Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id NAA10447 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Thu, 1 Nov 2001 13:41:43 GMT Message-ID: <2D1C159B783DD211808A006008062D3102A6D0DF@inchna.stir.ac.uk> From: Vincent Campbell <v.p.campbell@stir.ac.uk> To: "'memetics@mmu.ac.uk'" <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> Subject: RE: Study shows brain can learn without really trying Date: Thu, 1 Nov 2001 13:14:30 -0000 X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2650.21) Content-Type: text/plain X-Filter-Info: UoS MailScan 0.1 [D 1] Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
I know it's come up before, but it reminds me of that stuff about savants,
and how, perhaps, what's going on with them is that the social level brain
functions have been by-passed to more reaction time and instintictive
responses (hence people who can pick out a tune and play it back exactly on
one hearing- even complex jazz and classical pieces, or who can draw
pictures of buildings with immense accuracy after only a few minutes
observation, but at the same time have real trouble holding conversations
and so on).
Of course, this isn't doing two things at once, but does suggest that
"normal" people are a bit like an average person's PC- not set up to perform
many functions in the most efficient way, but the average user (like me)
doesn't notice that. Hence students I've taught who could remember
virtually nothing of what they're studying, but have detailed recall of
parties they went to and got very drunk at, because despite being capable of
acquiring and retaining knowledge, social pressures redirect their attention
to other things. Sometimes I like to delude myself that my own academic
interests are merely the intellectual equivalent of achieving the state of
being 'in the zone', as opposed to in fact having no life....
Vincent
> ----------
> From: Philip Jonkers
> Reply To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
> Sent: Thursday, November 1, 2001 1:31 am
> To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
> Subject: RE: Study shows brain can learn without really trying
>
> > > I think their line was more like that weird sensation you get (this
> > > may be a delusion I don't know) of being able to play a computer game
> > >better whilst having a conversation with someone else, and
> concentrating
> > > more on the conversation. I have found, on occasion, that I"ve
> managed to
> > > get high scores whilst talking to someone about something entirely
> unrelated
> > >to the game I'm playing (you can tell I work hard at my job can't
> you!).
> >
> > Just the same for me!
>
> That people seem to perform at computer games better when their main
> attention
> is drawn away seems to indicate that these games lay heavy on reaction
> speed
> rather than attention. Being consciously focused may be good for thinking
> games (like adventures) but for shoot-em ups (or what have you)
> emphasizing
> on sheer reaction speed, consciousness may cripple performance for the
> simple reason that making conscious decisions takes time. If this usually
> beneficient and useful but time-consuming facility is neutralized, fast
> semi-conscious or non-conscious decision making remains. Perhaps this is
> why
> people perform better at simple computer games while being consciously
> distracted.
>
> Philip.
>
> ===============================================================
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>
>
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