At the APM Women in Project Management 2014 National Conference, Susan talked us through the “Seven Ages of Woman” explaining how findings in neuroscience support gender equality, and how environment and experience are proving as important as genetic make up in human development.

1. THE SEVEN AGES OF WOMAN
How Insights from Brain Research
affects us all

2. (1) BEFORE BIRTH…

3. ‘The president of Harvard University, Lawrence H. Summers,
sparked an uproar at an academic conference Friday when he
said that innate differences between men and women might be
one reason fewer women succeed in science and math careers.’
Boston Globe Jan 2005

4. An INDIRECT link between genes and
brain function…

5. Levels of Brain Organisation
• Consciousness
• Dysfunctions e.g. schizophrenia, depression
• Functions e.g. memory, vision
• Sub functions e.g. colour/form/motion processing
• Brain regions
• Large scale assemblies
• Isolated neuronal circuits
• Neuronal connections (synapses)
• Components of synapse e.g. receptor ion channels
• Genes

6. Huntington’s Disease
(Chorea)

7. Mice with the Gene for Huntington’s
Chorea:
An Example of
Nurture trumping Nature?
van Dellen, Blakemore, Deacon,
York & Hannan 2000, Nature

8. An Experiment Showing Environment
Can trump Genes
van Dellen, Blakemore, Deacon,
York & Hannan 2000, Nature

9. An Experiment Showing Environment
Can trump Genes
van Dellen, Blakemore, Deacon,
York & Hannan 2000, Nature

10. An Experiment Showing Environment
Can trump Genes
Standard
housing
Enriched housing
Non-Huntington’s
Percentage displaying
profound symptoms
Age (days)

11. (2) INFANCY

12. Developing a Mind…
Newborn 3 months 15 months 2 years

14. ‘Thinking is…
Movement Confined to the Brain’

15. Effects of an ‘Enriched’ Environment
‘Isolated’ ‘Enriched’

16. Connections Give Ever Deeper
MEANING over Time…

19. The Biological Basis of the Mind
Is the Personalisation of the Brain
Through Unique Dynamic Configurations
Of Neuronal Connections, Driven by
unique Experiences

20. (3) CHILDHOOD

21. The 21st Century Environment is
Unprecedented…
http://www.itv.com/news/u
pdate/2014-08-07/brits-spend-
more-time-using-technology-
than-sleeping/

23. Daily Media Usage (standard deviation) for Children,
Preteens and Teens Shown in Hours:Minutes
Total hours of media/technology truncated to 3 standard deviations above mean and all
total hours above that number were changed to exactly 3 standard deviations above the
mean.
Rosen et al., (2014) Media and technology use predicts ill-being among children, preteens and teenagers
independent of the negative health impacts of exercise and eating habits, Computers in Human Behavior, 35, 364-
375,

25. Mind Change:
The New Climate Change?
• Both global
• Both unprecedented
• Both controversial
• Both multi-faceted

26. (4) EARLY CAREER

28. Attrition Plot for Women in Engineering
and Technology 1996 and 2000

29. Attrition Plot for Women in Engineering
and Technology 1996 and 2000

30. (5) MOTHERHOOD

31. The Environment of the Screen:
Gaming

32. Why the Increase in Methylphenidate
prescriptions?

33. Video Games and Attention
Research Article
Television and Video Game Exposure and the Development of
Attention Problems
Edward L. Swing, Douglas A. Gentile, Craig A. Anderson, David A. Walsh
How to cite: Edward L. Swing, Douglas A. Gentile, Craig A. Anderson, David A. Walsh 2010,
Television and Video Game Exposure and the Development of Attention Problems Pediatrics Vol. 126 No. 2 pp. 214 -221 (doi: 10.1542/peds.2009-1508.)
Research Article
Video game playing, attention problems, and impulsiveness:
Evidence of bi-directional causality
Douglas A. Gentile, Edward L. Swing, Choon Guan Lim, and Angeline Khoo
How to cite: Gentile, D. A., Swing, E. L., Lim, C. G., & Khoo, A. (2012). Video game playing, attention problems, and impulsiveness: Evidence of bi-directional
causality. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 1, 62-70.

