seriously though

[Elizabeth Bates]

One problem that I have encountered in talking with a lot of different
journalists is that certain approaches (innateness, localization) are
much easier to understand, and much more exciting, for the layman and
for the journalists themselves.  So those of us who are trying to
convey an interactionist view of development and/or a distributed/plastic
view of brain organization are at a disadvantage.  Picture the journalist
politely checking his watch, and saying "Ah, I see Dr. Bates, you believe
that language is learned, well.....we'll get back to you about that,
thanks...."   Learning is not exciting, it seems -- unless you can
demonstrate that the learning is very very early, in which case people
jump to assimilate that demonstration to yet another claim about
innateness ("special learning device that learns in a special way...").
I wish there were an electronic symbol that I could use right
now to convey a long sigh....I haven't been ignored, I am frequently
called by the press (TV, radio, print media), I can't complain that
I'm not given a chance to explain the alternative view, and I often
lay awake nights trying to think of good metaphors, compelling
explanations, short and clear accounts that will do the job.  Clearly
I continue to fail, because I would guess that my material is used
in about 1% of the interviews that I give (not 1% of the material, 1%
of the interviews....).  A friend of mine was recently talking to a
journalist who was all breathless and excited, setting out to do an
article on critical periods.  My friend tried gently to explain that
this was still a controversial idea in our field, and suggested that
the journalist might want to talk to me.  This science writer responded:
"Oh, Bates, we all know that she doesn't believe in anything....."
Well, she got that part wrong, but she is right about one thing: I don't
seem to believe in anything that journalists find interesting.

In any case, I continue to hope, continue to give those interviews, and
any suggestions about honest but compelling ways to get across an
inherently unpopular point are welcome.  -liz bates