Scivillage.com Casual Discussion Science Forum

(Sep 21, 2016 03:11 AM)scheherazade Wrote: [ -> ]Our perception of events is not to be trusted when we are in a reactionary situation of fight or flight mode when we are in danger, be it real or perceived.
Likewise when we are extremely fatigued, the body chemistry works in specific ways to preserve the integrity of the whole and we can be guided or misguided
simply by an imbalance in our blood sugars as glucose is the preferred fuel of the brain.

Almost all who have participated in the Yukon Quest (most challenging sled dog race on earth) have tales of unusual experiences which are no doubt related to sleep deprivation and mild hypothermia of two weeks duration.

Actually studies show that fear increases our perception of the situation. In my own experience my reaction time increases and my awareness is heightened in fight or flight moments:

"Fear has been associated with heightened arousal, negative, or aversive subjective experience, and a recognizable facial expression including widened eyes and an open mouth. Research has indicated that fearful stimuli enhance visual perception. Specifically, fear-inducing stimuli (e.g., snakes) are located faster than fear-irrelevant stimuli in an array of distracter images (Öhman et al., 2001), and fear-inducing stimuli relative to neutral stimuli have been found to induce larger event-related potentials in the primary visual cortex a mere 90 ms after stimulus presentation (Stolarova et al., 2006). The enhancements in visual processing of frightening stimuli would appear to stem, at least in part, from the widening of the eyes associated with the characteristic facial expression of fear. The current investigation examined whether fear influences sensory perception in another channel—touch.

According to evolutionary perspectives on emotions, one of the functions of fear is to enhance perception (e.g., Susskind et al., 2008). Evidence lends support to this view insofar as the fear expression increases one’s visual field, speeds up eye movements, and increases nasal volume and air velocity during inspiration. Presumably this enhancement in perception facilitates more effective or efficient responding to fear-eliciting events."---------http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4141522/

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Quote:From what he told me, I think he may have had a stroke.

What about his experience suggested a stroke? Here's the symptoms of a stroke:
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"Sudden weakness or numbness in the face, arm, or leg on one side of the body.

Abrupt loss of vision, strength, coordination, sensation, speech, or the ability to understand speech. These symptoms may become worse over time.

Sudden dimness of vision, especially in one eye.

Sudden loss of balance, possibly accompanied by vomiting, nausea, fever, hiccups, or trouble with swallowing.

Sudden and severe headache with no other cause followed rapidly by loss of consciousness -- indications of a stroke due to bleeding.

Brief loss of consciousness.

Unexplained dizziness or sudden falls."

http://www.webmd.com/stroke/guide/unders...e-symptoms

I would agree that our response to the circumstances may be enhanced and undoubtedly we are 'in the moment' as seldom we are at other times given that we are a species that is most often planning our next priority even while currently engaged.

Perhaps I should have prefaced my comments that our recollection of the details of an event after the fact might well fail cross examination. Some details we recall quite precisely, while others can be challenging to place parameters upon. Our sense of distances and time, as example, become disproportionate in the recall, though if we survive, they were obviously adequate to the threat. Some people seem to almost blank out through a crisis and may not even recall the sequence of events, yet react appropriate to the circumstances.

(I am working graveyard shifts again and so am in an entirely different 'time zone' on the plane of my existence. My cognitive and communication styles are completely different when I am on days or nights. In reviewing some of my past writings on various forums, I can easily discern by the vocabulary without looking at the time stamp, which schedule I was working.)

(Sep 21, 2016 11:37 PM)scheherazade Wrote: [ -> ]I would agree that our response to the circumstances may be enhanced and undoubtedly we are 'in the moment' as seldom we are at other times given that we are a species that is most often planning our next priority even while currently engaged.

Perhaps I should have prefaced my comments that our recollection of the details of an event after the fact might well fail cross examination. Some details we recall quite precisely, while others can be challenging to place parameters upon. Our sense of distances and time, as example, become disproportionate in the recall, though if we survive, they were obviously adequate to the threat. Some people seem to almost blank out through a crisis and may not even recall the sequence of events, yet react appropriate to the circumstances.

(I am working graveyard shifts again and so am in an entirely different 'time zone' on the plane of my existence. My cognitive and communication styles are completely different when I am on days or nights. In reviewing some of my past writings on various forums, I can easily discern by the vocabulary without looking at the time stamp, which schedule I was working.)

That's another misconception. Emotions actually increase recall of an event:

"It does seem clear that, as a general rule, we remember emotionally charged events better than boring ones.

Latest research suggests that it is the emotions aroused, not the personal significance of the event, that makes such events easier to remember.