35. Repeated Exposure to Media Violence Is
Associated with Diminished Response in
an Inhibitory Frontolimbic Network.
Kelly CR, Grinband J, Hirsch J (2007) PLoS ONE 2(12):
e1268. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0001268

36. Research Article
Violent video game effects on aggression, empathy, and prosocial behavior in
Eastern and Western countries: A meta-analytic review.
Anderson, Craig A.; Shibuya, Akiko; Ihori, Nobuko; Swing, Edward L.; Bushman, Brad J.; Sakamoto, Akira; Rothstein, Hannah R.;
Saleem, Muniba
How to cite: Anderson, Craig A.; Shibuya, Akiko; Ihori, Nobuko; Swing, Edward L.; Bushman, Brad J.; Sakamoto, Akira; Rothstein, Hannah R.; Saleem, Muniba,. Psychological
Bulletin, Vol 136(2), Mar 2010, 151-173
136 Papers
381 Independent Tests
130,296 Participants
Desensitisation
Increased arousal
Aggressive cognition
Aggressive behaviour

37. THE NEURAL BASIS
OF
VIDEO GAMING
Kuhn, S. et al.,
Translational Psychiatry
(2011)
53, 1-5

38. Research Article
Computer and Video Game Addiction- A Comparison between Game
Users and Non-Game Users
Aviv Malkiel Weinstein
How to cite: Weinstein AM.Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse. Computer and Video Game Addiction- A Comparison between Game Users and Non-Game Users 2010;
36(5):268-76. doi: 10.3109/00952990.2010.491879

39. Arousal Addiction Reward

42. Two Basic Modes for
the Human Brain
‘Meaningless’
Prefrontal under-function?
• Strong feelings
• Sensory
• Here-and-now
• External environment
dominates
• Little ‘meaning’
• Reduced sense of self
• No time-space
• Infants and children
• More
‘Meaningful’
Prefrontal activation?
• Thinking dominates
• Cognitive
• Past / present / future
• Internal perceptions
dominate
• Personalised ‘meaning’
• Strong sense of self
• Clear time-space reference
• Older children and adults
• Less

44. Research Article
Inverse Association Between BMI and Prefrontal Metabolic Activity In
Healthy Adults
Volkow ND, Wang GJ, Telang F, Fowler JS, Goldstein RZ, Alia-Klein N, Logan J, Wong C,
Thanos PK, Ma Y, Pradhan K.
How to cite: Obesity (2009) Inverse Association Between BMI and Prefrontal Metabolic Activity In Healthy Adults. (1):60-5. doi: 10.1038/oby.2008.469.
Epub 2008 Oct 23.

46. Research Article
Decision-Making in Obesity: A Study using the Gambling
Pignatti R, Bertella L, Albani G, Mauro A, Molinari E, Semenza C.
How to cite: Eat Weight Disord. (2006) Decision-Making in Obesity: A Study using the Gambling
11(3):126-32

47. Without
Schizophrenia
With
Schizophrenia

48. Childhood and Schizophrenia
Similarities
Easily distracted
Short attention span
Inability to interpret proverbs
Under-functioning Prefrontal
Cortex

49. A Common Factor:
The Press of the Senses?

50. A
CONTINUOUS
CYCLE?
(2) High arousal,
high levels of
dopamine
release
(8) Greater
appeal of a
screen
environment?
(6) Conditions of
childhood,
(3) Reward
seeking
addictive
behaviour
(4) Dopamine
schizophrenia, obesity (5) Dopamine causes
PFC
hypo-function
released
(7) Drive:
sensation over
cognition
(1) Intense
stimulation of
screen: fast
response

51. Social Interaction vs.
Electronic Media Use
10
8
6
4
2
0
Electronic media use
Social interaction
87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01 03 05 07
Hours / day
Year

52. Communications in Three Dimensions
 Words: 10% of total impact
 Eye contact
 Body language
 Voice(tone/rate/volume)
 Pheromones ?
 Physical contact ?

