Visual deprivation: Day 5
Jul 30, 2011, 11:31p - Consciousness
[For background, see my first post on the experiment. This is a rough transcript of a dictation made on day 6.]
Today was an interesting day. Very nice weather. I'm still pretty lethargic, I took a 2 and a half hour nap, but so did Becca so I'm not sure if it's due to my experiment.
It was Jude's ... more »
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Visual deprivation: Day 4
Jul 29, 2011, 11:32p - Consciousness
[For background, see my first post on the experiment. This is a rough transcript of a dictation made on day 5.]
It's a beautiful day (referring to day 5). Right now I'm sitting in the sun, without a shirt on. It's quite nice. Boris (my tortoise) has emerged from his little borough. He didn't come out yesterday but he ... more »
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Liz Dzeng
- Aug 6, 2011, 5:43p
Hey Nik! Wow, I'm so impressed that your doing this. It sounds incredibly hard with a huge amount of self discipline required. I could not even last an hour I bet if I tried. I've really enjoyed reading your posts which are so descriptive and introspective. You really should publish these findings in a scientific journal, so few experiments have been done on this. I'm really interested to read about your "unmasking"!
Niniane
- Aug 23, 2011, 1:14a
Are there any more entries??
Visual deprivation: Day 3
Jul 28, 2011, 10:09p - Consciousness
[For background see my first post on this experiment. This is a rough transcript of a dictation made on day 4.]
I sort of just feel like I'm a puddle of mud. I sort of just feel like I would behave if I'm sick, cause I don't really do much and I just lie around all day. So it ... more »
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Yu-li
- Aug 6, 2011, 6:57a
I like your introspective description. You really did something hard. I don't want to try that even though I wonder how it feels like.
About construction of space, I think measure theory can be helpful. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Measure_theory) Even without visual information, it must be possible to construct mental space of things as we have information on spatial order of things. I think what matters is (mental) metric (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metric_%28mathematics%29).
Visual deprivation: Day 2
Jul 27, 2011, 11:13p - Consciousness
[For background see my first post about my blindness experiment. This post is a rough transcript of a dictation on day 3.]
Yesterday I had a little bit of an adventure. I went around the block by myself. It's amazing how much I do not walk in a straight line. With cars going by on the street, it's amazing ... more »
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Kanika
- Aug 5, 2011, 4:40p
I don't know if you did this already - bit about three years ago a movie came out- beautiful movie about the blind- called BLACK by Sanjay leela bansali staring amitabh.... I must watch it!!!
Yu-li
- Aug 5, 2011, 7:41p
Interesting. Your experiment tells that normal sense of distance greatly depends on visual information.It must be specific to visual sense. Physically, other types of information are not very sensitive to distance I think (They are not linear. I mean, the strength of scent depends on both distance and quantity for example). I am sorry that my description is not very accurate.
Good luck!
Niniane
- Aug 5, 2011, 9:05p
This is an awesome story. I like all the details of how you're watching Teen Wolf, etc. It sounds domestic and pleasant.
mom
- Aug 12, 2011, 1:16p
good reading your descriptions and findings son. Yes, the Indian movie 'Black' suggested by Kanika is wonderful and maybe you would be able to appriciate it. Netflix should have it.
sakshi
- Aug 24, 2011, 8:45p
hmmm.. ive been out of the loop !!! just got back in.. another thumbs up for black !!!
Visual deprivation: Day 1
Jul 26, 2011, 11:07p - Consciousness
[All posts in this series have been backdated to the date they occurred. For background info on my visual deprivation experiment, see my first post on the topic. This post is a rough transcript of a dictation I made on day 2.]
I started Monday night (last night) at midnight. Becca taped stretched-out cotton balls over my eyes, couple pieces ... more »
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Nicky
- Aug 5, 2011, 7:57a
Did a desire to rip off the eye mask emerge after a few days? Did it just take longer than food deprivation or isolation? I am on the edge of my seat waiting for the next post!
nikhil
- Aug 5, 2011, 10:07a
Nope, a desire to rip off the eyemask and open my eyes never emerged, certainly nothing like the desire to eat after food deprivation or the desire to breathe after air deprivation.
