Has anyone ever told you that if you have a positive mindset then you will see the world differently? That is exactly what scientists have discovered in a recent study where subjects were unknowingly presented with stimuli using a technique called continuous flash suppression. Multiple flashing images were shown in a series to participants' dominant eye, alternating between a pixelated image and a neutral one. The non dominant eye was presented with a low-contrast image of a smiling, scowling, or neutral face. The images presented to the non dominant eye were usually blocked out by the images presented to the dominant eye so subjects didn't even realize they were seeing it. They were then presented with a set of five faces and were asked to choose the one that was closest to the one they saw during the flash pictures. Although the pictures presented to the dominant eye were always neutral, participants usually chose the face that was most similar to the ones presented most to the dominant eye. If the flash trial, for example, presented more scowling faces to the non dominant eye, then the participant would choose the scowling face as the best match. In the second experiment participants were asked to characterize the neutral face and results revealed that neutral faces were seen as positive in participants who were exposed to more positive images subconsciously.
These results solidify the idea that what we see around us is not necessarily the truth, but merely a by-product of our experiences and mindset. Instead of taking in information and then actively reacting to it, we react to stimulus based on what we already know. The article brings up a good point, stating that these revelations must be taken into consideration for serious day-to-day situations such as a jury when deciding whether a defendant is guilty or not. So next time you are faced with challenging situations, remember that attitude and mentality is everything!
Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180411131639.htm
Posted by: Kamilla Leao (2)
Mindset is really everything and this experiment proved it. Going into a situation with a positive attitude can really alter the outcomes into a positive way. This research is a great thing to be aware of!
ReplyDeletePosted by Sarah Aboody (1)
I can only imagine what the psychology behind this would be like! Experiments and studies like these just solidify the idea and philosophy that almost everything that we perceive is subjected to some kind of internal or external biases. This example goes to show the effect of this external bias.
ReplyDelete- Rund Tawfiq (3)
I do believe that mindset can have a huge impact on our brains. I have heard that telling a patient bad news before surgery more often leads to a bad outcome. I think that this experiment is a good way for people to know that mentality is important. Are there other experiments similar to this?
ReplyDelete-Catherine Tsang (3)
This is interesting because I feel like recently a lot has been focused on disproving this mindset. Obviously mental disorders such as depression affect the body on a biological level, this is interesting to see the psychosocial perspective of mood disorders.
ReplyDelete-Katherine Patota(3)