Academics

Robert B. Glassman
Professor
Psychology

Phone 847-735-5257
E-mail glassman@lakeforest.edu
Web http://campus.lakeforest.edu/~glassman/

Specialization
Neuroscience (Brain Science)
Working memory
Learning, Neuroplasticity, EEG (Brain waves)
Religion & Science
Interdisciplinary

Interests
Working Memory Capacity
Mind and Cerebral Cortex 

Education
Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania
B.A. Columbia University

Courses Taught
Psychology 370. Neuroscience & Behavior
Psychology 210. Developmental Psychology: Childhood & Adolescence
Psychology 325. Persuasion & Truth in Sales Communications
Psychology 110. Introduction to Psychology, with Laboratory
Psychology 320. Learning & Memory
Psychology 420. Learning and the Evolution of Human Behavior

Selected Articles
Glassman, R. B. (2002). 'Miles within millimeters" and other awe-inspiring facts about our "mortarboard" human cortex. Zygon/Journal of Religion and Science 37:255-277.

Glassman, R. B. Review of Keeping Mozart in Mind (G. L. Shaw [2000]. San Diego: Academic Press) The Quarterly Review of Biology, 77:95-96, 2002.

Glassman, R. B. (2000). A "Theory of Relativity" for Cognitive Elasticity of Time and Modality Dimensions Supporting Constant Working Memory Capacity: Involvement of Harmonics among Ultradian Clocks? Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry 24:163-182
Glassman, R. B. (1999a). A working memory "theory of relativity": Elasticity over temporal, spatial, and modality ranges conserves 7±2 item capacity in radial maze, verbal tasks and other cognition. Brain Research Bulletin 48:475-489.

Glassman, R. B. (1999b). Hypothesized neural dynamics of working memory: Several chunks might be marked simultaneously by harmonic frequencies within an octave band of brain waves. Brain Research Bulletin 50:77-93.

Glassman, R. B., Leniek, K. M. & Haegerich, T. M. (1998). Human working memory capacity is 7±2 in a radial maze with distracting interruption: Possible implication for neural mechanisms of declarative and implicit long-term memory. Brain Research Bulletin. 47:249-256.

Glassman, R. B. (1998). Symbioses can transcend particularisms: A memoir of friendship with Ralph Wendell Burhoe. Zygon/Journal of Religion and Science. 33:661-683.

Glassman, R. B. (1996). "Cognitive theism": Sources of accommodation between secularism and religion. Zygon, Journal of Religion and Science 31:157-207.

Glassman, R. B. (1994). Behavioral specializations of SI and SII cortex: A comparative examination of the neural logic of touch in rats, cats, and other mammals. Experimental Neurology 125:134-141.

Glassman, R. B. (1994). Behavioral effects of SI versus SII cortex ablations on tactile orientation-localization and postural reflexes of rats. Experimental Neurology, 125:125-133.

Glassman, R. B., Garvey, K. J., Elkins, K. M., Kasal, K. L. & Couillard, N. (1994). Spatial working memory score of humans in a large radial maze, similar to published score of rats, implies capacity close to the magical number 7±2. Brain Research Bulletin, 34:151-159.

O'Connor, R. C. & Glassman, R. B. (1993). Human performance with a seventeen-arm radial maze analog. Brain Research Bulletin, 30: 189-19.

Glassman, R. B. & Smith, A. (1988). Neural spare capacity and the concept of diaschisis: Functional and evolutionary models. In S. Finger, T. LeVere, C. R. Almli, & D. G. Stein, Eds, Brain injury and recovery: Theoretical and controversial issues, New York: Plenum Press,; pp. 45-69.

Glassman, R. B. (1988). Combinatorial processes and the immensity of memory: The power of exponents. In H. J. Markowitsch, Ed., Information processing by the brain: Views and hypotheses from a physiological-cognitive perspective, Toronto: Hans Huber Publishers, pp. 207-224.

Glassman, R. B. (1987). An hypothesis about redundancy and reliability in the brains of higher organisms: Analogies with genes, internal organs and engineering systems. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 11:275-285.

Invited Talks
Glassman, R. B. (2002). Hypothesized temporal and spatial code properties for a moment's working memory capacity: Brain wave "harmonies" and "four-color" topology of activated cortical areas. Invited paper. Symposium "Time and Mind 02." Universität Hildesheim, Institut für Psychologie, September 4-6, 2002. Organizers Hede Helfrich, et al.

Selected Posters
Glassman, R. B., McKenna, A. K., Sienkiewicz, A. P. (2002). Extension of a classic study showing working memory capacity for random musical tones is only four: Effect of frequency range. (Teaching of Neuroscience poster) Program No. 22.69. Abstract Viewer/Itinerary Planner. Washington, DC: Society for Neuroscience. CD-ROM.

Glassman, R. B. "The magical number three" items at one instant of working memory: Combinatorial efficiencies if attributes are encoded in trinary cortical modules clustered in 3-part micromaps. Program No. 181.18, Abstract Viewer/Itinerary Planner. Washington, DC: Society for Neuroscience. CD-ROM.

