From: J.P.Wann@RDG.AC.UK Subject: Re: TECH: VR with alternative physics/perception Date: Mon, 22 Apr 1996 10:56:21 +0100 Message-ID: tim@iss.nus.sg (Tim Poston) wrote: >Get further from common experience, and you're asking >the brain to rewire itself -- which it can. >Recent work shows that in some people blind from birth, >reading Braille, the primary visual cortex is active. >The spatial analysis wetware is accepting input >from a path it doesn't come by in most sighted folk. > This kind of comment is rather dangerous and liable to fuel myths about what is neurally plausible. Yes there is evidence for neural-plasticity in both the perceptual and motor (action) systems, in most cases, however, the labile potential appears to be extremely constrained. Saying "recent work shows.." is not helpful - Who's work? Using what techniques? What about the studies which haven't shown this type of adaption?. Synthesia (cross-modal perception) has been reported in the work of Baron-Cohen et al (PERCEPTION, 1993,22 p.419-426) but this is a extremely small population and doesn't argue that we all have this potential. I think the bottom line on perception is: If *you* don't get it it in the real world, you won't suddenly pick it up in VR. JW ********************************************************* Dr John P. Wann or < J.P.Wann@rdg.ac.uk> ********************************************************** Edinburgh Virtual Environment Lab. - Now sited at: (Wann, Mon-Williams) (Rushton, Hawkes) Department of Psychology AND Department of Psychology University of Reading University of Edinburgh PO Box 238 7 George Square Reading RG6 6AL Edinburgh EH8 9JZ +44 1734 318532 +44 131 650 3426 Fx +44 1734 316604 +44 131 650 3461 ***********************************************************