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EEG shows brain can simultaneous encode two speech streams

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Re: EEG shows brain can simultaneous encode two speech streams

#81

Post by mrngld »

subhro wrote: post #5

As a pilot and a radio officer, I have always been able to process and service 2 audio streams simultaneously. So not surprised with this finding.

I've always been impressed by the controllers in centers and TRACONs. They can have multiple frequencies they're monitoring in each ear, and no matter how polite we try to be we (pilots) have no way of knowing if we're stepping on a call on another frequency. They just have to deal with it. Not to mention communication amongst themselves to some extent as they hand people off, though I haven't been in a tower for a very long time, that may be automated/digital now.

And it's not like pilot/controller conversations are about weekend BBQ plans. It's as information dense as possible without sounding like a METAR report.

Re: EEG shows brain can simultaneous encode two speech streams

#82

Post by reformd »

aatd86 wrote: post #73
gala8y wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I meditated a lot, I was able to sit in a cafe and listen to 3 conversations without switching and be able to understand them and remember them all. It happened to me few times. Also, once, sleeping in a tent, a voice from a dream interfered with sound of raindrops and became distorted and I woke up scared only to quickly get what just happened.

Not sure why you are downvoted. Well it probably doesnt require meditation because split attention is somewhat common here. My mother can follow multiple discussions like have a phone conversation and understand what I tell her. In general I can't. So a bit harder for me. I can focus on work and follow some podcasts but not speak and at the same time listen to a full parallel convo. I do believe brain to brain commun…

likely related to how trained and some untrained dogs sense what you are up to consciously or not (yet).

brains smell/decode info that we don't have an actual odor (but receptors) for.

it's also why (some) pets and animals react to their human's mood/attitude and short-, mid-, long-term stress (and other) hormone levels.

some people get their energy drained by persons that they are not even aware of being in proximity (e.g. dad got home after work while child is wearing headphones). it can become a matter of good or bad resilience, too, and some brains can develop defence mechanisms by mere exposure while others can't, which is likely (definitely) entangled in/with hormone metabolisms.

Re: EEG shows brain can simultaneous encode two speech streams

#83

Post by hoppp »

NalNezumi wrote: post #70

Related, but this reminds me of the story by Richard Feynman [1] when he practices counting up to 60 seconds in his head, and after many experiments around what he can do simultaneously conclude that he can simultaneously count and read but not speak. Later sharing this to John Tukey, he's told that Tukey can't read while counting but could speak while counting. Turns out Tukey is visualizing looking at a tape, while…

I can also count while reading, I just tried it. But I can't write while counting.

I can have one interpretation and one generative task running at the same time.

Re: EEG shows brain can simultaneous encode two speech streams

#84

Post by kortex »

Gehinnn wrote: post #41
lokimedes wrote: post #24

Many mindfulness practices seem to direct attention at two place at once, to quiet the inner voice. Perhaps this relates to more than just speech, but to attention itself. George Gurdjieff's "The Fourth Way" deals with self remembering, and his pupil, P. D. Ouspensky, has a very vivid description in [1] of how focusing on two things at once leads to a changed state of consciousness, that seems like meditation, and co…

I believe this is why fugues are such a pleasure to listen to!

One of the first ways I learned to meditate/access different states of mind was a technique described as "overload trance" (IIRC). The premise was, listen to a piece of music, focusing on one musical component, then while keeping that focus, add another element, and another, etc.

It works best with pieces with a lot of ostinato (repetition/vamp) and Bach's Little Fugue in G minor was and is one of my favorites. Really fun to play too, though i get tripped up as soon as the feet get involved. Also, Utopia by Astral Projection (that whole album Trust in Trance 3 is great for this).

Bonus points to mentally visualizing something in time with the music (I like orbs whirling around like atomic orbitals). You can really tie up much of your mental processing this way and I find it much easier than traditional zen meditation, trying to bring focus back to eg. breathing.

Little fugue: https://youtu.be/ddbxFi3-UO4

Trust in trance 3 playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mHhgZDphEanJgP6zSz...

Re: EEG shows brain can simultaneous encode two speech streams

#85

Post by davidmurdoch »

adverbly wrote: post #77

I wonder if parallel processing is related to musical training or ability. I've always been jealous of people who can play the drums and sing or play piano with both hands and a foot while singing.

I can do the music part just fine. But listening to two conversations at the same time just means I understand neither of them.

Re: EEG shows brain can simultaneous encode two speech streams

#86

Post by JoBrad »

mrngld wrote: post #81
subhro wrote: post #5

As a pilot and a radio officer, I have always been able to process and service 2 audio streams simultaneously. So not surprised with this finding.

I've always been impressed by the controllers in centers and TRACONs. They can have multiple frequencies they're monitoring in each ear, and no matter how polite we try to be we (pilots) have no way of knowing if we're stepping on a call on another frequency. They just have to deal with it. Not to mention communication amongst themselves to some extent as they hand people off, though I haven't been in a tower for a v…

The drive through window staffers at restaurants do this, and it’s crazy. They will tell me my order and total, accept payment, and send me to the next window, all while listening to the next person tell them their order.

Re: EEG shows brain can simultaneous encode two speech streams

#88

Post by BetterThanSober »

hoppp wrote: post #83
NalNezumi wrote: post #70

Related, but this reminds me of the story by Richard Feynman [1] when he practices counting up to 60 seconds in his head, and after many experiments around what he can do simultaneously conclude that he can simultaneously count and read but not speak. Later sharing this to John Tukey, he's told that Tukey can't read while counting but could speak while counting. Turns out Tukey is visualizing looking at a tape, while…

I can also count while reading, I just tried it. But I can't write while counting. I can have one interpretation and one generative task running at the same time.

I can count while reading and it's fairly easy

The sentence below will be written when I'm counting to 60

Let me try counting while writing, it's hard with tons of mistakes and typo (like switching count with write), it's also demonstrably slower with this whole sentence taking more that 60 count. Verbalizing the count is way harder and I need frequent stops to gather my thoughts

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