“Take an inside look on the brains of mice on drugs! Every drug of abuse has its own unique molecular mechanism. You’ll learn how these various drugs disrupt the synapse to make the user feel ‘high’.”
A process that makes sensory patterns meaningful. it is perception that makes these words meaningful, rather than just a string of visual patterns. To make this happen, perception draws heavily on memory, motivation, emotion, and other psychological processes.
Although the image cannot actually determine whether one is “right-brained” or “left-brained” (The idea that people use one side of their brain more than the other is actually quite out-of-date. The brain works together, and, although people may have a preference for art or math and similar generalizations, we must use both sides in every day life.) the illusion again represents perception. Most of the populous view the woman spinning clockwise (~70%), while the rest view it spinning counter-clockwise (~30%). Approximately a third of the populous is able to switch the direction the image is spinning. The reality of the image is that it’s spinning both directions simultaneously, but that is impossible for our minds to perceive, so, although it is “reality”, we do not see it.
The image above, known as the Necker Cube, demonstrates that we add meaning to our sensations - a process called perception. It shows that we don’t simply sense the world as it “really” is, but instead perceive it by adding our own interpretations.
Take a look at the image. Initially, an observer will see a 3D cube with set face. After a few moments look, the cube will switch in our minds and what was the face of the cube will become the back and vise versa. Then the image will begin to flip-flop in our minds. In reality, it is merely a series of flat, 2D lines.
An approach to psychology based on Sigmund Freud’s assertions, which emphasize unconscious processes. The term is used to refer broadly both to Freud’s psychoanalytic theory and to his psychoanalytic treatment method.
the tendency to attend the evidence that complements and confirms our beliefs or expectations, while ignoring evidence that does not
A form of involuntary and unconscious cuing. The term refers to a horse (Kluge Hans, referred to in the literature as “Clever Hans”) who responded to questions requiring mathematical calculations by tapping his hoof. If asked by his master, William Von Osten, what is the sum of 3 plus 2, the horse would tap his hoof five times. It appeared the animal was responding to human language and was capable of grasping mathematical concepts. It was 1891 when Von Osten began showing Hans to the public. (Hans could also tell time and name people,* but we will restrict our discussion of his amazing abilities to his mathematical skills.) It was eventually discovered (in 1904) by Oskar Pfungst that the horse was responding to subtle physical cues or as Ray Hyman puts it “Hans was responding to a simple, involuntary postural adjustment by the questioner, which was his cue to start tapping, and an unconscious, almost imperceptible head movement, which was his cue to stop” (Hyman 1989: 425). Yet, more than a dozen scientists observed Hans and were convinced there was no signaling or trickery. They were impressed that Hans performed almost as well without Von Osten as with him (Schick and Vaughn 1988: 116). But the scientists were wrong.
Pfungst noted that when the correct answer was not known to anyone present, Clever Hans didn’t know it either. And when the horse couldn’t see the person who did know the answer, the horse didn’t respond correctly (Schick and Vaughn, loc. cit.). This led Pfungst to conclude that the horse was getting visual cues, albeit subtle ones. It turned out that Von Osten and others were cuing Hans unconsciously by “tensing their muscles until Hans produced” the correct answer (ibid.). The horse truly was clever, not because he understood human language but because he could perceive very subtle muscle movements. More important, Pfungst discovered that people canunconsciously communicate information to others by subtle movements and that some animals can perceive these unconscious movements. It was only a matter of time before psychologists would be investigating nonverbal influence among humans.
Reblogged from self-erasure
Freud’s view of the human mind: The mental iceberg.
Non-Freudian theory (often more modernly accepted) states that the unconscious level is not home to dark and suppressed characteristics of the mind but to the functions of the mind that one has no control of, like sensation and perception.
(Source: self-erasure)
