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Left/Right brain perception


Kev

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PinkShoe1.jpg.8c90e7d6630ade2db5eed57f93b7b390.jpg

Maybe most of you have seen this already, as it's been on various social media sites. Apparently, different people perceive this picture in one of two ways, depending on which side of their brain is dominant. It's actually a pink shoe with white laces, but a slightly-greenish blue has been overlaid on the image, dramatically altering the colours of the main elements in the picture. If your left-brain is dominant you will take what you see at face value and see blue laces and a grey shoe. On the other hand, the right-brain automatically make allowances for the lighting conditions and sees the original pink shoe.

I got called into the lounge room to settle in argument between family members. My wife had been the only one to see a pink shoe, while the other people in the room couldn't see any pink in the picture at all. They were wondering whether this was due to my wife having recently suffering a stroke, until I said that I too was seeing a pink shoe.

The right/left brain explanation seems plausible to me. I returned to the room later and the image was still on the computer screen but this time I was seeing bright blue laces and a grey shoe. I had just been working on an assignment for a part-time library studies course that I'm doing. I guess that the other side of my brain must have become active for this. Hence the change in my perception. But next, I walked over to dining table where there was a partly-completed jigsaw puzzle and began to put a few pieces in. I glanced over to the screen and saw the shoe had returned to its pink colour.

What do you see? You guys are all musicians and probably have a highly-developed right-brain. This also applies to anyone who spends time doing artwork, craftwork, design or anything visual or spatial, e.g. movies, video, maps, architecture. I'm anticipating that most of you here will see a pink shoe.

Edited by Kev
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I just see a grey shoe with Green/Aqua laces and linings. I can see some pink coloring around the edges. I am also not very left brain dominant. What is the scientific basis for this test? If you know it's really pink then some might see that.

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1 hour ago, Tezza said:

...What is the scientific basis for this test?

I've been searching but I can't find a definitive science-based statement about any of this. Only hearsay so far.

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2 hours ago, Tezza said:

I am also not very left brain dominant. What is the scientific basis for this test?

These 2 statements are not really compatible, I'll have to look into this, perhaps I am left brain dominant.

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2 hours ago, Bapu said:

Wait.... the brain has two sides?

 

I'll take fries and coleslaw please.

Witch side do you feel the fries?

1 hour ago, emeraldsoul said:

Clearly your fever has turned you vegan.

Maybe he just needs some Zantac

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5 hours ago, Wibbles said:

The left brain/right brain idea is a load of bollocks.

Just google "left brain/right brain myth".

Um, no.  It might be shite in this specific instance (and the general stuff that most people know about), but there are some serious differences in the brain halves (just ask someone who's done PhD work in this area - oh wait, that would include ME!).  My guess is that this specific instance has FAR more to do with how people process color (another topic where I could add a LOT about - the teaser is that nothing you see actually exists how you see it, it's all interpreted wave lengths!😉).

The problem with all sciences, and definitely those revolving around the brain, are that the more they are generalized so the layperson can understand them, the more incorrect they are, with the obvious flip-side being the more accurate they are defined/explained/theorized the more confusing they are for the average person without any training in an area (another area of interest for me comes to mind too: Quantum Physics).

IMO, the biggest hurdle to understanding comes from people who read (usually part of) one article they find on the Internet then decide that they are now a pseudo-expert on the topic.  For example, most people believe that memories are stored in the brain.  Turns out, they are actually stored holographically in cells throughout the body [insert a very cool story from the Journal of American Medical Association here that I don't have time to tell now].  Another obstacle that most people miss is that the primary job of Science is research.  (Side-note, I have Howard Gardner's excellent book, "Frames of Mind" sitting a few feet away from my on my bookcase - I noticed it was mentioned in the Google results.) The best frame of mind for a scientist is to assume that ALL current conclusions are only based on the best knowledge we currently have and may change once better information (including peer-reviewed studies and testing) are discovered.

While the right side of the brain does handle the majority of so-called creative (and emotionally triggered action events) while the left side takes most of the logic and analytical tasks, most of these areas of the brain are new (from an evolutionary standpoint - yet another very misunderstood topic!).  There are some relatively small, centrally located areas of the brain, like the amygdala, that play larger and more important roles in our overall actions.

To operate at peak efficiency, everyone should strive to use BOTH sides of their brain equally (there are tests out there you can take to see how balanced you are - good for knowing what to work on).   It was only less than forty years ago that Science assumed the brain stopped growing at a young age and, basically, started deteriorating from then on (i.e., "the 'normal' aging process).  Then a Harvard study found that brains have something they called "neuroplasticity" which is just a fancy way of saying they could grow and repair themselves.  Science has also discovered that while, as I mentioned above, the hemispheres each have their basic functions (i.e., creative and logical), each is fully capable to taking over duties for the other as necessary.  I had first-hand experience with this when my father, who had temporal lobe epilepsy, had a temporal lobectomy on his left side (meaning they took out a section of his brain).  It took some months, but the functions that he had lost (primarily auditory) returned after a different area of his brain "learned" and took over the task.

If you want to have fun with the two sides of your brain, consider this popular gif below.  Which direction is the girl spinning?  Clockwise?  Counter-clockwise?  Do you see her stop and go back the other way?  Well, the reality is that she isn't spinning, but your brain will show you she's spinning in one direction or the other.  To prove there's some truth to the left brain/right brain try watching the girl while doing math in your head then continue watching and start thinking about creating a tune.  I'm able to get her to stop and go in whichever direction I want, can you?

Science-SpinningGirl.gif

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