The Human Pshycie!!!!!

Peripheral vision?

CDAKIAHONDA said:

Peripheral vision?

Much as you like to think that you are being completely attentive and not filtering out any sensory input when you are on a ride, your brain is actually doing alot of filtering. If it didnt, you would be needlessly distracted by miniscule flecks of glass on the road, the rustle of leaves in the trees as you zoom past, the taste of fumes from a car that drove past 10 minutes ago, the feel of the tiny pores on your bar tape, the smell of coffee coming from someones house... Your senses detect EVERYTHING around you, but your brain decides whats important.
Chances are, your eyes saw a magpie from a distance, but your brain filtered it out. Also, you would have heard the magpie flapping its wings to get to you, but your brain would have filtered it out.

Only when your brain stopped filtering out all the magpie signals did you start to realise something was there, and when it was close enough to be a threat, your brain decided to filter out some OTHER things and allow you to concentrate on the magpie.

I dont think its anything special that makes you respond to a situation, its just a matter of what your mind deems suitable to filter out and not to filter out.

Your reply makes a whole lot of sense. But i must say I didnt hear anything like a flap of wings . I just turned around and there was the assailant 2 feet away from my head.

Maybe my brain did block the noise of the magpies wings. But it was very early in the morning , very still no other noise around,no wind. This magpie had its stealth thing going on.

Cheers

rohc said:

What is it in the human Pshycie that gives you that uneasy feeling and makes you respond appropriately?

My wife seems to have this ability whenever I begin to think about how to explain the absolute necessity for a new piece of equipment she produces a bill that requres urgent action.

Its a 6th sense.

Interesting documentary on Discovery Channel now about "Savant Syndrome." It addresses the "brain filtering issues" discussed above. It basically arrives at the same conclusion. The reason "Rainman" can count the number of toothpicks spilled on the floor is because his brain doesn't posess the ability to filter the extraneous. Savants become lost in the "static" of a sensory overload and then develop a usually singular ability that appears miraculous as their brain compensates by focusing on that area. Those of us who experience "reality" in the conventional way only "consciously" absorb those details that our brains deem relevant. So the magpie "seems" to sneak up on us, or the wife with the bill for that matter.

I however would be more concerned with the wife. Keep the "sponsors" happy.😉