Glassman, R. B. Miles within millimeters of our mortarboard human cortex and other amazing facts for an introductory neuroscience conversation. (Teaching of Neuroscience poster) Society for Neuroscience Abstracts Volume 26, Part 1, p. 46, #21.74 (November, 2000, New Orleans).

Glassman, R. B. Cortical plane topology of working memory capacity: Four-chunk limit whether attribute-representation subpatches overlap in, or tile, patches of cortex. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts, Volume 26, Part 1, p. 706, #263.11 (November, 2000, New Orleans).

Glassman, R. B. Working memory: planar graph theory suggests that a segmented, activated cortical domain can serve associativities of up to four chunk-features. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts, Volume 25, # 355.19 (October, 1999, Miami Beach).

Glassman, R. B. The Humanizing Brain: Where Religion and Neuroscience Meet: A supplemental reading. (Teaching of Neuroscience Session). Society for Neuroscience Abstracts, Volume 25, #104.77 (October, 1999, Miami Beach).

Glassman, R. B. Counterpoint between parsimony and conjecture about neural "vibrations" from 1749 to 1884: Paradigm gap at the mind/brain junction? (History of Neuroscience Session). Society for Neuroscience Abstracts, Volume 24, Part 1, p. 238, #95.1 (November 1998, Los Angeles).

Glassman, R. B. A "theory of relativity" for paradoxical time span flexibility of limited item-capacity working memory. Involvement of harmonics among ultradian clocks? Society for Neuroscience Abstracts, Volume 24, Part 1, p. 166, #67.10 (November 1998, Los Angeles).

Glassman, R. B., Larkin, C. R. & Noonan, E. M. (1997). Limited working memory capacity for message sources and autobiographical stories. Poster presentation at American Psychological Society annual meeting, Washington D.C., May 25, 1997; Abstract # V-050, Program p. 123.

Glassman, R., Leniek, K. M. & Haegerich, T. M. Foundations of mammalian working memory capacity: Comparing humans to laboratory rats in radial maze with delay. American Psychological Society Biological Basis of Behavior Preconference. Washington D.C., May 23, 1997. Program p. 34 #I-011.

Glassman, R. B. Teaching research about working memory capacity in humans and lab rats, using radial mazes. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts, Volume 23, Part 1, p. 287, #111.47 (October 1997, New Orleans).

Glassman, R. B. Might harmonies in the gamma brain wave octave coordinate binding of multiple items in working memory? Society for Neuroscience Abstracts, Volume 23, Part 2, p. 2111, #820.16 (October 1997, New Orleans).

Glassman, R. B. & Spadafora, D. David Hartley's (1749) doctrine of neural vibrations: Enlightenment or accident." Society for Neuroscience Abstracts, Volume 22, Part 1, p. 243, #97.11. (November 1996, Washington, D.C.; History of Neuroscience poster.)

Glassman, R. B., Leniek, K. M. & Haegerich, T. M. Human working memory in a radial maze persists over a long interruption: General mammalian neural WM mechanism? Society for Neuroscience Abstracts, Volume 22, Part 2, p. 1122, # 444.5. (November 1996, Washington, D.C.)

Glassman, R. B. An octave hypothesis of brain electrical rhythms and working memory capacity of 7±2. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts, Volume 20, Part 1, p. 361, #154.10 (November, 1994, Miami Beach).

Glassman, R. B. Neural network exercise in visual pattern learning for undergraduate Neuroscience and Behavior course. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts, Volume 19, Part 1, #87.12. (November, 1993, Washington, D.C.; Teaching of Neuroscience poster.)

Glassman, R. B. & Garvey, K. J. Spatial working memory capacity of adult humans, inferred from performance in a large, 17-arm radial maze, is 9.4 places. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts, Volume 19, Part 1, p. 790 #323.3. (November, 1993, Washington, D.C.).

Glassman, R. B. & O'Connor, R. C. Humans, like rats, have spatial working memory capacity greater than short-term memory capacity of 7+2. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts, Volume 18, Part 2, p. 1212 #507.1 (October, 1992, Anaheim).

Glassman, R. B. Conjecture unifying three "constants": Short-term memory capacity, number of pyramidal cell input sources, and alpha rhythm period. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts, Volume 17, Part 1, p.485. #193/20 (November, 1991, New Orleans).

Glassman, R. B. Somatosensory orientation-localization and postural reflex deficits after unilateral SI and/or SII cortical damage in rats. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts, Volume 16, Part 2, p. 1082, Abstr. #443.14 (November 1990, St. Louis).

Glassman, R. B. Parsimony of neural connections: Combinatorial advantage of globally size scaling input patterns. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts, Volume 15, Part 2, p. 1207, Abstr. #476.2 (November, 1989, Phoenix).

Popular Work
Glassman, R. B. (1992). Letter to the Editor of The Sciences, 32(3):56, ("Parents for the nineties"--evolution of responsible fatherhood.)

Glassman, R. B. (1991). Insights on Aggression. Insights - The magazine of the Chicago Center for Religion and Science, 3#1:15-16.

Glassman, R. B. (1987). Enabling a robot to see. Lake Forest College Spectrum, 15#4:8-9, May.