Chapter 1: Recognize That Reality is All in Your Head

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Chapter 1 Recognize That Reality is All in Your
Head

• Dr. M. Davis-Brantley

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Can you read this?

• fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid
  tooCna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100
  can.i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty
  uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal
  pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a
  rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't
  mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are,
  the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and
  lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can
  be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit
  a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos
  not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as
  a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot
  slpeling was ipmorantt!

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We see what we think is there

• We see what we want to see
• Believing is Seeing
• Sensation vs. Perception
• Sensation is the physical process of receiving
  external stimuli which connects with our sensory
  organs
• Perception occurs when our bra in interprets
  these signals and ascribes meaning to them
• Ex Everyone draw me a pie
• Perception vs. Reality or Perception is Reality
• How does our perception formulate our paradigm?

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Paradigms and Frames of Reference

• Paradigm is how you view any event or situation
  in life and is based on your expectations, your
  beliefs, your pre-conceived notions
• Book refers to them as frames of reference which
  is how we organize and understand our world, our
  perceptions, our experiences
• Ex Two figures outside your door wearing
  masks, what do you do?
• How do our paradigms make up your reality?
• Ex If we see the world through yellow or blue
  lenses how do we see the world?
• Fact vs. Opinion

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Objectivism vs. Constructivism

• So what is reality? Two different sides of
  reality
• Objectivism vs. Constructivism
• Objectivism assumes that there is a separate
  reality independent from the observer of that
  reality
• Ex A chair exist in the world regardless of
  whether or not you exist or whether or not you
  see it
• Constructivism assumes that there is no separate
  reality
• Ex The chair exists but can exist differently
  when you are not looking at it
• These individuals value usefulness over truth and
  view truth as relative, constantly changing,
  depending on the frame of reference of the
  observer
• If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there
  to hear it, does the sound still exist?
• Ex Eyewitness of accounts of strangers who
  viewed a crime scene or a car accident typically
  vary considerably.
• Criminals exonerated due to new DNA evidence but
  were convicted on eyewitness testimony
• Memory Distortion is the possibility that you
  memories are not nearly as accurate as you
  assume, and may contain numerous inaccuracies
  and/or omissions

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Eyewitness Account

• United Kingdom does not permit eyewitness account
  in court because of the lack of research
  regarding the validity
• Several factors determine whether the eyewitness
  identification has an independent basis assuring
  its reliability. People v Kachar, 400 Mich 78
  (1977). These factors are
• the witness's prior relationship with the
  accused
• the witness's opportunity to observe the offender
  and the offense
• the length of time between the offense and the
  identification
• the accuracy of the witness's description of the
  offender prior to the identification procedure in
  light of the defendant's actual appearance
• any prior identification or failure to identify
  the defendant
• any identification of a person other than the
  defendant as the culprit prior to the suggestive
  procedure
• the nature of the offense and characteristics of
  the witness
• idiosyncratic features of the defendant.

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Paradigm Shifts

• Paradigm Shift is a change in the overriding
  theoretical framework that governs a scientific
  discipline
• Almost every significant breakthrough in the
  field of science began with a break with
  tradition, a break with old ways of thinking, a
  shift or change from old paradigms
• Ex 2nd century A.D. Ptolemy asserted that the
  earth was the center of the universe (geocentric
  view)
• In the early 1500s scientists began saying
  otherwise (heliocentric view) and these
  individuals were condemned (because it this view
  contradicted with that of the church) until
  Galileo was able to prove it in the 1600s
• Ex Field of medicine was revolutionized by the
  germ theory
• Ex Field of psychology from early accepted
  psychodynamic theory onto todays perspective
• What are some current paradigm shifts?

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Paradigm Shifts in Everyday Life

• The important thing is not to stop
  questioningAlbert Einstein
• Prior to every paradigm shift in the past there
  was significant resistance to the shift
• Galileo was imprisoned and threatened with death
  and asked to recant his ideas before he was
  released
• Does the same thing happen with our own personal
  paradigms? Yes!
• One reason for such resistance is that we
  continue to look to support our frame of
  reference or paradigm (Hypothesis Testing)
• Hypothesis TestingSelective Perception which is
  the tendency to perceive that which we expect to
  be there
• Information outside of our paradigm we tend to
  ignore
• Ex How information is presented to us in the
  media
• Ex The movie the Sixth Sense and holding the
  perspective that the main character is alive
• How does this contribute to your effectiveness as
  an individual? As Einstein said the significant
  problems we face today can not be solved at the
  same level of thinking we were at when we created
  them

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Reframing

• In order to contribute us being better people and
  your personal effectiveness, it is important to
  experience a paradigm shift or reframe
• The way we see the problem is the problem
• Functional Fixedness
• Is it important to build the skills that help you
  to change the way you think?
• Ex From the book the Chinese farmer whose luck
  was viewed as bad but not seen that way by the
  farmer
• Ambiguous Figures help us to see how fixed we are
  on seeing things one way, once you see it a
  certain way it is difficult to shift back

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Optical Illusions
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Elephant Optical Illusion
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Optical Illusion
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Street Illusion
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Eskimo or Face Illusion
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Jazz Player or Ladys Face
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Duck or Rabbit