The idea of parallel processing brings to mind the idea of 'situational awareness', of which the hippocampus is an important component per last week's post. Such awareness will focus on the red rose as it is given or received in context, or fall into the background as the flower in the vase becomes peripheral in the observer's vision where color is no longer perceived.
If we presume the mind can process 7 bits of information at any given time (the total possible bandwidth of our situational awareness), perhaps attention is the relative accounting of this bandwidth on any particular thing at a given time. Looking at a rose in full focus utilizes all 7 bits, smell, orientation, color, feeling, etc etc ... as the rose is pushed into the periphery, perhaps it blends together with the wall, table, and other 'background' compressing into less than a single bit.
Perhaps such attention mechanisms are at play as a simulation when engaged in an experience of language to facilitate fuller, deeper understanding.
Yes, attention is something I didn't get into in this post. It's a really complex topic. One thing I have wondered is whether we can ever really perceive more than one thing at a time. Of course, we cycle between seeing things very quickly (saccades), but do we ever see multiple things in the same saccade? I figure we have to, because otherwise how could be see relationships (the cup is on the table -- I have to see both cup and table), unless the relationships are learned by the movement of the saccade (look at table, look at cup, the sequence then triggers the "on" relationship).
And then attention to some degree under control, conscious or subconscious ... very interesting topics
The idea of parallel processing brings to mind the idea of 'situational awareness', of which the hippocampus is an important component per last week's post. Such awareness will focus on the red rose as it is given or received in context, or fall into the background as the flower in the vase becomes peripheral in the observer's vision where color is no longer perceived.
If we presume the mind can process 7 bits of information at any given time (the total possible bandwidth of our situational awareness), perhaps attention is the relative accounting of this bandwidth on any particular thing at a given time. Looking at a rose in full focus utilizes all 7 bits, smell, orientation, color, feeling, etc etc ... as the rose is pushed into the periphery, perhaps it blends together with the wall, table, and other 'background' compressing into less than a single bit.
Perhaps such attention mechanisms are at play as a simulation when engaged in an experience of language to facilitate fuller, deeper understanding.
Yes, attention is something I didn't get into in this post. It's a really complex topic. One thing I have wondered is whether we can ever really perceive more than one thing at a time. Of course, we cycle between seeing things very quickly (saccades), but do we ever see multiple things in the same saccade? I figure we have to, because otherwise how could be see relationships (the cup is on the table -- I have to see both cup and table), unless the relationships are learned by the movement of the saccade (look at table, look at cup, the sequence then triggers the "on" relationship).
And then attention to some degree under control, conscious or subconscious ... very interesting topics