Howard
- Aug 5, 2011, 10:53a
well, those are interesting comparisons because one could argue that the other two forms of deprivation you use for example are tied to very real needs of survival on a biological level. While food is a little different because given your survival school mean experiment you weren't lacking nutrition just variety and craving. With air deprivation, that's entirely different, no air = no life and your body starts to react involuntarily. so the one easy conclusion is that vision is not tied to survival instincts
nikhil
- Aug 5, 2011, 1:05p
Howard, I completely agree. I also think it's interesting to think about the brain basis for each of these deprivations. Vision is believed to rely mostly on the outer parts of the brain (the cortex), whereas more basic body functions like breathing and perhaps even hunger lie deeper in the brain. Maybe it's these different brain locations that contribute to the different class of feelings that each type of deprivation generates. So maybe inner brain deprivations generate the intrinsic or visceral feeling to stop, while outer brain deprivations don't.
Yu-li
- Aug 5, 2011, 7:28p
Hi, I've waited for your post! Your experiment is so interesting. Some ideas come to my mind.
1) You could feel sleepy because of conditioning. The sense of darkness might be associated with sleepiness.
2) You also could feel tired because of mental resource reallocation. (It's a hypothesis). I mean, in some sense, you had depended on visual feedback in order to control your movement. Now you have to decide your movement without some information, so you need to compensate the loss with other types of information. Your body and brain could have been working very hard subconsciously.
3) I think some portion of emotional stability(?) can be explained by decreased quantity of information. I mean, it might not be specific to visual sense. For example, if you cannot smell, you would feel quite indifferent to food.
That's what I think. Good luck!
Archy
- May 12, 2018, 3:47p
Hello Nikhil.
So I was thinking of doing this experiment, and I looked up if someone else has had this crazy thought and I found you.
So basically I was thinking of experimenting because I am studying how visually impaired people face problems while accessing public transport. I thought I should experience it for myself, how difficult it is to reach a bus stop and get on a bus without seeing. Did you come across any such problems?
I know its pretty late, 7 years late to be precise, but do you remember any barriers you came across, even while just walking.
False start (a paint & hardwood interlude)
Jul 25, 2011, 3:50p - Building Stuff
My visual deprivation got off to a false start. Instead of starting last weekend as planned, Becca and I decided to redo our dining room. We pulled up the carpet, painted over the wood paneling, repainted the trim, installed new pre-finished Maple hardwood floors, and installed new baseboards. We got the wood and paint and everything else from Home Depot. ... more »
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Omar
- Jul 25, 2011, 3:21p
It looks great! Sucks That you won't be able to marvel at it This week
Sachin
- Jul 25, 2011, 4:23p
Looks awesome! Good luck on the visual experiment. Call me if you need something to do. Are you allowed to use the phone, maybe dial by voice commands?
Liz D
- Aug 6, 2011, 2:36p
wow, I love your remodeling job. it looks great!
wiliam
- Oct 13, 2012, 2:35a
wow love all the wood
My visual deprivation experiment
Jul 15, 2011, 11:40a - Consciousness
Starting tomorrow, I'm going to start a visual deprivation experiment on myself. For 1 week, I'm going to tape my eyes shut. I'm not going into the lab, and I'm certainly not going to be on the Interweb or reading email. I'm not sure exactly what I'll be doing - I'm guessing trying not to get hit by a car ... more »
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neha
- Jul 15, 2011, 9:51a
I was going to ask you if you and Becca wanted to hang out soon. Perhaps the week after.
Niniane
- Jul 15, 2011, 8:28p
Ok this is awesome. I want to hear how it is!!!
Yu-li
- Jul 16, 2011, 1:51p
Sounds interesting! I would like to do the same experiment by myself, but I am too lazy...
I think it is better to measure the effect as objective as possible. How about preparing a color chart so that you can compare the visual perception?
Good luck!
Dylan
- Jul 16, 2011, 2:24p
Good for you. I'm very curious to hear your findings after this. My non-informed guess is you will indeed make it a week, but will spend much of your time just sitting and listening to the radio.
