Profile
Caspar Addyman
questions, questions, questions...
My CV
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Education:
Oakham School, Rutland (87-92)
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Qualifications:
Maths at Cambridge (93-96) Psychology at Birkbeck (BSc 2001-5, PhD 2005-8)
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Work History:
Before becoming a scientist I spent 8 years working for banks, I worked for Natwest, Barclays and a few others.
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Current Job:
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
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I am psychologist which means I am interested in how people think. How their brains work and how they learn things.And I do this by looking at how babies learn. Why study babies? Because it is often best to start at the beginning. As babies know you have to able to walk before you can run, and you have to be able to crawl before that.
All scientists know that the world is very complicated place and we don’t arrive knowing much about it. So there’s a lot to learn and we start straight away. New borm babies can already recognise their mothers voice and the sounds of their mother tongue having heard them in the womb. The first three months of life are spent growing really fast.. and this takes a lot of energy so they sleep and eat most of the day and are still to little to learn much actively but they are starting to look around at the world and trying to figure it all out.
Most learning doesn’t happen in school. You didn’t learn to walk or catch a ball in school. You didn’t learn to speak English in class. You don’t learn about Pacman or Batman in school. Loads of learning happens without you even realising it.. And scientists often didn’t really realise it either. Especially for things that you learn really really early. (like how to tell dogs from cats.) By looking at what babies can and can’t do we can find out more everyone’s knowledge.
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My Typical Day:
After breakfast I play games with babies, I have a lesson at lunchtime and then triple maths in the afternoon. I have just as much homework as you.
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A friend of mine’s son once made a short documentary about a day in my life. I will see if I can find it and upload it to youtube.
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What I'd do with the prize money:
I’m going to build a baby simulator; a big helmet you can where to experience the world like a baby would.
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Gleeful, childish infantologist
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Yes
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Iron Maiden
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
I always wish for a hippo in my bathroom. It’s a good scientific test of the wish making powers of who-ever is granting the wishes
Tell us a joke.
Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
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