Educational Media Reviews Online

The Human Mind: From Neurons to Knowledge is a three-part DVD video series that takes the viewer on a “pioneering journey through the mind.” The series describes the massive number of neurons and pathway synapses in our brain as electrical power that affects our ability to learn, our personality development, and our social interactions. Each video features an individual completing a task to illustrate the subject of that particular video. Get Smart (pt. 1) examines intuition, memory, how we learn, and how new learning experiences strengthen brain pathways. The video illustrates in detail how the mind works as a homemaker prepares to make a transition to a career as a midwife. Personality (pt. 2) explores the role of the mind in the formation of our personalities from childhood through adulthood, examines mood swings, and features a male individual needing professional help with anger management. The video successfully illustrates his ability to make necessary changes with the help of a psychologist. Making Friends (pt. 3) reviews how the mind helps the social interaction of individuals, discusses our ability to read body language and expressions, and features a young lady preparing for a wedding illustrating in this case, what is occurring in the mind as she prepares to get along with future in-laws.

Originally broadcast by BBC Worldwide Limited as The Human Mind…and How to Make the Most of It, the series offers a captivating look at our brains of 100 billion cells with “over 1,000 trillion neural connections at up to 250 miles per hour.” As presenter, the animated and expressive Professor Robert Winston, takes a complicated subject and describes, educates, and illustrates in language easily understood by the viewer. However, captions for specific parts of the brain (e.g. amygdala) when described or a user guide with more technical information may have helped viewers recall these words and complicated concepts discussed.

Comparing the brain to a symphony orchestra is especially insightful as the original music by Alan Parker and adaptation of excerpts from some familiar classical works is an integral part of the presentation. The music and sound effects complement and enhance the computer animated pictures of the brain and the story line of the special real life scenarios. The music presents as a symphonic poem and captures the idea that the human brain is “the most astonishing object in the known universe.”

This series presents a comprehensive view of the mind and helps viewers discover how the mind actually works physically, emotionally, and psychologically. It is entertaining, stimulating, and effectively dramatic throughout. As Professor Winston says in closing, “each discovery we do make about how the mind works makes us better at using it and, if we can use our mind better, the picture of what makes us who we are might after all become clearer.” Recommended for university and public libraries with collections in psychology, sociology, and education.