How the Mind Translates What You Experience

How the Mind Translates What You Experience 🔗 **Source:** [How the Mind Translates What You Experience](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNoGATO4rkw) > [!note]+ Document Notes > tags: [cognitive-science, perception, mental-models] > author: The Art of Explanation > source: YouTube > reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNoGATO4rkw > date created: 2024-12-19 16:45 > > # 🏷️ Title: How the Mind Translates What You Experience >  ## 🧰 Action Inbox - [H1] Study sensory perception patterns — understanding human cognitive limits #cognition - [H2] Practice perspective-taking — recognize others' sensory bubbles #communication - [H3] Design explanations around shared processing patterns — improve teaching effectiveness #education ## 🧭 Table of Contents - [📝 Summary](#-summary) - [📖 Main Content](#-main-content) - [🗒️ Notes](#️-notes) - [📚 References](#-references) - [🗣️ Paraphrase](#️-paraphrase) - [📰 Newsletter](#-newsletter) - [✅ Action Items](#-action-items) - [🧪 Hypotheses](#-hypotheses) - [📊 Methodology](#-methodology) - [❓ Questions](#-questions) - [🔮 Future Research](#-future-research) - [💡 Implications](#-implications) - [🧠 Learning Styles Assessment](#-learning-styles-assessment) - [📊 Accessibility Assessment](#-accessibility-assessment) - [🌍 DEIB Assessment](#-deib-assessment) - [✅ Logical Validity](#-logical-validity) - [🛡️ DARVO Analysis](#-darvo-analysis) - [🎯 Conclusion](#-conclusion) ### 🔗 References - [Ed Yong - An Immense World](https://www.amazon.com/Immense-World-Animal-Senses-Reveal/dp/0593133234) - [The Art of Explanation Channel](https://www.youtube.com/@TheArtofExplanation) ## 📝 Summary - Human perception creates a limited "sensory bubble" that filters reality through biological constraints - Our experience is shaped twice: first by what our senses can detect, then by how our minds interpret that information - Understanding shared cognitive processing patterns can help us create better explanations that work within these limitations - The key insight is recognizing that everyone operates within their own unique sensory bubble - Bottom line: Effective communication requires understanding the predictable ways human minds process information ## 📖 Main Content The video explores how human perception works as an interface between the external world and our conscious experience. Drawing from Ed Yong's "An Immense World," it explains that every animal, including humans, lives within a unique "sensory bubble" that only captures a fraction of reality's fullness. This bubble represents our biological limitations - we cannot perceive ultraviolet light, magnetic fields, or many frequencies that other animals can detect. But the filtering doesn't stop there. Once information enters through our senses, it's further interpreted through individual biology, experience, and cognitive style. The result is that what we experience as "reality" is actually our brain's functional model - useful but still an interpretation. This creates challenges for explanation and communication since we cannot directly access others' sensory bubbles or understand how they organize information. The solution lies in recognizing the predictable patterns all human minds use to process information, allowing us to design explanations that work within these shared cognitive constraints. ## 🗒️ Notes #### ⏱️ [00:00](https://youtu.be/YNoGATO4rkw?t=0) — Reality seems singular but is actually filtered - Key idea: We take our version of reality for granted because it's all we've ever known - Evidence: "It's easy to take reality for granted...seems like the only possible version" #### ⏱️ [00:15](https://youtu.be/YNoGATO4rkw?t=15) — Senses work as translation interfaces - Key idea: Our senses translate the outside world into something our minds can use - Evidence: "Our senses work like an interface that translates the outside world" #### ⏱️ [00:25](https://youtu.be/YNoGATO4rkw?t=25) — Interface is functional but incomplete - Key idea: Our sensory interface creates useful versions of reality, not exact copies - Evidence: "The interface works, but doesn't give us a complete or exact copy" #### ⏱️ [00:35](https://youtu.be/YNoGATO4rkw?t=35) — Ed Yong's sensory bubble concept - Key idea: Every animal perceives only a tiny fraction of reality's fullness - Evidence: "Each is enclosed within its own unique sensory bubble perceiving but a tiny sliver" #### ⏱️ [01:00](https://youtu.be/YNoGATO4rkw?t=60) — Humans have biological sensory limits - Key idea: We're constrained by our biology like all other animals - Evidence: "Each of us lives inside a sensory bubble shaped by our biology" #### ⏱️ [01:10](https://youtu.be/YNoGATO4rkw?t=70) — Examples of undetectable phenomena - Key idea: Much of reality exists beyond our sensory capabilities - Evidence: "ultraviolet light, magnetic fields and frequencies we can't hear" #### ⏱️ [01:20](https://youtu.be/YNoGATO4rkw?t=80) — Bubble