So my brain does a thing that I can only describe as "assuming". Before I recieve information, my brain decides certain info before hand. Then, as I am recieving the information, it will block info that contradicts it's assumption. I typically don't realize my brain is doing it until I recieve different contradicting data, or until I painstakingly go over the data several times to confirm accuracy. Examples: Sometimes when I'm driving and I'm coming up on a light, my brain will assume that the light is either red or green, and start initiating driving protocols for it. Sometimes the light is not what my brain thinks it is. Usually several seconds later, my brain will actual process the light's actual color(despite me staring at said light) and I will switch protocols. (Haven't ran any lights or had any accidents yet, but it kinda freaks me out when it happens) I'm talking to someone. They switch subjects, sometimes even clearly doing so. My brain continues on old subject. They speak words. Words do not make sense in old context. Sometimes I actually only hear gobbley-gook. (I theorize that I actually don't hear words clearly at all, so my brain is literally making up things based on context and the sounds it can actually distinguish) I am reading something. My brain expects either a certain format or topic. It will gloss over info so that I am reading what I expect to read. This results in me misreading things a lot(thus going over data excessively). If the format is different than expected, it will sometimes null the info. I've had this happen a couple times when I ask Seebs something, and I get angry because I feel like my question wasn't answered(which, it was, but my brain won't process it at the time). It's gotten worse since I've been burnt out(like it affecting my driving). But I almost feel like it's my brain lagging behind in a high density information world, and it's trying to skip steps to keep up. Which makes sense with the burn out, since I have an even harder time processing data now.
This is a thing human minds do. Our brains and minds have a whole bunch of kluges and shortcuts and cheats that allow us to function at all. If you read some lit on visual processing, for example, you'll soon find it's amazing the whole thing works at all. If you are burnt out or tired, it is completely normal for the klugy automated systems to take over. It may not be fair to call them klugy--they actually work well in most circumstances.
Yeah, the number one thing I learned in Intro to Cognitive Psychology is that human cognition is a hackjob. Essentially, the brain tends to make tradeoffs in favor of efficiency rather than accuracy. A lot of things are interpreted or recorded in the brain using something like a template with a bunch of content built in: take your personal understanding of a traffic light as the template, add things of interest in the area (where "interest" is something decided by its own hackjob system), react to information. Using templates allows this to happen in fractions of a second, which is good, but sometimes misses the actual detail of the situation, as you're experiencing here. (The use of templates in memory is one reason that different people witnessing the same thing will recall a different series of events--they're "saving" the story in different templates.) High stress situations tend to push the brain toward a more survival-oriented mode, which means it will further prioritize speed. That means more use of templates, which makes inaccuracy more likely. The part of your brain that decides whether you should be favoring efficiency or accuracy right now doesn't understand that there are serious fundamental differences between being afraid you will fail your upcoming exam and being afraid that you will be eaten by a bear, and that the kind of cognition that will save you from an angry bear will not help you to study for or take an exam. That said, that's just an explanation (with heavy gloss and some lies-to-children) rather than anything actionable, so let me give that a try. This is a normal brain process, but when chronic stress or anxiety or other issues are skewing things too far, it can be a serious problem. (Many kinds of brainweird are things your brain does anyway, just gone horribly right.) I couldn't guess if you're within "normal" ranges here. It's likely to improve if you can get to be more relaxed (and I am well aware of how damn hard that can be. (I have to say that it's pretty clever of you to have seen these things as related without knowing anything about how memory works.)
@Aya why thank you! People/brains are interest/hobby of mine. I sadly have very little formal training because talking about the physical brain/jargon/terminology turns my brain to mush(I did take a class, I swear). I just love the patterns and connections. And I appreciate the explanation as well! Question: what do you mean by template? Are you using it in the sense of a whole bunch of simplified/collected data? That is, the brain is saying "dog" instead of throwing the more individualized information(furred, barks, wagging tail, behavior, ect)? Or is it more in a sense of broad conclusions based on small bits of data? Like is furred, wagging tail -> must be dog. While there is more data that could strengthen or contradict that conclusion, the template is used to speed up information gathering process. Or both/neither? #you can brain nerd at me #I might not understand, but I'll love it anyways # C8
