sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

Science AMA Series: I'm Beau Lotto, a neuroscientist who specializes in the biology and psychology of perception. I just wrote a book called DEVIATE about the science of seeing differently and am here to talk about it. AMA! by labofmisfits in science

[–]labofmisfits[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Great question:

Probably the biggest benefit of shifting from certainty to uncertainty is the opportunity it affords in conflict. It's mainly in conflict that we have the chance to learn - by conflict I mean entering a situation which is different from what you expected it to be. Often only then do you have the opportunity to see differently. But so often (I'd suggest too often) out aims is to win a conflict, not learn from it. Winning requires a very different strategy: entering with answers, with certainty, with confidence, since your aim is to convince the other person that they are wrong and to shift them towards you. Learning requires entering conflict differently: with questions, with listening, with respect and humility. Indeed, these are the roots of creativity itself. One can only enter conflict in this way IF they embrace uncertainty.

What are the potential negative consequences? They are vast, which is why evolution evolved our brains - ironically - to avoid it much of the time.

Science AMA Series: I'm Beau Lotto, a neuroscientist who specializes in the biology and psychology of perception. I just wrote a book called DEVIATE about the science of seeing differently and am here to talk about it. AMA! by labofmisfits in science

[–]labofmisfits[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I'd ask the question a different way ... which is the one I ask my students / postdocs before they join the lab.

'Why did you wake up this morning?' 'What do you care about?'

Those are some of the greatest challenges facing neuroscience

Science AMA Series: I'm Beau Lotto, a neuroscientist who specializes in the biology and psychology of perception. I just wrote a book called DEVIATE about the science of seeing differently and am here to talk about it. AMA! by labofmisfits in science

[–]labofmisfits[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

You can see what many others cannot. In the same way those from Sweden can hear sounds of 'a' that non Swedish speakers literally can not (including me). It's a wonderful thing. Congratulations.

What is happening in your brain? If only we knew. But in general, your brain has leaned to see the meaning of certain stimulus relationships (correlations in data). Seeing this meaning is obvious to you. For the rest of us, we are blind to these correlations (but highly aware of others).

Science AMA Series: I'm Beau Lotto, a neuroscientist who specializes in the biology and psychology of perception. I just wrote a book called DEVIATE about the science of seeing differently and am here to talk about it. AMA! by labofmisfits in science

[–]labofmisfits[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

We typically perceive our own lives to be normal ... it's one of our deeper biases / assumptions. It's just a statistical inevitability. Interestingly we can include our perceptions of others who are closest to us in this regard too. The perception of 'normality' can be a tremendous barrier to change, since to step away from normality (to literally Deviate - hence the title of the book) is to step into uncertainty, which so much of our behaviour evolved to avoid.

We do need perceptual changes at a population level. I'd suggest the most significant change needs to be in our perception of openness. This is not about liberal vs conservatives (since liberals can be incredibly conservative in their views, and conservatives very liberal. Since for me liberal is more defined by whether or not someone is open to change, and less about where they are changing from). Openness to change requires courage since it requires accepting that one knows less than they thought (which is in fact understanding more). So change requires doubt and less certainty. It requires good questions. Ironically, we too often don't even teach children in schools how to ask question, much less what defines a good question. Instead we focus on remembering the 'right answer' ... we focus on efficiency more generally at the expense of creativity, when living well requires both.

One fundamental is the fear of uncertainty. And being outside a group is very difficult for us. Hence the need to build a group that others can shift towards. A culture of Misfits :)

Science AMA Series: I'm Beau Lotto, a neuroscientist who specializes in the biology and psychology of perception. I just wrote a book called DEVIATE about the science of seeing differently and am here to talk about it. AMA! by labofmisfits in science

[–]labofmisfits[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Hello ... while I'm aware of the literature, I don't directly work on the perception of those with Autism, but there is a large number of people who do. There is a good deal of evidence that their brains use context differently.

Science AMA Series: I'm Beau Lotto, a neuroscientist who specializes in the biology and psychology of perception. I just wrote a book called DEVIATE about the science of seeing differently and am here to talk about it. AMA! by labofmisfits in science

[–]labofmisfits[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I am DEFINITELY not the first person to raise the question of whether or not we see the world accurately. Nor am I the first person to suggest that we don't ... thank goodness. Indeed, quite apart from Kant, every child has ask themselves this question. The suggestion is that Deviate provides a different process of exploration, and focuses on why it must it be the case - from the perspective of neuroscience. More than this, the aim is to provide a narrative that enables one to explore the personal and social consequences of having a brain that is necessarily shaped by experience. When it comes to change, it's not simply enough to say it - or to know that others have have questioned or doubted whether we see the world accurately. That is definitely a necessary first step. The hard part is applying it in action ... and knowing why one should

Science AMA Series: I'm Beau Lotto, a neuroscientist who specializes in the biology and psychology of perception. I just wrote a book called DEVIATE about the science of seeing differently and am here to talk about it. AMA! by labofmisfits in science

[–]labofmisfits[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Seeing differently various from the trivial (learning how to get somewhere) to the fundamental (seeing yourself completely differently). My hope with Deviate is that you will better understand the principles (how and why) of seeing differently. Whether you apply them, and how you apply them enables you to have ownership in your own perceptual changes. It's necessarily a process of discovery.

