YouTube was created in February 2005 as a website where users can upload, share, and view videos for free. By collecting stats such as view counts, likes, and shares from a global community for over 10 years, YouTube has inadvertently collected an incredible dataset about human behavior, communication, and audio-visual perception. We want to explore this dataset and study the question, how do people of different ages watch the same YouTube video?

Please join us as we present the results of our first project studying the impact of technology on our minds. This project also serves as a proof-of-concept for methods and techniques that can enable Field Neuroscience, or the experimental study of neuroscience outside the lab, or "in the wild".

15:00 - Doors open
15:15 - Introduction by Adam Kampff
15:30 - Studying Minds in the Wild, by Danbee Kim
15:45 - "Surprising Minds on YouTube" Final Project Presentation, by SWC summer interns
16:00 - Q&A session with Adam Kampff, Danbee Kim and SWC summer interns
16:30 - Refreshments

Final Project Presentation Abstract

For over ten years, Youtube has been capturing the attention of millions, including a growing audience of young children. But what makes these videos so compelling? What impact does spending time on YouTube have on developing minds?

In this project, we compiled some of YouTube's most popular, non-music-video footage into a short video clip about a minute long, then asked people visiting Central London's Regent's Park to watch our clips while wearing an eye-tracking headset. We also engaged park visitors in conversations about neuroscience, technology, and how the rapid development of both fields is shaping our society.

In this presentation, SWC summer interns will share and discuss both our quantitative findings and our qualitative insights from running this experiment during August 2018.