ESP Biography



TIMOTHY BRADY, Graduate student in Brain & Cognitive Sciences




Major: Brain & Cognitive Sciences

College/Employer: MIT

Year of Graduation: G

Picture of Timothy Brady

Brief Biographical Sketch:

I have a B.A. in Cognitive Science from Yale, and am currently working towards a PhD here at MIT. I do research on vision and memory, which means I ask how much people can remember about what they see and how we can help them remember more.

I chose to come to MIT largely because they have a giant sign with my name on it here (unfortunately they built it facing the wrong way!).



Past Classes

  (Clicking a class title will bring you to the course's section of the corresponding course catalog)

S5058: Awesome Findings in Psychology in Splash! 2011 (Nov. 19 - 20, 2011)
Why are our memories sometimes false, and our perceptions fooled by illusions? When should you prefer not to get paid for your work? Could the temperature of my cup of coffee really affect how much I like you later? How could your decisions, your desires, and even your test scores be affected by subtle changes in your environment? In this class we will discuss surprising and important psychology findings that will change the way you think about experiences in your every day life


S3812: The development of the human mind in Splash! 2010 (Nov. 20 - 21, 2010)
What can studying infants tell us about how the mind and brain works? In this class we will discuss everything from whether a young child understands morality to the origins of math. Do young children "know" the laws of physics -- and how could we tell if they did? Will giving a 5-month old sticky-mittens make them smarter when they grow up? How about 'Baby Einstein'? We'll review the evidence on what kinds of knowledge we born with, and what we learn as babies to try to get an understanding of the adult mind.


S2850: How the mind works in Splash! 2009 (Nov. 21 - 22, 2009)
Why are our memories sometimes false, and our perceptions fooled by illusions? When should you prefer not to get paid for your work? Could the temperature of my cup of coffee really affect how much I like you later? How could your decisions, your desires, and even your test scores be affected by subtle changes in your environment? In this class we will discuss surprising and important psychology findings that will change the way you think about experiences in your every day life.


S2091: What Do Babies Know? in Spark! Spring 2009 (Mar. 07, 2009)
What kinds of knowledge are we born with, and what do we learn as young babies? In this class we will discuss everything from why peek-a-boo works so well to the origins of morality. Do babies know the laws of physics --- and how could we tell if they did? Do babies know that some people are nicer than others? Can they do basic math at only 6 months of age?


S1783: Genetic and environmental influences on the mind and brain in Splash! 2008 (Nov. 22 - 23, 2008)
What makes us the people we are? For thousands of years, the "nature versus nurture" debate has raged on. We'll see how we can actually measure the effects of heritability and environment, and begin to address how our genes interact with experience to produce mind, brain and behavior. We'll look at cool studies comparing identical and fraternal twins, talk about the evolution of human cognition, ask what innateness and heritability really mean, and discuss the philosophical questions that these issues bring up.


S1223: How The Mind Works: A Tour of Awesome Findings in Psychology in Spark! Spring 2008 (Mar. 08, 2008)
Why are our memories sometimes false, and our perceptions fooled by illusions? When should you prefer not to get paid for your work? Could the temperature of my cup of coffee really affect how much I like you later? How could your decisions, your desires, and even your test scores be affected by subtle changes in your environment? In this class we will discuss surprising and important psychology findings that will change the way you think about experiences in your every day life.


Subliminal influences on your decisions in SPLASH (2007)
Why do people named Penelope prefer Pepsi but people named Chris prefer Coke? Could the temperature of my cup of ...


Uncovering Human Nature: Evolution of the Mind and Brain in SPLASH (2006)
How have music, language, perception and thought been shaped by evolution? Are we really so different from our closest animal ...