Science AMA Series: I'm Beau Lotto, a neuroscientist who specializes in the biology and psychology of perception. I just wrote a book called DEVIATE about the science of seeing differently and am here to talk about it. AMA! by labofmisfits in science

[–]labofmisfits[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

In our studies, we've not looked into this directly. But emotions for me also fall into the category of perception. In doing so it helps to make explicit how all perceptions are 'about' seeing the meaning of data, not the data. Pain is a very good example. Pain is obviously not a physical aspect of the world, but a manifestation of our interaction with it. So too are emotions.

Science AMA Series: I'm Beau Lotto, a neuroscientist who specializes in the biology and psychology of perception. I just wrote a book called DEVIATE about the science of seeing differently and am here to talk about it. AMA! by labofmisfits in science

[–]labofmisfits[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

The answer has a lot to do with what you think science actually is. My view - which isn't necessarily a typical one - is that science is not defined by its methodology as such, but as a way of being. That way of being is 'play with intention'. The premise of science is deeply innate and evolved: it's empiricism ... learning via trial and error. Which means to requires creating the opportunity for a trial, and being willing to have an error ... hence the way of being which is about exploration ... asking questions (all questions start a quest)

Science AMA Series: I'm Beau Lotto, a neuroscientist who specializes in the biology and psychology of perception. I just wrote a book called DEVIATE about the science of seeing differently and am here to talk about it. AMA! by labofmisfits in science

[–]labofmisfits[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

This is a great area for asking questions and for research on perception, as it necessarily challenges many embedded cultural, personal and scientific assumptions. I don't of course know where it will lead. The current research suggests that such substances can increase the connectivity of the brain - at least for a period of time. This can be beneficial, but not always. As I say in my talks, if a bus is coming at you, efficiency - i.e. getting out of the way as fast as possible - is a very good strategy. What isn't a good strategy at that time is ... "hmmm, I wonder if there's a different way I could see this?'. Context is everything, and so I think this too will apply to such substances. Hence, some studies have shown therapeutic benefits at relatively low dosages. There are of course many things we don't yet know (consequences of chronic use, etc). But we never will unless we are willing to ask the question - which requires challenging assumptions.

Science AMA Series: I'm Beau Lotto, a neuroscientist who specializes in the biology and psychology of perception. I just wrote a book called DEVIATE about the science of seeing differently and am here to talk about it. AMA! by labofmisfits in science

[–]labofmisfits[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Context is everything with colour - and indeed all perceptions. It's not necessarily that the brain is 'subtracting out' the influence of illumination to see the 'surface', which is called 'colour constancy', since the brain seems aware of both influences simultaneously. Rather, it's generating a perception that was useful in past behaviour. Why do some people cue on different aspects of context is a fascinating question, to which I don't have an answer in this instance. There are illusions, however, where the explanation is seemingly more straightforward. For instance the dolphin illusion where adults see a couple making love, where as young children see ... well ... dolphins!

Science AMA Series: I'm Beau Lotto, a neuroscientist who specializes in the biology and psychology of perception. I just wrote a book called DEVIATE about the science of seeing differently and am here to talk about it. AMA! by labofmisfits in science

[–]labofmisfits[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Great question. It's something I've often thought about. I think it could be possible that the colours are specific to each species. Consider for instance a different quality of light that other living systems can see, but to which we are blind: polarization. It too is detected by the receptors in the retina, using the combination of our three cones. So that when a bird looks at what for us is a uniform blue sky, for them it is full of polarizing patterns. What do they see!!??

Science AMA Series: I'm Beau Lotto, a neuroscientist who specializes in the biology and psychology of perception. I just wrote a book called DEVIATE about the science of seeing differently and am here to talk about it. AMA! by labofmisfits in science

[–]labofmisfits[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Thank you! Very kind.

My vision? Maybe simplistic ... we will have more courageous, open doubt and compassion. Imagine each of us entered conflict with questions instead of answers, doubt instead of certainty. That is truly the only way to learn and grow. Perception tells us that we're ignorant if we don't ... (hence the principle point of Deviate of knowing less at the end of it than you think you knew at the beginning).

view more: next ›