Monday Morning Musings (From Western Telegraph)

Monday Morning Musings

4:45pm Monday 9th November 2009

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“This computer just doesn’t understand me!’ exclaimed the youngest daughter sometime very early, this dark Monday morning.

“ I googled (new world verb) ‘Chihuahua images’ but it didn’t give me what I wanted.” (and yes she had spelled it correctly!) Still half asleep I asked her what exactly it was that she was after.

“Cartoon drawings to colour in”

Of course!

‘I’ll change the filter, the internet settings…later’ mumbled her dad, also just as rudely roused from the depths of sleep.

A little later, on checking email I received a jubilant message from the eldest daughter, who, having successfully completed a university assignment on the subject of personal psychological and social influences on human behaviour, was hoping I could cast a critical eye before she submitted an electronic copy…at 2:30 this morning!

Having subjected her work to the on-line ‘anti-plagiarism’ filter facility, she was feeling confident that she had written a good paper, but was looking for that second opinion!

These two instances got me to thinking how we all have a ‘filter’ of sorts; and how this often contributes to misunderstanding, confusion and frustration in communications.

Just as software filters can determine what information the individual may access; setting the boundaries for knowledge so to speak, so our personality filters the information we receive from the world about ourselves, others and situations.

Our attitudes, beliefs and life experiences to date, largely determine our understanding of, and response to, all situations that we encounter. Our memories act as some sort of measure or yardstick of understanding; and our feelings and thoughts largely determine our chosen behaviour in response to a given scenario.

And this filter is subject to numerous updates. The greater and wider our life experience, then the more expansive our inner database, from which we can access information to make a decision or exercise a choice.

The word ‘filter’ suggests that there will always be some superfluous-ness in life and indeed some psychological theories choose to see the functioning of the brain as a self- organising system based on principles of economy, meaning essentially that we select and retain information on a ‘need- to- know basis’.

Just like any search engine, when we wish to retrieve a specific piece of information we use a filter like process to retrieve the required fact, name or number from our complex memory system.

And all before breakfast!