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Scientists Find Believing Can Be Seeing
Ponca City, We Love You writes "Scientists at University College London have found the link between what we expect to see, and what our brain tells us we actually saw revealing that the context surrounding what we see is all important — sometimes overriding the evidence gathered by our eyes and even causing us to imagine things which aren't really there. A vague background context is more influential and helps us to fill in more blanks than a bright, well-defined context. This may explain why we are prone to 'see' imaginary shapes in the shadows when the light is poor. "Illusionists have been alive to this phenomenon for years," said Professor Zhaoping. "When you see them throw a ball into the air, followed by a second ball, and then a third ball which 'magically' disappears, you wonder how they did it. In truth, there's often no third ball — it's just our brain being deceived by the context, telling us that we really did see three balls launched into the air, one after the other." The original research paper is available on PLOS, the open-access, peer-reviewed journal."
When I'm driving, I only really notice things that move.
What are you, a T-Rex? ^_^
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~ |rip/\/\aster /\/\onkey
because this is about the only thing which explains my friend and his girlfriends belief in Ghosthunters and such...
I always looked at things this article covers along the lines of we make a decision and justify it later, not the reverse.
* Winners compare their achievements to their goals, losers compare theirs to that of others.
"Who are you going to believe, me or your own eyes?" - Chico Marx dressed up as Groucho in "Duck Soup" (context information serves as anti-pedantry device).
While your statement is 100% correct, normally when I'm wearing beer goggles I'm looking for something other than a relationship :)
In an effort to conform with internet communication standards, please note that the above comment is 100% biased opinion
I think 640 observers would have been more like it...
the scientists are seeing the results they want to see, and not what the results actually are. That would both invalidate, and validate their claims.
Steve's Computer Service, Hobbs, NM
"Only if you choose to see it that way."
These are not the droids you are looking for.
What a great way to get +5s. Post a malware link anonymously, then post again telling everyone about it.
:)
Not saying you did this, just pointing out how cynical I am
Conditioning.
...
...loosing the ability to see things at face value.
Take a normal English Class. The bulk of the class is trying to teach people to get meaning out of litature and learning to read between the lines to get the underlining meaning. So you learn that you get an A+ when you read when Tess got off the tractor and her hands felt numb, then translate it to the numbing dehuminizing effect of the approaching indrustral revolution. Vs. a C+ when you read the the same part and you stated it was a means to express the feeling that you get after you ride a tractor for a long time, the author probably wrote it because most people who is his book proably isn't a farmer, so they would be learning how it feels to drive a tractor.
Yes!
We are trained to look so deeply and make meaning out of everything that it has driven our society batty.
Amen brother!
20 Years ago a local grocery store called Price Chopper use to have a picture of a coin with a woman face on it with an Axe cutting the coin, the had to change the image of the coin because people beleaved that it was portraiting woman abuse.
Exactly!
With the downfall of Science and Math education we are
Yes yes!
credibility = 0;
exit(1);
}