I just finished reading an interesting article on the effect of verbal cues on visual detection. Psychologists at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of California would flash images on a screen so quickly (50 milliseconds) that the brain wouldn’t be able to recognize the image. Even if the subjects were given a preview of the image they would be shown, they still couldn’t identify it. However, when the subjects were given verbal cues they were able to identify the image almost every time!
Gary Lupyan, assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, said, “This research speaks to the idea that perception is shaped moment-by-moment by language. Although only English speakers were tested, the results suggest that because words in different languages pick out different things in the environment, learning different languages can shape perception in subtle, but pervasive ways.”
It’s amazing how our brains work. The slightest adjustment in the information that we receive can change our whole perspective on things. That is something I try to impart with every teacher and parent that comes to the Total Learning Center. If you have a child or student who just can’t seem to pick up the information try to present it in a different format. There is no end to what we can accomplish. We can solve complex problems. We can comprehend difficult information. We can even make the invisible visible.
Read the whole article at:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100712121855.htm.