Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Optical Illusions and the Presentation
Sometimes, I don't see what's in front of me. I see what I want to see.
Should I blame it on creeping middle-age farsightedness...or worse -- getting so set in my ways that I lock my vision firmly on past experience? Unwilling to open myself to the possibility of new experience?
If I'm becoming far sighted, I can go to an eye doctor and get a new prescription. Easy fix.
But what can I do if I refuse to see new information clearly... based on past prejudice?
Apparently, it's something we all do, to a certain extent. Consider the Land Effect (or the Retinex Theory described by Edwin Land in 1977). This effect refers to our tendency to see an object as a certain color, no matter what color the object might be. For example, if we have a an expectation to see an apple as red, we see a red apple, even if it's too dark for use to tell what color it really is. According to Land, the eye and the brain (the retina and cortex) form a single optical system -- so our past prejudice literally "colors" our world.
Or consider the Ponzo Illusion: where our eyes misjudge an object's size based on its background. Or the Zollner Illusion: where we perceive straight lines to be crooked.
It's important to recognize this human tendency if we're presenting new, mind-bending information. People (like me) get set in our ways. We see what we want to see... and judge on our past experience.
That's why I like to use optical illusions when I present new and potentially mind-shattering information. Using optical illusions as a warm-up to such a presentation can remind audience to use a bigger vision when processing new information.
An optical illusion reminds us, "Don't believe everything you believe."
Get your head out of the past. Get in the here and now.
Happily, optical illusion examples reside everywhere on the internet. You can always do a Google or Yahoo image search and see thousands of optical illusions. And my favorite place to find out more about different illusions and their effect on the brain has got to be Wikipedia.org.
PS -- I seriously doubt if how we process optical illusions has anything to do with creativity. Earlier this month, I received the now-classic "Face in the Coffee Beans" illusion via email. This oldie purports to tell you how creative you are based on how quickly you find a creepy little face staring at you from among a pile of coffee beans. Although I saw the face instantly, I doubt that I'm any more or less creative than the gal who took a minute to find it, or the guy who couldn't find it all.
From what I understand, Ray Charles was a pretty creative guy. I'll be he couldn't find it, either. ¶ 10/11/2005 10:15:00 AM
Sometimes, I don't see what's in front of me. I see what I want to see.Should I blame it on creeping middle-age farsightedness...or worse -- getting so set in my ways that I lock my vision firmly on past experience? Unwilling to open myself to the possibility of new experience?
If I'm becoming far sighted, I can go to an eye doctor and get a new prescription. Easy fix.
But what can I do if I refuse to see new information clearly... based on past prejudice?
Apparently, it's something we all do, to a certain extent. Consider the Land Effect (or the Retinex Theory described by Edwin Land in 1977). This effect refers to our tendency to see an object as a certain color, no matter what color the object might be. For example, if we have a an expectation to see an apple as red, we see a red apple, even if it's too dark for use to tell what color it really is. According to Land, the eye and the brain (the retina and cortex) form a single optical system -- so our past prejudice literally "colors" our world.
Or consider the Ponzo Illusion: where our eyes misjudge an object's size based on its background. Or the Zollner Illusion: where we perceive straight lines to be crooked.
It's important to recognize this human tendency if we're presenting new, mind-bending information. People (like me) get set in our ways. We see what we want to see... and judge on our past experience.
That's why I like to use optical illusions when I present new and potentially mind-shattering information. Using optical illusions as a warm-up to such a presentation can remind audience to use a bigger vision when processing new information.
An optical illusion reminds us, "Don't believe everything you believe."
Get your head out of the past. Get in the here and now.
Happily, optical illusion examples reside everywhere on the internet. You can always do a Google or Yahoo image search and see thousands of optical illusions. And my favorite place to find out more about different illusions and their effect on the brain has got to be Wikipedia.org.
PS -- I seriously doubt if how we process optical illusions has anything to do with creativity. Earlier this month, I received the now-classic "Face in the Coffee Beans" illusion via email. This oldie purports to tell you how creative you are based on how quickly you find a creepy little face staring at you from among a pile of coffee beans. Although I saw the face instantly, I doubt that I'm any more or less creative than the gal who took a minute to find it, or the guy who couldn't find it all.
From what I understand, Ray Charles was a pretty creative guy. I'll be he couldn't find it, either. ¶ 10/11/2005 10:15:00 AM
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I believe the coffee bean test is meant not so much to determine a person's accumen for creativeness (even though that's largely a function of the right sight of the brain) rather than "thinking" based on experience and intuition (using spacial perception and holistic thinking capability) instead of intellectual calculation (ie if I go through the beans fast enough in a certain order, I'll come upon the little man no matter what). In this respect, Ray Charles may have had no vision with his eyes, but lots of spacial vision -- he would have found the meaning beyond the creepy face faster than most of us righ-brainers found the face in the first place.
This reminds me of a joke - 3 men were stranded on a desert island - a chemist, a physics professor, and an economist. They had nothing to eat but a can of beans.
But alas! No can opener!
"It's OK," said the chemist. "I've reviewed the chemical properties of most of the elements found on this island, and I believe I have a formula that can create a small explosive...but with enough force to blow open the can."
"Great," said the physics prof. "If you give me the formula and the anticipated force, I can calculate where most of beans are likely to land, so that we can reduce waste."
And the economist shakes his head sadly.
"Gentlemen," he said, "No. First we must assume that we have a can opener."
-----
Ray Charles had vision, but no sight. He never would have seen the man in the beans.
But alas! No can opener!
"It's OK," said the chemist. "I've reviewed the chemical properties of most of the elements found on this island, and I believe I have a formula that can create a small explosive...but with enough force to blow open the can."
"Great," said the physics prof. "If you give me the formula and the anticipated force, I can calculate where most of beans are likely to land, so that we can reduce waste."
And the economist shakes his head sadly.
"Gentlemen," he said, "No. First we must assume that we have a can opener."
-----
Ray Charles had vision, but no sight. He never would have seen the man in the beans.
# posted by 
: 3:19 PM, October 11, 2005
: 3:19 PM, October 11, 2005
Some of the best "out-of-the-box" thinking optical illusions that I love to use are paintings by Rene Magritte (1898-1967). One of my favorites (http://studentwww.fullcoll.edu/vrest/08.jpg) questions boundaries and helps point out the importance of taking a step back to consider the whole scene.
Here's a good site on Magritte: http://www.artchive.com/artchive/M/magritte.html
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Here's a good site on Magritte: http://www.artchive.com/artchive/M/magritte.html
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