Retsina
- Jul 18, 2011, 7:07a
Very cool, Nikhil :)
Mom
- Jul 25, 2011, 2:53p
Nik - You awesome but crazy kid, you must have begun your experiment by now. I know you will not be reading this blog until you restore your vision. You may look like a raccoon with white circles around your eyes...ha ha.Maybe a visit to the Braille institute will help you read faster and not get bored. Becca can convey my words if she is reading your blog to you.
I look forward to discussing your observation with you...Be careful son.
xoxox
igi
- Jul 29, 2015, 3:53a
where is the result of the eperiment!
nikhil
- Jul 29, 2015, 4:01a
The first day is here
http://superfacts.org/archives/2011/07/visual_deprivat.html
Then use the links at the bottom to go day by day through all 7 days, and then my concluding post.
A website for Becca's mom
Jul 13, 2011, 10:42a - Business
Becca's mom, Lindy Loya, has been running her own hand therapy center in Arcadia, California for the past 10 years.
What's hand therapy? When you injure your hand or arm and need to recover your ability to use it, your doctor might send you to an occupational hand therapist (that's what Lindy is). Lindy then develops a customized program ... more »
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From physics to perception
Jul 6, 2011, 10:10p - Consciousness
I think the most interesting aspect of consciousness is the phenomenon of qualia, which is what it feels like to experience something (aka "subjective experience"). When philosophers talk about qualia, the canonical example of a quale is the "redness of red".
Color perception in general amazes me. Specifically, I find it astonishing that my eyes and brain can take a ... more »
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Namit
- Jul 7, 2011, 11:45a
Is it possible that color perception is a learned phenomena? Just as humans acquire language, which in turn alters their sensory intake, can the perception of color also be something that develops early on?
I understand that linguists argue that language acquisition is facilitated by innate structures in our brain, that no doubt have evolved concurrently with our language systems.
I am curious to know what color perception is like in babies or small children. Maybe they can experience a richer, more continuous spectrum of color than us as they have not yet learned the basic terms that both extend and limit our perception.
The precise color resulting from light of arbitrary wavelengths may indeed be the result of shortcuts taken by our brain on the road to perception, like filling in a missing note of a chord. The spectrum is richer than that which our brains have the ability to perceive, and so it makes a close approximation based on what we're used to.
This comment is much more broad than your above experiment, and one that is weighed heavily by speculation. Still curious though.
Yu-li
- Jul 9, 2011, 8:19p
Hmmm. Qualia is a fascinating subject. I've loved to think about the mistery of qualia, but I have never approached it in physical terms like you. I've tried to discribe it more abstractly(mathematically). Reading your blog post, some ideas came to my mind.
1) I don't know whether the red I see is the red you see. However, red will be used in the real life to induce the same action from both of us. (This idea is kind of behavioralist or later-Wittgensteinish.) We generate the similar output to the same input whatever the internal state is. Data would show the similar pattern if we measure responce time to red letters on green background and red letters on pink background. As the same input generates the same(?) output, we can guess that we share the same/similar internal state(qualia). It cannot be directly proven that we have the same internal state for "red", but it can be indirectly supported. (Even though there are outliers(?) like synesthesia. Their color processing circuit might be different from it of ordinary people.)
2) Colar perception in babies or small children might be hard to study, because they cannot talk well. However, there are studies on blinded adults who had cornea transplanted. Since their color perception is not yet polluted(?) and they can describe what they experience, it is a better approach I think.
3) Taking the evolutionist approach, we can think that "The spectrum is richer than that which our brains have the ability to perceive", because it is not efficient use of mental resource for survival and reproduction to perceive the whole spectrum.
That is what I think.
Paul Science Teacher
- Oct 21, 2015, 5:56p
This is a really nice app. I am interested in teaching about color perception as a collorary to thinking about light spectra, using Benham's Illusion as a trigger for the investigation. Specifically, I am interested in exploring if we can find variations in how people perceive the illusion pattern. Thanks!
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