4 ms·

This actually kind of freaks me out. Might it be possible that there is a way to corrupt brains?

by orasis 12y ago

orasis 12y ago
We are well aware of various optical illusions, but are there "illusions" that be applied against other brain structures, such as memory or beliefs?
- Someone 12y ago
  There are various haptic illusions (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haptic_Illusion http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haptic_Illusion) In audio, we have the Shepard tone (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shepard_tone http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shepard_tone) as an auditory illusion.
- a-priori 12y ago
  For memory, there's the "Lost in the mall" technique for implanting false memories. It exploits an effect known as memory conformity where people's memories of an event tend to converge after discussing it together. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_in_the_mall_technique http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_in_the_mall_technique http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memory_conformity http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memory_conformity Not sure what you mean by beliefs. There was also an experiment on split-brain patients (the connection between the left and right hemispheres is severed) where they'd show a command like "WALK" to the patient's right hemisphere only. They'd get up and walk. But since language is often localized to the left hemisphere, if you talk to them you are talking to the left hemisphere only, which did not see the command. Instead of saying something like "I don't know", they would make up a plausible reason to get up like "I'm getting a drink". Does that count? It exploits what we know about the visual system (half of the visual field goes to each hemisphere) and localization of a particular function (language) in a patient with a specific disability (their corpus collosum is severed, which is mostly asymptomatic) to produce a completely strange result (invention of a motive).
DanBC 12y ago
There are experiments that can create a false memory. Not sure if you consider that "corruption". http://psych.hanover.edu/JavaTest/CLE/Cognition/Cognition/falsememory_instructions.html http://psych.hanover.edu/JavaTest/CLE/Cognition/Cognition/fa...
a-priori 12y ago
Sure, the human brain is not infallible either. It's actually quite similar to how optical illusions are created: by using what we know about the visual system to create 'adversarial' inputs that create strange results.

This actually kind of freaks me out. Might it be possible that there is a way to corrupt brains?

by orasis 12y ago

This actually kind of freaks me out. Might it be possible that there is a way to corrupt brains?

We are well aware of various optical illusions, but are there "illusions" that be applied against other brain structures, such as memory or beliefs?

Someone 12y ago
There are various haptic illusions (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haptic_Illusion http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haptic_Illusion) In audio, we have the Shepard tone (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shepard_tone http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shepard_tone) as an auditory illusion.
a-priori 12y ago
For memory, there's the "Lost in the mall" technique for implanting false memories. It exploits an effect known as memory conformity where people's memories of an event tend to converge after discussing it together. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_in_the_mall_technique http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_in_the_mall_technique http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memory_conformity http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memory_conformity Not sure what you mean by beliefs. There was also an experiment on split-brain patients (the connection between the left and right hemispheres is severed) where they'd show a command like "WALK" to the patient's right hemisphere only. They'd get up and walk. But since language is often localized to the left hemisphere, if you talk to them you are talking to the left hemisphere only, which did not see the command. Instead of saying something like "I don't know", they would make up a plausible reason to get up like "I'm getting a drink". Does that count? It exploits what we know about the visual system (half of the visual field goes to each hemisphere) and localization of a particular function (language) in a patient with a specific disability (their corpus collosum is severed, which is mostly asymptomatic) to produce a completely strange result (invention of a motive).

DanBC 12y ago

There are experiments that can create a false memory. Not sure if you consider that "corruption". http://psych.hanover.edu/JavaTest/CLE/Cognition/Cognition/falsememory_instructions.html http://psych.hanover.edu/JavaTest/CLE/Cognition/Cognition/fa...

a-priori 12y ago

Sure, the human brain is not infallible either. It's actually quite similar to how optical illusions are created: by using what we know about the visual system to create 'adversarial' inputs that create strange results.