive (adjective: shrove or shriven) meaning "to offer forgiveness from sins." Lent always made a certain sort of sense to me fro...

The Multitasking Mind: Intuitive Thinking is a Set of Systems

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