54. Reduced Empathy?

55. A Link Between Autistic Type
Behaviour and the Screen?
• A link between atypical brain wave responses in problematic face
recognition, characteristic of autism, and also of heavy internet users (He et
al., 2011)
• A link between autistic spectrum disorders and an under-functioning
prefrontal cortex, indicative of a more literal take on the world (Amodio &
Frith 2006)
• A link between early screen experiences and later development of autism
(Waldman et al., 2006)
• A link between autistic conditions and an appeal of screen technologies
(Finkenauer et al., 2012).
• A link between autistic spectrum disorder and compulsive video game use
(Mazurek & Engelhardt 2013)

56. History of Blogging…
1999:
So I just have to tell someone about this thing my cat did
today…
2004:
OMG! Cat pictures!
2005:
Moving cat pictures!
2007:
1:00pm. My cat just sneezed!
1:02pm. Cat sneezed again!
1:04pm. Cat hasn’t sneezed recently. Getting worried.

57. Research Article
Self-Presentation 2.0: Narcissism and Self-Esteem on Facebook
Soraya Mehdizadeh, B.Sc.
How to cite: Mehdizadeh S. 2010 Self-Presentation 2.0: Narcissism and Self-Esteem on Facebook
13(4):357-64. doi: 10.1089/cyber.2009.0257.

59. The Environment of the Screen:
Search Engines

60. What is Honour?

61. Princess Marya…

62. ERIC SCHMIDT
(CHAIRMAN, GOOGLE)
‘I worry that the level of interrupt,
the sort of overwhelming rapidity of
information…is in fact affecting cognition. It is
affecting deeper thinking. I still believe that sitting
down and reading a book is the best way to really
learn something. And I worry that we’re losing
that…’

64. Realising the Full Potential of
the Human Mind in the Digital Age

65. The Mindset of the 21st Century?
• High IQ
• Efficient information processing
• Short attention span
• Icons not ideas
• Sensation at premium
• Risk taker
• Low empathy
• Need for constant feedback
• Weak sense identity
• Low-grade aggression

67. (6) MANAGEMENT

68. FEMALE LEADERS ARE VIEWED
DIFFERENTLY FROM MEN
Christine Wennerås and
Agnes Wold,1997

70. “Science Faculty’s Subtle Gender Biases
Favour Male Students”
“Despite efforts to recruit and retain more women, a stark gender
disparity persists within academic science.”
“The present study is unique in investigating subtle gender bias
on the part of faculty in the biological and physical sciences. It
therefore informs the debate on possible causes of the gender
disparity in academic science by providing unique experimental
evidence that science faculty of both genders exhibit bias against
female undergraduates.”
Corinne A. Moss-Racusina, B., John F. Dovidio B., Victoria L. Brescollc, Mark J.
Grahama, D., and Handelsmana, J. (2012) PNAS vol 109, 16474–16479

71. The Male Agenda Can Be Different

73. CONFIDENCE

74. The Options…
• Get angry: ‘Neurotic’
• Suppress: Insomnia
and ulcers
• Find mentor…

75. A Mentor…
‘Someone who believes in you, more
than you believe in yourself’
Jane Mellanby John Stein

76. (7) OLD AGE

77. Cognitive Reserve and Lifestyle
Scarmeas, N. and Y. Stern, J 2011.

79. The Merging
of Generations
• Health
• Appearance
• Reproductive Status
• Work Span

80. Developing And Losing One’s
Mind…
…Reflected In Brain Cell
Branching (Connections)

81. Dementia is a Growing Problem
• 700,00 currently
• Current cost: £20bn pa
• 940,110 by 2021
• 1,735,087 by 2051
• Increase of 154% over next 40
years
• NO NEW DRUG IN LAST 15
YEARS

82. (1)
Marker in
blood detects
degeneration
before symptoms
appear
(2)
Medication
for arresting
+ =
further
neuronal
death
PERMANENT
PREVENTION
OF SYMPTOM
ONSET!

83. Leading a Long and Fulfilling Life...
“Above all, don’t fear difficult moments. The best
comes from them”
Rita Levi-Montalcine (1909-2012)

84. This presentation was delivered at an
APM event
To find out more about upcoming
events please visit our website
www.apm.org.uk/events