represents access limits - Key idea: The bubble metaphor shows what our brains can access from the outside world - Evidence: "The bubble represents the limit of what our brains can access" #### ⏱️ [01:30](https://youtu.be/YNoGATO4rkw?t=90) — Information gets interpreted inside bubble - Key idea: Sensory information doesn't arrive unchanged - it's processed through individual filters - Evidence: "It's interpreted through a unique mix of biology experience and cognitive style" #### ⏱️ [01:45](https://youtu.be/YNoGATO4rkw?t=105) — Double filtering of reality - Key idea: Reality is shaped by both sensory limits and mental interpretation - Evidence: "Reality is shaped twice first by what enters...then how our mind interprets it" #### ⏱️ [02:00](https://youtu.be/YNoGATO4rkw?t=120) — Certainty vs. brain models - Key idea: What feels like certain knowledge is actually our brain's functional model - Evidence: "When we feel certain...we are experiencing our brain's model of reality" #### ⏱️ [02:15](https://youtu.be/YNoGATO4rkw?t=135) — Challenge of explanation - Key idea: We can't access others' sensory bubbles to understand their perspective - Evidence: "We can't see inside someone else's bubble" #### ⏱️ [02:25](https://youtu.be/YNoGATO4rkw?t=145) — Unknown individual processing - Key idea: We don't know what others notice, miss, or how they organize information - Evidence: "We don't know what they notice, what they miss, or how their mind organizes" #### ⏱️ [02:35](https://youtu.be/YNoGATO4rkw?t=155) — Shared cognitive patterns as solution - Key idea: Understanding universal processing patterns helps create better explanations - Evidence: "New information enters the bubble, it's processed in predictable ways that we all share" #### ⏱️ [02:50](https://youtu.be/YNoGATO4rkw?t=170) — Crafting explanations for understanding - Key idea: Knowledge of cognitive patterns enables explanations designed for comprehension - Evidence: "We can craft explanations that don't just enter the bubble, but have a better chance of being understood" ## 📚 References - [Ed Yong - An Immense World](https://www.amazon.com/Immense-World-Animal-Senses-Reveal/dp/0593133234) - [The Art of Explanation YouTube Channel](https://www.youtube.com/@TheArtofExplanation) - [Cognitive Science Research on Perception](https://www.nature.com/subjects/cognitive-neuroscience) ## 🗣️ Paraphrase - Our perception creates a personal reality bubble limited by biological constraints and individual interpretation - What we experience as certain reality is actually our brain's useful but incomplete model of the world - Effective explanation requires understanding the predictable ways all human minds process information within these constraints ## 📰 Newsletter **Understanding Your Users' Reality Bubble** Ever wonder why your carefully crafted explanations sometimes miss the mark? This fascinating video reveals that we all live inside unique "sensory bubbles" - experiencing only a fraction of reality, filtered through our biology and personal interpretation. For WordPress developers and educators, this insight is game-changing. When you're explaining complex concepts or designing user experiences, remember that your users' reality might be fundamentally different from yours. They might miss visual cues you consider obvious, or interpret your interface through completely different mental models. The key? Focus on the predictable patterns all human minds share when processing information. Design your explanations and interfaces to work within these universal cognitive constraints, not just your own perspective. **Practical Application:** Test your tutorials and documentation with people from different backgrounds. What seems clear in your bubble might be invisible in theirs. Resources: [Learn WordPress](https://learn.wordpress.org/), [Developer Docs](https://developer.wordpress.org/), [WP-CLI](https://wp-cli.org/) ## ✅ Action Items #### DevRel - Education: Design workshops around shared cognitive patterns rather than assumed knowledge - Developer experience: Create documentation that acknowledges different mental models - Developer marketing: Test messaging across diverse sensory bubbles and processing styles - Community management: Recognize that feedback reflects individual reality bubbles #### OSPO - Developer Support: Provide training on cognitive diversity in technical communication - Community Engagement: Design contribution guidelines that work across different processing styles - Strategic Alignment: Include cognitive accessibility in documentation KPIs #### Community - Contributors: Create onboarding that acknowledges different ways people process information - Maintainers: Develop communication templates based on shared cognitive patterns - Ecosystem: Foster cross-project coordination that accounts for diverse perspectives #### WordPress - Core: Design interfaces that work within common cognitive processing patterns - Training: Develop lesson plans that acknowledge