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Thursday 14 June 2012

how are we fooled?

From Con artists to "Mediums" to magicians (like me!) no matter if we are being told we are about to be fooled or conned full stop,from a baby to a genius we can all be fooled but how? there are varies reasons but lets look at one for know.

ASSUMPTION
Assumption is a large key to how we are fooled,so how can we define assumption?
Well we have three types of memory,which are Sensory Memory,Short Term Memory and Long Term Memory but for this Post we will concentrate on Sensory and Long Term.

Sensory Memory is the shortest out of the three,it is the gathering of the sense's taste,sight,touch and hearing,it flows into the "sensory store" and is then distributed to different regions of the Brian.a sensory memory or icon only lasts a split second unless we think its significant it becomes a Long Term Memory.


As sensory memory is instant,if we take an orange for example. All are Sensory Memory would see is a round,certain light refracted colour,mass. it would have to go to are Long Term Memory. to remind us that that particular light refraction is orange,you may then also get the smell while simultaneously remember the first time you tasted it.also we assume if we let go of it of course it will drop because of gravity, so by knowing this,we know a principle of how we  are fooled.


Because are brain has to process the mass of information that is life, we make assumptions,for example, you see me wearing glasses or rather your Sensory Memory See's a mass which then go's to your Long Term Memory and you see glasses. you would be filled with memory's of glasses (perhaps more personal experiences and most definitely more memory's if you actually need them) it wouldn't occur to you that they had no lenses and that i was wearing them to fool you.


and this is a big but in my opinion an overlooked principle to why we are fooled. from assuming the magician is using the "same" pack of cards, believing you did follow the lady and can win big to assuming the Medium didn't do any background research into the place where she/he is talking to the ghost about "the house's  past" and of course we make more assumptions or in essence deny if we "want to believe it" and if you do not think that is true.then why, when we were children did we believe, no matter the lack of evidence, in magic?


REFERENCES
DOMINIC O'BRIEN
JAMES RANDI












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