tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21605329.post1517643644955787401..comments2024-03-14T23:52:09.893-07:00Comments on The Neurocritic: Brain Responses to Virtual Reality-Induced Hallucinations in SchizophreniaThe Neurocritichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08010555869208208621noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21605329.post-80595043983839703892012-07-29T15:43:20.955-07:002012-07-29T15:43:20.955-07:00I actually work in Psychosis research, and even I ...I actually work in Psychosis research, and even I found that video extremely disturbing! <br />The crude graphics add to it in a way, like how the shoddy stop-motion graphics in Jason and the Argonauts are far scarier than anything computer generated today.<br /><br />Could I be shameless and send you a post from my blog about consciousness? It's unrelated I know, but I wanted to send something academic-ish that I had written to someone I respect (I hear that's a done thing).<br /><br />http://nonsubmersibleunits.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/conscientiousness.html<br /><br />ThanksRaphhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01655077201770541044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21605329.post-14354405994893577682012-07-29T15:38:39.872-07:002012-07-29T15:38:39.872-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Raphhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01655077201770541044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21605329.post-29826371272544575322012-07-16T01:46:34.901-07:002012-07-16T01:46:34.901-07:00What is the difference between a hallucination and...What is the difference between a hallucination and a dream?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21605329.post-12838477215389364572012-07-15T22:18:28.721-07:002012-07-15T22:18:28.721-07:00I used to work for a company that developed digita...I used to work for a company that developed digital audio encoding and decoding equipment. The goal was always to find inventive ways of generating rich audio via minimal signal input. In the early days if surround sound something they discovered was that the ability to recognize the direction from which a sound is coming is a learned skill. Sounds sound different depending upon how they bounce off the structures of the ear before reaching the ear drums. So a sound coming from behind a person actually sounds somewhat different as a consequence of it bouncing toward the ear drums, than sound coming from other directions. And humans learn to recognize those differences at an early age.<br /><br />The audio company I worked for studied the qualities of sounds that reached the ear drums from various directions and developed ways of reproducing those qualities. Eventually they were able to mixed sounds that mimicked “from behind” characteristic with sounds as we are accustomed to hear them coming from in front of us. The result was “virtual surround sound” which came out of two speakers in front of the listener but sounded like it included sounds coming from other directions.<br /><br />Let’s imagine that physical vibrations have been translated to signals within the brain, and interpretation has begun. At that point habits of expectation tell us that people across the room in front of us are talking quietly and someone behind us is shouting. But how do we know those sounds were ever physical vibrations? What if they were always signals…perhaps a sort of recording…interjected into the audio interpreting areas of the brain by… “By” may or may not be an appropriate word, since it suggests a willful entity taking action. “Via” is simpler, and might work equally well, or as an alternative. Signals interjected into the audio interpreting areas of the brain via a loop that includes areas of the brain that manage speech. If established early in life such a loop might acquire sufficient structural integrity to permit significant signal strength. And from the beginning those signals would probably sound different from the sound of one’s own voice.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09453384042258317292noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21605329.post-23298986047570882872012-07-15T03:57:54.738-07:002012-07-15T03:57:54.738-07:00The Second Life thing is pretty disturbing, mainly...The Second Life thing is pretty disturbing, mainly because of the voices though. The graphics are just too crude to be believable.Neuroskeptichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06647064768789308157noreply@blogger.com