Author Archives: Laura J Eisenhower

Break it up-Speech Segmentation

Language is one of the most complex areas of human existence. Even more fascinating is the way our brain processes it. On our last quiz I had some difficulty with the issue of speech segmentation, and the physical energy of conversational speech. Amazingly enough, our brain tends to perceive speech in a “continuous flow”, and does not recognize pauses between words. While we may perceive these breaks via our auditory system, our brain recognizes them by several components. Familiarity with a language, meaning of the words, pronunciation, and context of the word in the sentence all aid our brains in identifying the spaces between words (Goldstein, 2011, p. 299). Due to our understanding of a language, we can generally fish out the separation between words. As we recognize a word, we can often formulate the cut-off between the next word begins. The way our brain processes sentences is truly astounding. Prior to reading the chapter on language, I never would have imagined our brains would process speech this way, mainly because I never really thought about how our minds accomplish this everyday task.
Anyone who has ever listened to or tried to learn another language can relate to the brain’s elaborate process of sorting out words. During my three consecutive semesters of Spanish and one summer course of German, I was convinced that the native speakers in the recordings were simply talking too fast for me to understand. I would often replay the recordings several times, picking out a few familiar vocabulary words, yet still finding quite a few to be unrecognizable. It was extremely difficult to differentiate between words because I was not familiar with the language or the context in which words were being presented. From my perspective, it seemed like the entire sentence could have been one long word! So it was not so much that I was hearing the sentence incorrectly, but more because my brain did not recognize the language, and thus could not space out the words. As I learned more vocabulary, I was able to discern between words and fill in the pauses to make sense of the statement’s structure.
To aid in the understanding of non-native languages, there are several plug-ins and tools that have been created to aid in speech segmentation and grapheme to phoneme conversions. One such plug-in, dubbed EasyAlign, translates text and word pauses by scanning a transcript (Goldman, J.P., n.d.). Another similar and widely available segmentation tool is distributed by Microsoft’s Hidden Markov Toolkit. Segmentation tools such as these allow non-native speakers to interpret audio sentences and text, so that the learner can easily understand sentence breaks and contexts (Goldman, J.P., n.d.)
Gaining a better understanding of speech segmentation, morphemes, and phonemes has allowed me to realize why learning a new language is such an arduous challenge. Not only does an individual need to learn new vocabulary terms, but also must process where pauses occur in sentences that were previously unfamiliar. Learning a new language is no small task, but dedication and review will eventually allow our brains to process the auditory or written information automatically, rather than just perceiving the sentence as one continuous word!

References:

Goldstein, B. E. (2011) Cognitive Psychology: Connecting Mind, Research, and Everyday Experience. Belmont: Wadsworth.

Goldman, J.P. (n.d) EasyAlign: A Friendly Automatic Phonetic Alignment Tool Under Praat. Retrieved November 28, 2014 from http://latlcui.unige.ch/phonetique/easyalign/easyalign_unpublished.pdf

 

 

Visual Imagery and Visual-Kinesthetic Dissasociation

My future interest in grief counseling led me to examine visual imagery techniques that are used to treat phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other traumatic events. During my research, I discovered the concept of Visual-Kinesthetic Dissociation (V/KD), which is also known as the Rewind Technique.
Created by Dr. John Grinder and Dr. Richard Bandler, this power therapy involves reviewing traumatic events via visual imagery from a different perspective. In most instances, events may be visually replayed from an overhead view, or from the viewpoint of a bystander. The idea behind the different perspectives is that the person can relive the trauma in a less-stressful environment, as they are not directly involved. Often the patient is asked to envision themselves in a movie theater, and the event is then mentally replayed in the alternate perspective. Often the patients will imagine the event in black and white to reduce vividness. After the “movie” has ended, the patient is then asked to mentally rewind and fast-forward through the event at speeds that are comfortable to the viewer, thus causing dissociation via desensitization. Viewing this life movie repeatedly is meant to make the patient comfortable enough with the event that harmful emotions are no longer invoked by the event (positivepanicattacks.com, 2013). This technique is favored by those suffering major traumas or phobias, as the participant does not need to be exposed to unnecessary emotion, and also does not need to verbalize details of the event to the counselor.
Not only is the goal of the Rewind Effect to reduce traumatic memories, but also to allow the patient to learn from the event, and understand why it happened. While this technique has been practiced for over 30 years, there is little empirical evidence to support it, and most reviews come from clinical trials and personal testimonials, which makes it seem more like a late-night television program cure rather than a psychological therapy. While it is not the most conventional therapy, it is lauded as a safe alternative to other therapies which may cause additional trauma to the patient when reliving and describing the experience. Being able to relive an experience mentally without actually being physically present exemplifies how visual imagery operates- by “seeing in the absence of a visual stimulus” (Goldstein, 2011, p.270). While visual imagery can allow a gateway for traumatic flashbacks, it can also provide us with the means to reduce these flashbacks to harmless memories.

References:

http://www.positivepanicattacks.com/therewindtechniquescriptortraining.html, 2013.

http://www.rewindtechnique.com/, 2014.

Goldstein, B. E., 2011. Cognitive Psychology: Connecting Mind, Research, and Everyday Experience. Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Videos on the Rewind Technique:

http://www.owenparachute.com/nlp-fast-phobia-cure-nlp-trauma-process-reconsolidation-of-traumatic-memories-vkd-rewind.html, 2011.

