The Green You See Is Not The Green You See
January 27, 2015
Category: Sense Perception
Radiolab Podcast: Colors
January 27, 2015
This is probably my favorite all time Radiolab episode.
“Our world is saturated in color, from soft hues to violent stains. How does something so intangible pack such a visceral punch? This hour, in the name of science and poetry, Jad and Robert tear the rainbow to pieces.
To what extent is color a physical thing in the physical world, and to what extent is it created in our minds? We start with Sir Isaac Newton, who was so eager to solve this very mystery, he stuck a knife in his eye to pinpoint the answer. Then, we meet a sea creature that sees a rainbow way beyond anything humans can experience, and we track down a woman who we’re pretty sure can see thousands (maybe even millions) more colors than the rest of us. And we end with an age-old question, that, it turns out, never even occurred to most humans until very recently: why is the sky blue?”
Does language affect the way you see colors?
January 27, 2015
Part of an interesting video series, Do You See What I See. The first part of this link shows an African tribe, the Himba, whose language and environment differ so much from ours that they are able to distinguish different shades very differently from us. The link below is for the part that shows the Himba tribe. At the bottom of the video player are links for the rest of that show.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xl7eh1_horizon-do-you-see-what-i-see-part-4-4_shortfilms
Here is an new york times article about the same issue.
http://6thfloor.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/04/its-not-easy-seeing-green/
False Eyewitness “Who are you going to believe? Me or your lying eyes?”
January 27, 2015
What is the value of eyewitness testimony? What are its limitations?
Radiolab Podcast: Seeing in Tongues
January 26, 2015
In 2010, after being struck by an 18-wheel truck while riding her bike Emilie Gossiaux, a young painter and sculptor, was blinded. After the accident, Emilie found her way back to the studio using a device that helps her “see” by using sensors on her tongue.
Short video:
http://www.radiolab.org/story/painting-tongues/
Chapters from the podcast about the case:
Describing colors to a blind person
January 26, 2015
A short, interesting video, of a blind man discussing what it’s like to have people who can see describe colors to him.
Is your red the same as my red?
January 26, 2015
A well-made video that gets into the issue of whether we can ever know that two different people experience color the same way. This video comes from a great youtube channel, VSauce, which you should definitely check out.
Memory contaminates perception
January 22, 2015
We take it for granted that we see the world as it actually is, but in fact, we do not. Our perception of the world is the brain’s best guess at what is actually happening, based on the information it receives through the senses. Optical illusions clearly demonstrate that the brain does not always interpret sensory information correctly, by producing a discrepancy between what we see and and how we perceive.
http://www.theguardian.com/science/neurophilosophy/2011/aug/17/memory-contaminates-perception
Quiz: Can you read people’s emotions?
January 22, 2015
“If you are among those people who are mystified by moods, new research offers hope. A new study shows that certain types of reading can actually help us improve our sensitivity IQ. To find out how well you read the emotions of others, take the Well quiz, which is based on an assessment tool developed by University of Cambridge professor Simon Baron-Cohen.”
Here is a handout I made based on the quiz
can you read people_s emotions
Click below for the full quiz
https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/03/well-quiz-the-mind-behind-the-eyes/
What do the newly released witness statements tell us about the Michael Brown shooting?
January 21, 2015
“Over the course of the investigation, federal agents interviewed dozens of witnesses—some compelled to come forward by subpoena—to piece together what happened on that August 9 afternoon. Shortly after the press conference announcing the jury’s decision, St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch released the transcripts of interviews with witnesses and Wilson.
We read and analyzed more than 500 pages of witness testimony and compared each statement to those given by Wilson. Below is a chart comparing several key details of the officer’s report to the witness statements. Was Brown facing Wilson when he was shot, or was his back turned to him? Did Brown have his hands in the air, or were they reaching toward his waist?”
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/newly-released-witness-testimony-tell-us-michael-brown-shooting/
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