Today I want to transition from talking about perceiving something to the idea of observation. Once one analyzes something, at what point does one receive enough information to call it observation. Is observation and perception the same thing? Observing something requires conscious thoughts, but you can perceive unconsciously to an extent. However, perceiving something will eventually lead to observing something, by nature, if the cue is prominent. Though there’s a lot of variation regarding when one becomes conscious of something. The unconscious and priming controls a lot of what we perceive and observe. Our moods and emotions control the level of perception and observation.
The eyes
Recently, I re-read some sections of Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking Fast and Slow. I was curious about how the speed of thoughts increase depending on the nature of what you’re looking at. I was intrigued by the notion of the eyes dilating when a problem is difficult, and the eyes constricting when a problem is simple. So the more conscious effort a problem requires, the more dilated the eyes become. The eyes also seem to dilate when one looks at objects in the distance. And they constrict when one looks at objects that are close. The dilated eyes also find information more intriguing/beautiful because the mind is in observation mode. Unconsciously, the dilation causes the frontal lobe to be more active.
As I read more, I realize the eyes can say a lot about what we’re looking at. The environment controls the body’s actions and thoughts. And what we’re exposed to, at the photon level, affects our human consciousness. There have been studies that show that a person is more conscious under blue light. And the power of colors can have a profound effect on a person. But at any given moment, our unconsciousness knows everything but our consciousness is not aware. At what point does the realization occur that some things are more important?
I know Sherlock Holmes can observe really really well. That means, at any given moment, his consciousness is always on point. He can also rely on his unconscious to a large extent. He is very aware of what he sees unconsciously. Every dilation that occurs is also engraved into his consciousness. Or he has access to more synapses that cross-wires his brain. He can recall and visualize at an extraordinary level because he can locate what his unconscious is doing. I suppose he’s a super conscious being with a crazy working memory.
But that doesn’t explain why observation is not the same for different people. Can one train to become better at observation, like training the working memory? I guess the obvious answer is yes, but what actually happens that causes the brain to focus on specific cues. Is it all related to childhood? So what we’re exposed to as a child and what we pay attention as we grow up is highly correlated. My questions arise because I want to understand how can we allow the consciousness to observe without conscious effort. One thing about Sherlock Holmes is that he is always alert. But being alert takes a lot of toll on the conscious mind. And human beings have a natural tendency to form habits as a result of wanting to decrease the conscious mental load.
Perspective
Studying how people observe can be a very effective method for understanding how we react to different shapes and forms. Because I want to study organic architecture, I want to understand how a person starts caring for his/her environment. A lot of what we see is imbedded already in our mind. The new environment that is created will impact the individual based on their perception and observation of the whole environment. If all environments start to look the same, then the mind stops caring for it. Working with lights, materials, and different forms will affect how individuals react to a certain spaces. However, habituation does always take control eventually. And space can become dull. So maybe directing movement to make people observe specific forms can change their perception of the environment.
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