quote:
Originally posted by mgrego2:
Again, I'm sure this is true. It proves the limits of our direct focus. It does not invalidate the possibility that our brains are absorbing and processing more than we're getting. It comes down to focus and filtering. I believe that our subconscious does a great deal of filtering to protect us from information overload. That doesn't mean that the info isn't there and accessible. It just means that isn't where we put our attention. Isn't it possible that our brain processes a great deal of this stuff but only serves up what it thinks we need? Of course, this mechanism isn't always perfect. Sometimes it fails to serve up what we need but I think the reason for that is often more related to the WAY it was stored than to whether or not it WAS stored.
This really makes a lot of sense...If the conscious mind can only process ~7 pieces of info/second, it would make sense that the subconscious mind would filter out everything outside of your direct concentration by making it appear blurry...this doesn't necessarily mean that your eye cannot clearly distinguish details outside of that focus, just that your subconscious is filtering what your conscious mind sees. It's kind of like putting a filter on a camera lens. The lens is the eye...it can CLEARLY see everything within its view. The filter is like the subconscious mind...it blurs everything outside of a certain radius of focus. Unfortunately there is no way I know of to test this theory, but for all we know, the subconscious mind might be able to clearly see everything within the view (peripheral or otherwise) of our eyes.
BTW, I too am glad that these threads have taken a more civil turn.