learners' unique sensory bubbles - Documentation: Create multiple explanatory paths for different processing styles - Design: Conduct UX research across diverse cognitive styles and sensory processing - Accessibility: Expand beyond physical accessibility to include cognitive diversity - Support: Train support teams on recognizing different mental models in user questions #### The WPCC - Programs: Design fellowships that account for diverse learning and processing styles - Projects: Include cognitive diversity in documentation and governance clinics #### FAIR - Policies: Ensure transparency policies work across different cognitive processing styles - Governance artifacts: Create charters that acknowledge diverse ways people interpret information ## 🧪 Hypotheses - People with similar professional backgrounds share more predictable cognitive processing patterns - Explanations designed around universal cognitive patterns achieve higher comprehension rates - Visual-heavy documentation excludes users whose sensory bubbles prioritize other modalities - Community conflicts often stem from people operating within different reality bubbles ### 📊 Methodology - A/B test documentation using universal cognitive patterns vs. assumption-based explanations - Survey users about their sensory preferences and correlation with support ticket patterns - Ethnographic study of how different users interpret the same WordPress interface elements ### ❓ Questions - Which cognitive processing patterns are truly universal vs. culturally specific? - How can we design interfaces that work across the widest range of sensory bubbles? - What are the most common reality bubble mismatches in technical communication? ### 🔮 Future Research - Mapping WordPress user sensory bubbles and cognitive processing preferences - Developing cognitive accessibility guidelines for open source projects - Creating adaptive documentation that responds to different processing styles ### 💡 Implications - Practice: Must test explanations across diverse cognitive styles, not just technical accuracy - Policy: Accessibility guidelines should include cognitive and sensory processing diversity - Education: Training materials need multiple pathways for different mental models - Funding: Budget for cognitive diversity research and inclusive design practices ### 🧠 Learning Styles Assessment Reading level estimate: 8th-9th grade #### 👀 Visual learners - Present: Clear bubble metaphor, interface analogies - Improve: Diagrams showing sensory filtering process, visual examples of different reality bubbles #### 🔊 Aural learners - Present: Audio explanation available via video - Improve: Podcast version with extended examples and discussions #### 🗣️ Verbal learners - Present: Clear definitions of "sensory bubble," analogies to familiar concepts - Improve: More examples comparing different animals' sensory capabilities #### 🧩 Kinesthetic learners - Present: Step-by-step thinking process about perception - Improve: Interactive exercises to experience sensory limitations #### 🧠 Logical learners - Present: Clear cause-and-effect relationship between biology and perception - Improve: Decision trees for choosing explanation strategies #### 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Social learners - Present: Implications for understanding others' perspectives - Improve: Group exercises comparing different sensory bubbles #### 🧘‍♀️ Solitary learners - Present: Self-reflection prompts about personal reality bubble - Improve: Personal assessment tools for identifying processing patterns #### 🌿 Naturalistic learners - Present: Animal kingdom examples of different sensory capabilities - Improve: More ecosystem analogies for information processing ### 📊 Accessibility Assessment #### Screen reader semantics - Present: Clear video narration, logical information flow - Improve: Detailed alt text for any visual metaphors #### Keyboard navigation - Present: Standard YouTube controls accessible - Improve: Transcript with proper heading structure #### Contrast and readability - Present: High contrast video with clear narration - Improve: Accompanying text version with proper contrast ratios #### Text resizing and reflow - Present: YouTube's responsive video player - Improve: Standalone text version that reflows properly #### Media and captions - Present: Audio narration available - Improve: Professional captions and downloadable transcript #### Forms and interactions - Present: Standard video controls - Improve: Interactive elements for testing concepts ### 🌍 DEIB Assessment #### Cultural breadth - Present: Universal human cognitive patterns discussed - Improve: Examples from diverse cultural contexts and sensory processing norms #### Inclusive language - Present: Accessible scientific terminology with explanations - Improve: Avoid assumptions about "normal" sensory processing #### Neurodiversity support - Present: Acknowledges different ways minds organize information - Improve: Explicit