“I love illusions, where your brain makes weird things happen. Those of you who come here often have seen some doozies, but this one … oooh, this is one of the strangest.
The question is: Which is more powerful, your eyes or your ears? Watch this clip and experience “The McGurk Effect.” Your ears will feel ashamed.”
“The McGurk Effect is named for a psychologist from Scotland, Harry McGurk, working with John MacDonald. The experiment shows that while our senses seem separate — you wouldn’t think what you see should affect what you hear — it turns out, that’s totally wrong. If our eyes see one thing and our ears hear a different thing, when sight and sound grapple in our brains, the eyes win. Eyes tell ears what to hear. Or so it seems.
Not only that, even if your brain knows this is an illusion, you still can’t hear the truth unless you close your eyes. The illusion is that powerful.
Why Does This Happen?
Does sight always beat sound? Professor Lawrence Rosenblum in the video seems to suggest that experimental results may vary depending on which sense is “more salient.” I’m not sure what that means. Nosing around, I found some experiments where you see lips saying “gah” while the sound is saying “bah” and my brain chooses neither of them, and settles for a middle-of-the-road “dah.” But nowhere could I find an explanation for why my ears keep surrendering to my eyes.
Does anybody know?”
Sight and sound grapple
Ears surrendering to eyes
Our reality?
Earth zips through space-time
All the senses unaware
What’s reality?
Time an illusion
Eternity an unknown
The reality?
Why and what are we ?
Breathing rhythmically with life
Only God can know
“Only God can know”
That just about sums up everything!
Rhythms here and here
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ABSOLUTELY amazing!! Thank you for sharing!
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Becca, It really is interesting. You’re welcome.
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Yeah, dead good! I just wish I could hear it too, this machine isn’t wired for sound.
The bottom line of your poem says it all!
Cool!!
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Andy,
I do hope YOU, at least, are wired for sound!
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Breathing rythmically…Judi..thanks for this clipping.. in fact in a couple of training sesion I have seen people reacting to visuals even if they are specifically directed to react or act on auditory instructions… I have often seen eyes beating ears… and what meaningful haiku..today..
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Ramesh,
What kind of training sessions? Sounds interesting
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Very interesting, read and watched the video too!! Amazing!! Surely God has all the answers and explanations!!
I’m sure musicians hear better, than see or need not even see, they play with their eyes shut!! For them it works vice versa I guess!! They can so very well distinguish the sounds……Eyes surrender to ears!! 🙂 All my very own theories 🙂 if they are nonsense then my eyes,ears and brain are shut!! 😉
Keep well!! 🙂
Cheers!!
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That is one of the most fascinating things I have seen and heard!!!!!! Thanks for posting it. Please ask Tallulah for me how she is feeling? Thanks, love Laurie F. or is it Laurie B?
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Dear ALL the Miss Laurie’s in the whole wide blogging sphere from F to B,
I am delighted to hear from you again and receive your well intentioned and thoughtful inquiry as to the state of my mind and feelings. To be truthful I am not doing well as I am still being forced to exert myself when it isn’t called for and consequently I am working needlessly and not get compensated for my diligence, effort and expenditure of energy so I’ve insisted that Miss JudyJudith take me into the doctor again so that I can get some appropriate rest and relaxation.
Sincerely yours,
Miss Tallulah Pacehead
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