Aleksandr R. Luria « brainfuels.com

Do we subconsciously know the time?

Neuroscience FAQ, Q&A — Tags: Aleksandr R. Luria, autism-related, perception, subconscious — 11:17 am

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Question

Do we subconsciously know the time? Some people reported experiences which may show evidence to that.
Also, I heard that some people with mental disorders such as autism can tell time without a clock.

This may be due to brain mutations causing some of the subconscious to be “elevated”, if you will, into the *conscious* mind.

Also, some people can wake up without an alarm clock, which also supports this theory in my view.

Is any of my information correct? Do you agree with any of my ideas?

Please explain this in more depth. Thanks.

Answer

Hello,

You asked at least two questions and I’ll answer what I know about time perception in autistic people (not so easy to find on the Net) and suggest you some reading for the working with subconscious.

1. Time perception

There’s anecdotal evidence of the increased attention drive in people with autism. It can explain some of the (also anecdotal) evidence regarding their unusual memory, computation, decision making or image recognition abilities. However, not all autistics are created equal; because of that, researchers talk about Autistic Spectrum Disorders. Some people with ADS have IQs high enough and are communicative enough to perform in psychometric tests, but some are not and we know little about this group’s abilities.

As to the time perception, researchers talk about different parameters. For example, Drs Wallace and Happe at Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London, London, UK (Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders 2, 2008, 447–455), studied three of them (quote):

a) Time estimation: Using a stopwatch, the experimenter says ‘‘Go’’ and ‘‘Stop’’ after the passage of a pre-designated time period (e.g., 45 s) and subsequently asks the participant to estimate how much time has passed.

b) Time production: The participant is asked to say ‘‘Go’’ and ‘‘Stop’’ when s/he thinks a designated amount of time (e.g., 12 s) has passed.

c) Time reproduction: The experimenter says ‘‘Go’’ and ‘‘Stop’’ after a pre-designated time passage, and then requests the participant to copy this time passage by saying ‘‘Go’’ and ‘‘Stop’’. (unquote).

Perception of shorter periods of time has been investigated previously (Br J Psychology, 95, 2004 269–282). This study showed that people with ASD are somewhat deficient in reproducing intervals of of 2–3 seconds.

2. Subconscious <-> conscious

It’s a huge theme! There are tons of stunning information about phenomena concerning the two-way exchange, some of which is considered normal, some not. The basis for difficulties of this exchange in normal conditions is similar (I think) to the process of forgetting. Is forgetting bad? In many cases, yes, but normally, it is absolutely necessary for brain’s functioning.

The cases of inability to forget are descried (for example, the brilliant book by Alexander Luria “The Mind of a Mnemonist: A Little Book about a Vast Memory”). The mind of such people seems to be quite different and their lives are not easy. Looks like people are better off when they respect the normal barrier between these two ways of our mind’s operation. Remember “Be Careful What You Pray for … You just Might Get It”?

However, some of practical psychotechniques can be helpful. I tried the Silva method (The Silva Mind Control Method ) and found it rational. I am aware of the subliminal methods, BTW, extremely successful in the advertising industry.

Books by Alexander Luria in English

Methodology,Theories — Tags: Aleksandr R. Luria, brain damage, introversive activity, memory, personality — 6:52 am

A.R. Luria was one of the most significant psychological researchers and theorists of the 20th century. He is considered to have founded the field of neuropsychology, and he had a great influence on and was influenced by the work of Lev Vygotsky, whose cultural theory of child development is now very much in vogue.

Luria’s books on Amazon


	The Working Brain: An Introduction To Neuropsychology
	The Mind of a Mnemonist: A Little Book about a Vast Memory
	The Man with a Shattered World: The History of a Brain Wound
	The Nature of Human Conflicts
	The Neuropsychology of Memory

The resting brain is not silent

Intrinsic brain activity,Theories — Tags: Aleksandr R. Luria, brain damage, introversive activity, memory, personality — 9:27 am

Turns out that the same way it influences behavior. Even as simple task as pressing the button is influenced by the internal (intrinsic), which influence is such strong that 74% of fluctuations in the button pressing task attributable to the intrinsic, “introversive” brain activity. This makes us so different and so authentic, this preserves our personalities.

In the book The Man with a Shattered World: The History of a Brain Wound.,” the Soviet psychologist Aleksandr R. Luria (1902-77) describes the life of a young soldier who suffers a catastrophic head injury and profound loss of both short-term and long-term memory, forgot who he was and what were the things around him. Listening to a phrase, he would forget the beginning of it. His image recognition ability was limited to almost nothing. He could, however, recognize a word he “meant” inside himself in the flow of otherwise senseless sounds from the radio and his motor memory for writing was somewhat operative.

So he sat in front of his radio waiting for the only word he needed at the moment to write it down as quickly as possible before it slips out of his memory. What happened after 20 years of this work, was a book — and thank to this book we now know that in the “shuttered world” the brain keeps working, the intact personality inside is reaching out, inventing ways to communicate with the Big World out there. In 1973 one reviewer called the book an intriguing and ‘valuable review of the strange but precise working of the brain.’ Shall we add “precise and intrinsic” working of the brain?

Is the brain just a vessel, which is empty until the outside world fills it with reflections of its elements? What’s going on inside the calm brain of a quiet person? The current view is that it fluctuates in an organized manner even in in the absence of stimulation. When the brain is being tested, this organized activity interacts with the evoked activity. Turns out that the same way it influences behavior. Even as simple task as pressing the button is influenced by the internal (intrinsic), which influence is such strong that 74% of fluctuations in the button pressing task attributable to the intrinsic, “introversive” brain activity. This makes us so different and so authentic, this preserves our personalities. (more…)

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