discussion of neurodivergent sensory processing differences #### Representation - Present: Universal human experience focus - Improve: Examples representing diverse sensory processing styles #### Psychological safety - Present: Non-judgmental framing of different perceptions - Improve: Explicit validation that all sensory bubbles are valid ### ✅ Logical Validity #### Strong reasoning - Deductive strength: Strong - moves from general principle (limited senses) to specific implications (incomplete reality) - Inductive strength: Good - uses animal kingdom examples to support broader claims about perception - Causal reasoning: Clear - establishes biological limits cause perceptual limits cause interpretation differences - Analogical strength: Excellent - bubble metaphor effectively illustrates abstract concepts #### Fallacies - No significant logical fallacies identified - Reasoning follows clear causal chains with appropriate evidence #### Tone of voice - Overall tone: Educational and accessible, uses wonder rather than limitation framing ### 🛡️ DARVO Analysis - Deny: No denial patterns present - Attack: No attack patterns present - Reverse victim/offender: No reversal patterns present - Emotional cues and rhetoric: Positive, curious tone focused on understanding rather than judgment ## 🎯 Conclusion Understanding that everyone lives within their own sensory bubble - limited by biology and shaped by individual interpretation - fundamentally changes how we approach explanation and communication. Rather than assuming others share our reality, we can focus on the predictable patterns all human minds use to process information, creating explanations that have a better chance of being understood across diverse perspectives. For practitioners, this means testing communications across different cognitive styles, designing for cognitive accessibility, and recognizing that what seems obvious within our bubble might be invisible to others. The goal isn't to escape our bubbles, but to craft explanations that work effectively within the universal constraints of human cognition. ## 🧱 Refactor Appendix ### 📚 Literature Split Pad Purpose: Stage CEE units that become Literature notes. Split level: H3 ### [H1] Sensory bubbles limit access to reality > [!quote] [How the Mind Translates What You Experience](https://www.youtube.com/watch? --- ## Full Transcript [00:00] It's easy to take reality for granted what we see, hear, [00:03] smell, taste, and touch. [00:05] Seems like the only possible version [00:07] because it's the only thing we've ever known. [00:10] Like all animals. [00:12] Our experience of reality is based on our senses [00:15] that work like an interface that translates the [00:18] outside world into something our minds can use. [00:21] The interface works, but doesn't give us a complete [00:24] or exact copy of reality. [00:27] Instead, it creates a version that's useful for us. [00:31] In his book, an Immense World, ed Young writes Earth teams [00:36] with sights and textures, sounds and vibrations, smells [00:40] and tastes, electric and magnetic fields, [00:43] but every animal can only tap into a small fraction [00:47] of reality's fullness. [00:49] Each is enclosed within its own unique sensory bubble [00:52] perceiving, but a tiny sliver of an immense world. [00:56] Humans are no different. [00:58] Each of us lives [00:59] inside a sensory bubble shaped by our biology. [01:03] Our senses can detect some things from the real world, [01:06] but not everything outside the bubble is rich [01:10] with things Our senses can never translate ultraviolet, [01:13] light, magnetic fields and frequencies. [01:16] We can't hear what we experience [01:18] as reality is only a fraction of what's actually there. [01:22] The bubble represents the limit of [01:24] what our brains can access from the outside world, [01:28] and the inside of the bubble matters too. [01:30] Once information enters, it doesn't arrive unchanged. [01:34] It's interpreted through a unique mix of biology experience [01:38] and cognitive style. [01:40] So the reality that we experience is shaped twice first by [01:45] what enters the bubble via our senses, [01:47] and then how our mind interprets it. [01:51] When we feel certain that we know something, [01:53] we are experiencing our brain's model of reality. [01:57] It's functional and useful, but still an interpretation. [02:01] This is why explanation is so difficult. [02:04] We can't see inside someone else's bubble. [02:06] We don't know what they notice, what they miss, [02:09] or how their mind organizes information. [02:12] So what can we do? We can study the patterns the human mind [02:16] uses to make sense of reality [02:18] when new information enters the bubble, [02:20] it's processed in predictable ways that we all share. [02:24] By understanding those patterns, we can craft explanations [02:27] that don't just enter the bubble, [02:29] but have a better chance of being understood.