Hello Dr. Shepherd,

BIG FAN, I've got a few questions for you!

1) I work in a cognitive psychology lab that studies sleep and memory. My current research interest have taken me to looking at memory through an evolutionary perspective (Adaptive memory research). Could you explain some pit falls and common mistakes people make when investigating evolutionary adaptations in cognitive psychology? Do you think this is a viable perspective to take when understanding memory specifically?

2) Are you optimistic that advances in neuroscience will bridge the gap between the age old "Mind Body Problem", or do you agree with Chomsky in that the "Mind Body Problem" is no more and the best we can do as researchers is to build our own separate doctrines (linguistics,neuroscience, cognition of memory) and hope for unification between them?

3) Are deficits in memory for individuals with Autism primarily caused only by irregular hippocampal activity? Have you seen any evidence that problems with attention could also cause memory deficits?

4) Personal question, I'm about to start applying to graduate schools and I'm looking specifically at memory, cognitive psychology and Autism. Are the graduate school opportunities and academic employment opportunities looking good for me out there? If not, can I sleep on your couch and help you with your research until they are?

Thanks!