I’m testing a new browser: Flock Partly this is because it’s supposed to have a built-in WordPress editor, which I’m trying to use now. From the looks of it, though, it really doesn’t have much beyond bare-bones support, which just makes it good for little notes like this, but not proper posts like I make.
I’ll give the browser a try, but I think I’ll end up falling back to Safari.
A post just went up on the Scientific American website about the “McGurck effect”. Supposedly when you hear someone say the syllable “ba” and see them say “ga”, you’ll think you’re hearing the syllable “da”. They’ve even got a video to try it for yourself.
And even though you now know it’s an illusion—you will still, when you see the video, think you are hearing “da”.
Except it doesn’t work. So I called my mother over and didn’t tell her what was supposed to happen. Just showed the video and asked what syllable she heard. Right away, with no hesitation, she said he was saying “ba” but the lips were moving like “ga”. Not even a trace of the desired effect.
So are we mutants? Try it yourself. Try it on your unsuspecting friends and family members and ask them what they hear. And tell me what happens. Remember: it’s not science unless we can falsify it.
[UPDATE]: As I mention in the comments, I found the source of that video. There they say that the effect shows up in 98% of adults. So my mother and I are evidently among the 1/50 of adult humans who can separate visual and auditory inputs inside our heads.
This is mainly an expository blath, with occasional high-level excursions, humorous observations, rants, and musings. The main-line exposition should be accessible to the “Generally Interested Lay Audience”, as long as you trace the links back towards the basics. Check the sidebar for specific topics (under “Categories”).
I’m in the process of tweaking some aspects of the site to make it easier to refer back to older topics, so try to make the best of it for now.
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