Have you ever thought about what you might have in common with a Marmoset? Beyond the basic traits we share as mammals—like communication, getting goosebumps, eating, and grooming—there’s another interesting similarity: both you and Marmosets enjoy watching videos. A fascinating study involved giving Marmosets a complex fruit contraption that required specific actions to open. Without any instructions, it was a challenge. However, when shown how-to videos featuring other Marmosets opening the contraption, 11 out of 12 successfully learned the task by watching. This experiment highlights the power of video as a tool for sparking curiosity and facilitating social learning.
When I launched my YouTube channel over five years ago from my bedroom in Sydney, I had no idea who would watch or why. With a background in classroom teaching, I was eager to explore experimental learning through the internet. Since then, I’ve created 186 videos, which have been viewed tens of millions of times, and received 75,000 comments. I’ve read every single comment because I value your feedback and the collective wisdom of the audience. Despite initial concerns about the emotional impact of so many comments, I’ve found them to be incredibly thoughtful, which motivates me to continue creating content.
Unlike the Marmoset researchers who had the luxury of a fully funded experiment in the Brazilian rainforest, my channel has thrived thanks to the support of PBS Digital Studios, Screen Australia, Google, and various sponsors. However, as I look to the future, I face a new challenge: securing funding for 2019. To address this, I’ve launched a Patreon. If you’ve enjoyed my content and wish to see more, your support would be greatly appreciated.
My goal is to keep producing videos that enhance your understanding of the brain, body, and behavior, helping us all navigate life more effectively. From the 75,000 comments, I’ve learned that my videos have inspired many of you to return to school, improve your grades, change habits, and gain a deeper understanding of your emotions. This feedback is invaluable.
This year, I plan to release a couple of science-based videos each month, focusing on practical insights for everyday life. These videos aim to improve communication, foster thoughtfulness, and deepen our understanding of emotions and personality. I invite you to share your thoughts, requests, or questions in the comments, and let’s aim for 76,000 comments. Whether it’s about experimental fruit contraptions or other topics, if Marmosets can learn from videos, there’s hope for us all.
Watch a selection of educational videos from the YouTube channel mentioned in the article. Analyze the techniques used to convey information effectively. Discuss with your peers how these techniques can be applied to your own learning or content creation.
Design a simple experiment similar to the Marmoset study. Create a task that can be learned through video demonstration. Divide into groups, with one group learning through video and the other through written instructions. Compare the outcomes and discuss the effectiveness of video learning.
Choose a topic you are passionate about and create a short educational video. Focus on making the content engaging and informative. Share your video with classmates and gather feedback on its educational impact.
Explore the challenges of funding educational content. Research different funding models, including Patreon, and discuss how content creators can secure financial support. Develop a mock proposal for funding an educational project.
Reflect on the importance of audience feedback as highlighted in the article. Analyze a set of comments from an educational video and identify constructive feedback. Discuss how this feedback can be used to improve future content.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the YouTube transcript:
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Now I want you to consider, just for a moment, what you have in common with a Marmoset. Of course, there are the normal “we’re all mammals” things – we all communicate, get goosebumps, eat, and groom – but you, specifically, share another interest. You both like watching videos online. A few years back, a group of researchers gave a group of Marmosets an experimental fruit contraption. You could open it by either pulling or pushing on different parts of it, but it was tricky to figure out without instructions. So, the monkeys were shown how-to videos of other monkeys they didn’t know who’d been trained to open the contraption. And this worked – 11 of the 12 monkeys relied on the video to open the fruit contraption. Only one figured it out themselves. While the how-to clips were not streamed online, one could argue that they were created in the aesthetic of online videos, sparking curiosity, facilitating social learning, and having an audience.
When I started this channel – over five years ago in the corner of my bedroom in Sydney – I had no idea who would watch it or why, but I’d worked in the classroom for a long time and was keen to try a type of experimental learning to see what was possible on the internet. Since then, I’ve made 186 videos, people have watched them tens of millions of times, and left 75,000 comments. I realized this week that I’ve read all of those comments because I care about what you have to say, the wisdom of the crowd, and I always want to improve what I’m creating. I’m slightly apprehensive about the emotional impact of reading so many comments, but in the past year, the comments on my channel have been super thoughtful, and hey, I’m still making videos!
Which brings me to my next point – the Marmoset creators had the luxury of making their fruit contraption tutorials in the Brazilian rainforest as part of a fully funded experiment. Over the past five years, I’ve managed to make this channel work as a fully funded experiment – I’m thankful to have had the continued support of PBS Digital Studios and help from Screen Australia, Google, and all the sponsors you’ve seen here – but things will be a little different moving forward. And now I need your help. Right now, I don’t have any funding for my channel for 2019, and I’ve put this off for as long as possible, but I’ve started a Patreon! If you’ve enjoyed content here in the past and want to see more in the future, I would greatly appreciate your help.
I’m going to keep making videos that help you understand more about your brain, body, and behavior, and how we can all navigate this world a little bit better. Because out of those 75,000 comments, you told me that because of videos on this channel, you’ve gone back to school, improved your marks, changed your habits, better understood your emotions, and you just think more. Which is useful.
So this year, I’m going to be making a couple of videos a month, based in science, that will be super useful for your everyday life – so we can all communicate better, be more thoughtful, understand emotions and personality, and ourselves. Please let me know down in the comments if you have any requests, or questions, or if you just want to write anything at all so we can hit 76,000 comments. Or if you want me to make more videos about experimental fruit contraptions. If Marmosets can learn useful life skills from videos, there’s hope for us all.
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This version maintains the original message while removing any informal language and ensuring clarity.
Marmosets – Small primates known for their social behavior and vocal communication, often used in scientific studies to understand primate cognition and social dynamics. – Researchers observed the marmosets to gain insights into the social structures and communication patterns of primate groups.
Learning – The process of acquiring knowledge or skills through study, experience, or teaching, often examined in psychology to understand cognitive development. – The study focused on how different teaching methods impact the learning outcomes of university students.
Videos – Recorded visual media used as a tool in educational settings to enhance understanding and engagement, particularly in the study of complex scientific concepts. – The professor used videos to demonstrate the intricate processes of cellular division in the biology lecture.
Emotions – Complex psychological states that involve physiological arousal, expressive behaviors, and conscious experience, often studied to understand human behavior and mental processes. – The psychologist conducted experiments to explore how emotions influence decision-making under stress.
Behavior – The actions or reactions of an organism, often in response to external stimuli, studied in psychology to understand patterns and causes of actions. – The research aimed to analyze the behavior of individuals in group settings to identify factors that promote cooperation.
Communication – The process of exchanging information through various means, including verbal, non-verbal, and written forms, essential for understanding human interaction and social dynamics. – Effective communication is crucial in collaborative scientific research to ensure accurate data interpretation and dissemination.
Psychology – The scientific study of the mind and behavior, encompassing various subfields such as cognitive, social, and developmental psychology. – The psychology department offers courses that cover a wide range of topics, from neural mechanisms to social behavior.
Education – The systematic process of facilitating learning, or the acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, and habits, often examined to improve teaching methods and learning outcomes. – Advances in education technology have transformed traditional classrooms into interactive learning environments.
Funding – Financial support provided for research, education, or projects, crucial for advancing scientific discoveries and educational initiatives. – Securing funding from government agencies enabled the team to conduct extensive research on climate change impacts.
Curiosity – A strong desire to learn or know something, often driving scientific inquiry and exploration in various fields of study. – Curiosity about the universe led the physicist to pursue groundbreaking research in astrophysics.