The memory of strongly emotional images and events may be at the expense of other information. Thus, you may be less likely to remember information if it is followed by something that is strongly emotional. This effect appears to be stronger for women."----http://www.memory-key.com/memory/emotion

(Sep 21, 2016 11:45 PM)Magical Realist Wrote: [ -> ]That's another misconception. Emotions actually increase recall of an event:

I think studies have shown that emotion enhances recollection but memory itself is not improved upon.

Quote:"I think studies have shown that emotion enhances recollection but memory itself is not improved upon."

What's the difference between recollection and memory?

rec·ol·lec·tion
ˌrekəˈlekSH(ə)n/
noun
1)the action or faculty of remembering something.
"to the best of my recollection no one ever had a bad word to say about him"
2)a thing recollected; a memory.

My two cents: In the context of my post, enhances is a verb and memory a noun. Yes your recollection of an event can improve, remembering details forgotten but your actual memory hasn't really increased, the details were there all the time.

(Sep 21, 2016 05:31 AM)Zinjanthropos Wrote: [ -> ]My wife's mother was on her deathbed with a few of us family members on watch. As circumstance would have it, everybody except me went to grab a coffee and after 93 years of living she expired with me the only other person in the room. At the same time she died a small bright blue light appeared on the ceiling for a few seconds and disappeared. After the commotion following her death I told my S-I-L about the light. She was convinced it was my M-I-L's spirit leaving town.

The next day I'm walking down the hallway at home and wouldn't you know it, the same bright blue light appeared again on the ceiling. This time I was holding my cell phone in my hand and its screen had lit up because a message was coming through. I then realized that the night before I had placed my cellphone on a dresser top in my M-I-L's room and because I was sitting down when she died I didn't see the screen light up, only the light it cast. Mystery solved.

Even when I broke the news to my SIL she wasn't convinced. People believe what they want to believe. SS, you and I are going to get along just fine.

That’s a great story.  I loved it!

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(Sep 21, 2016 08:27 PM)Syne Wrote: [ -> ]

(Sep 21, 2016 07:56 PM)Secular Sanity Wrote: [ -> ]

(Sep 21, 2016 06:55 PM)Syne Wrote: [ -> ]I'm a theist.

I remember, but since we were always at odds with each other, you would never really explain it to me.  I would like to know.  What is it exactly that you believe?

Syncretic panentheism.

I had similar feelings once.  It is soothing, romantic, and attractive to intellectuals, but it still entails a sacred character.  It blends the human element with an exalted element, which cooks up a rather egotistical self-portrait, don’t you think? While we may be a part of the totality, why the need to label it as spiritual?  You have own personal blend, right?  I am genuinely curious and would like to know what it is.  Will you tell me more about it?

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(Sep 21, 2016 11:45 PM)Magical Realist Wrote: [ -> ]That's another misconception. Emotions actually increase recall of an event:

"It does seem clear that, as a general rule, we remember emotionally charged events better than boring ones.

Latest research suggests that it is the emotions aroused, not the personal significance of the event, that makes such events easier to remember.

I think emotions may enhance our recollection but we still have the tendency to alter the content.

List of Memory Biases

Quote:My two cents: In the context of my post, enhances is a verb and memory a noun. Yes your recollection of an event can improve, remembering details forgotten but your actual memory hasn't really increased, the details were there all the time.

Your saying emotions don't enhance our memory of an experience? Do you have some studies proving this?

(Sep 22, 2016 04:48 PM)Magical Realist Wrote: [ -> ]

Quote:My two cents: In the context of my post, enhances is a verb and memory a noun. Yes your recollection of an event can improve, remembering details forgotten but your actual memory hasn't really increased, the details were there all the time.

Your saying emotions don't enhance our memory of an experience? Do you have some studies proving this?

YOU said earlier: Emotions actually increase recall of an event:

Since you are making the claim, then you should be providing citation. I merely said: I think studies have shown that emotion enhances recollection but memory itself is not improved upon.

The big words are I THINK. In a nice way I am asking you to provide evidence of your claim without resorting to something that might be construed as aggressive/inflammatory behavior on my part. Hey...I just got here! I'm not making a claim. With my words I was more or less going to find out whether you have even looked for evidence of yours. The studies can easily be found but I rather you do it, I've already checked and you have made a claim.

You see, I am a born skeptic. I could read a hundred studies that says you're full of crap or spot on. Obviously I've looked at a couple that refute your claim. Do I believe them outright? Not a chance, not if one is familiar with scientific knowledge being only current. Briefly, science doesn't claim to know, it is observant.

Quote:Since you are making the claim, then you should be providing citation.

So when you agreed that emotions enhance recollection, but not memory, what were you saying? They're the same thing. You seem very confused. And BTW, I did provide a citation. Go back and check it out.

You also made a claim: that emotions DON'T enhance memory. What studies are there supporting that claim?

Here's another study:

https://www2.bc.edu/elizabeth-kensinger/...r_CD07.pdf