 

Misleading Memories

At this point in our lives, I am sure we have all noticed that each individual remembers events and situations differently. Yet we are all adamant that our own versions are correct. Until reading Chapter 8, I never realized how misleading our memories can truly be, especially when they are influenced by the emotions or recollections of others. Specifically, I would like to address the influence emotion has on our memories, and why I am at odds with our text’s claim that we remember such emotional events more vividly than others.

For example, about a month ago I was t-boned by a woman who failed to stop at a stop sign. I had never been in any sort of accident before, and was undoubtedly emotionally frazzled. When it came time to make a recorded statement, I was worried that I would not be able to remember all the events correctly because I was so emotionally high at the time, let alone the fact that the whole episode happened so fast. Luckily, the questions that were asked of me were able to jog my memory enough to give a truthful, but detailed statement. I found it interesting that our text notes that emotionally-charged memories are more vivid and clear while reminiscing (Goldstein, p. 208).  I honestly thought just the opposite would occur because often we are so overcome with emotion it muddles our thinking.

Consider being in love. The object of your affection can do no wrong, and every interaction you experience with him or her is remembered as a perfect moment. However, if your feelings for that person cease at some point in time, you may either see the situation for how it really was, or reconstruct your memories to be consistent with your current state of emotions. It has been suggested that memory retrieval is dependent on various factors.  Perhaps you have a memory of your crush playfully teasing you, but later when your feelings have fizzled, you remember him clearly insulting you. What really happened in that particular situation? Was he engaging in harmless teasing? Or was he clearly being rude and you just dismissed it due to your overwhelming infatuation? Likely the event itself was vividly remembered due to the accompanying emotions you felt, and after you no longer cared for this person, you altered the purpose of the memory to fit the way you feel about this person now.

While emotional factors may help to permanently instill memories into our long-term storage, the circumstances surrounding their retrieval may taint the memory itself. Every person has a traumatic or ecstatic experience they will never forget, but years later, when the person may have different values or feel differently about the event than they originally did, these memories may became foggy, or the person may subconsciously change the way the event played out as a defense mechanism to protect their self-esteem.   Some events may prove to be so emotionally disturbing the person may repress them and refrain from attempting to remember them at all. It seems that our brains may alter our memories in an attempt to protect us from further trauma.

I may be going out on a limb with my thoughts on this subject, but I really do feel as though our memories are frequently clouded with emotion,  and thus we are prone to recall the accompanying emotion more than the actual event itself. We will likely rebuild the memory from the emotion, and conform it to the manner we currently wish to portray the memory itself.

Alice in Wonderland Syndrome

This week’s lesson on perception caused me to consider the amazing ability of the brain , and how fortunate we are to be blessed with such a complex organ. Most, if not all of us, take these intricate processes of perception and sensation for granted, so this thought led me to research some diseases that affect an individual’s perception.

One of the most intriguing diseases that affect a person’s ability to perceive objects correctly is called, interestingly enough, Alice in Wonderland Syndrome, or AIWS, for short. It can also be referred to as Todd’s Syndrome, after Dr. John Todd, who extensively researched the disease after being puzzled by several patients who suffered from the syndrome. AIWS is indeed named after Lewis Carroll’s book, where Alice suffers some trippy hallucinations. Carroll himself was also said to have suffered from migraines and hallucinations, thus turning his personal experience into a popular tale.  Those afflicted with AIWS often suffer from micropsia, in which objects are often perceptually smaller than they are in reality; and macropsia, which oppositely causes perceptions of objects being considerably larger than they truly are. Also present are teliopsia, in which objects are observed as small and far away, and peliopsia, in which objects seem uncomfortably close and large. These four disorders are generally either caused by optical irregularities or neurological issues. Psychoactive drugs may also cause similar  hallucinations, or they may also be a result of migraines or brain tumors (http://www.smashinglists.com/10-strange-mental-conditions/2/).

Just like in Carroll’s story, AIWS predominately exists in children through adults in their 20s, and the hallucinations can also occur during the first stages of sleep. The main reason for AIWS is an excessive amount of electrical impulses in the brain, which also causes increased blood flow in the parietal lobe, which is responsible for perceptual contexts. In addition to the issues mentioned above, Alice in Wonderland Syndrome can also cause auditory and touch issues, as well as forms of body dysmorphia. However, this type of body dysmorphia is not the kind where a person perceives themselves as too skinny or overweight, but rather he or she may see a tiny arm or an over-sized foot (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_in_Wonderland_syndrome).

Recently, Helene Stapinski wrote an insightful article for the New York Times, in which she revealed that after finding that both she and her daughter suffered from AIWS, several more members in her family admitted that they too, had experienced such hallucinations in their younger years. Stapinski spoke with neurologist Dr. Sheena Aurora, who was amazed that so many individuals in one family were affected with AIWS, as it is considered to be quite rare. It is surmised that perhaps this issue, while uncommon, may be less rare than initially thought, as many individuals are reluctant to admit they have it, for fear of being labeled as insane. (http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/06/23/alice-in-wonderland-syndrome/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0&module=ArrowsNav&contentCollection=Health&action=keypress&region=FixedLeft&pgtype=Blogs).

We often read books and watch movies for their entertainment value, and before researching perceptual disorders, I never fathomed that Alice in Wonderland was based on any iota of truth. I just always assumed that it was made of the stuff of a child’s overactive imagination. Knowing that it is an actual disease, makes me even more appreciative that my brain processes and perceives information and objects in the manner in which it is meant. That being said, sometimes we need to stop and be grateful for our mental health and the unconscious processes we often do not even think about.

 

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