3 ways the brain creates meaning | Tom Wujec

翻译人员: Halei Liu 校对人员: Jenny Yang

Last year at TED we aimed to try to clarify

去年在TED我们试图用一个名为大视野的项目

the overwhelming complexity

来清晰地地展示

and richness that we experience at the conference

我们在TED大会上感受到

in a project called Big Viz.

及其复杂和丰富的信息

And the Big Viz is a collection of 650 sketches

大视野是由650张草图所组成

that were made by two visual artists.

这都是由两位视觉艺术家所做的。

David Sibbet from The Grove,

The Grove的大卫司比特，

and Kevin Richards, from Autodesk,

和Autodesk的凯文理查兹

made 650 sketches that strive to capture

他们所做的650张草图都致力于抓住

the essence of each presenter's ideas.

每个演讲者思维的奥义。

And the consensus was: it really worked.

而且共识是，这成功了。

These sketches brought to life the key ideas,

这些草图让这些关键的思维有了生命，

the portraits, the magic moments

这些肖像，这些神奇时刻

that we all experienced last year.

都是我们去年所经历过的。

This year we were thinking, "Why does it work?"

今年我们则在思考，"这为什么会成功？"

What is it about animation,

究竟是动画，

graphics, illustrations, that create meaning?

平面图像，插图的哪些东西创造了含义？

And this is an important question to ask and answer

不仅提出这个问题是十分重要的，同时回答也是十分重要的。

because the more we understand how the brain creates meaning,

因为我们越是了解大脑怎样创造含义，

the better we can communicate,

我们就可以更好的沟通。

and, I also think, the better we can think and collaborate together.

同时我也认为，这让我们可以更好的在一起思考和合作。

So this year we're going to visualize how

所以今年我们来看看

the brain visualizes.

大脑怎样去视觉化.

Cognitive psychologists now tell us that the brain

当代的认知心理学家告诉我们，大脑

doesn't actually see the world as it is,

看到的并不是世界本来的样貌，

but instead, creates a series of mental models

而是创造了一系列的心智模式

through a collection of "Ah-ha moments,"

这些模式是通过一系列的 "开窍时刻，"

or moments of discovery, through various processes.

或是在各种探索过程中获取的瞬间发现

The processing, of course, begins with the eyes.

这个过程，很显然，是从眼睛开始发生的。

Light enters, hits the back of the retina, and is circulated,

光线深入，刺激视网膜的后部，然后被分发，

most of which is streamed to the very back of the brain,

大部分是分流到大脑的最后一部分，

at the primary visual cortex.

那就是初级视觉皮层。

And primary visual cortex sees just simple geometry,

不过初级视觉皮层感知的是简单的几何型，

just the simplest of shapes.

只是一些简单的几何形状。

But it also acts like a kind of relay station

但是它同时也像一个中转站一样

that re-radiates and redirects information

把信息散布和转到

to many other parts of the brain.

大脑的不同部位，

As many as 30 other parts that selectively make more sense,

多达30个其他的区域选择性的创造意义

create more meaning through the kind of "Ah-ha" experiences.

通过一些"开窍"经验创造更多意义。

We're only going to talk about three of them.

我们只会讨论其中的三个。

So the first one is called the ventral stream.

第一个叫做腹面流。

It's on this side of the brain.

这是在大脑的这一边。

And this is the part of the brain that will recognize what something is.

大脑的这个区域将会识别这是什么东西。

It's the "what" detector.

这是一个"这是什么物体"的探测器。

Look at a hand. Look at a remote control. Chair. Book.

看看手，看看一个遥控器。椅子。书本。

So that's the part of the brain that is activated

所以大脑的这个区域将会被激活

when you give a word to something.

当你用一个词去描述一个东西的时候。

A second part of the brain is called the dorsal stream.

大脑的第二个部分叫做背流。

And what it does is locates the object

它的功能在实体物理空间里

in physical body space.

给对象定位。

So if you look around the stage here

所以如果你看看这个讲台的周围

you'll create a kind of mental map of the stage.

你会创造一种讲台的心理地图。

And if you closed your eyes you'd be able to mentally navigate it.

而且如果你闭上眼睛，你还可以继续在大脑内通过这个地图导航。

You'd be activating the dorsal stream if you did that.

如果你这样做的化，你就会激活这个背流。

The third part that I'd like to talk about

我将要谈到的第三个部分是关于

is the limbic system.

边缘系统。

And this is deep inside of the brain. It's very old, evolutionarily.

这个是在大脑的最深处。它十份古老，就进化而言。

And it's the part that feels.

它是创造感知的那个部位。

It's the kind of gut center, where you see an image

这就像一个器官中心，当你看到一个图片

and you go, "Oh! I have a strong

然后你觉得，"哦！我正在看的东西

or emotional reaction to whatever I'm seeing."

给我一个强烈的反映。"

So the combination of these processing centers

这样结合这些处理中心

help us make meaning in very different ways.

就可以帮助我们用不同的方法去创造含义。

So what can we learn about this? How can we apply this insight?

那么我们可以从中学到什么呢？我们如何运用这些我们所观察到的东西呢？

Well, again, the schematic view

我们再来图解一下：

is that the eye visually interrogates what we look at.

眼睛会询问我们所看到了什么。

The brain processes this in parallel, the figments of information

大脑则平行的处理这些虚构的信息，

asking a whole bunch of questions

同时问到很多问题

to create a unified mental model.

用来创造一个统一的心智模型。

So, for example, when you look at this image

这样，打个比方，当你看到这个图像

a good graphic invites the eye to dart around,

一个好的平面图像会邀请眼睛在这四周停留，

to selectively create a visual logic.

选择性的去创造一个视觉逻辑。

So the act of engaging, and looking at the image creates the meaning.

这种参与行为，注视图象的过程产生意义

It's the selective logic.

是一个选择性的逻辑。

Now we've augmented this and spatialized this information.

现在我们已经讨论过了和分类了这个信息。

Many of you may remember the magic wall that we built

你们中的许多人也许记得我们建造的魔术墙壁

in conjunction with Perceptive Pixel

那是运用了感知像素的

where we quite literally create an infinite wall.

那里我们实际上创造了一堵无限的墙。

And so we can compare and contrast the big ideas.

这样一来我们就可以比较和对比一些庞大的思维。

So the act of engaging and creating interactive imagery

那是用行为和创造互动的影像

enriches meaning.

来丰富含义。

It activates a different part of the brain.

这个激活了大脑的不同部分。

And then the limbic system

然后是边缘系统

is activated when we see motion, when we see color,

被激活，当我们看到动态，当我们看到颜色的时候，

and there are primary shapes and pattern detectors

然后这个初级形状和图案探测器

that we've heard about before.

就是我们之前听过的那个。

So the point of this is what?

那么这其中的意义是？

We make meaning by seeing,

我们通过看见的来创造含义，

by an act of visual interrogation.

通过一个视觉的审问。

The lessons for us are three-fold.

这给我们的启发是3方面的。

First, use images to clarify what we're trying to communicate.

第一，用图像来澄清我们所要交流的。

Secondly make those images interactive

第二，让这些图像是互动的

so that we engage much more fully.

所以我们会尽可能的投入自己的行为。

And the third is to augment memory

第三点是增强记忆

by creating a visual persistence.

通过创造一个持续性的视觉。

These are techniques that can be used to be --

这些都是可以被运用在 --

that can be applied in a wide range of problem solving.

这些技术可以被广泛运用在 解决各种领域的很多问题上 。

So the low-tech version looks like this.

所以低端的版本看起来是这样的。

And, by the way, this is the way in which

还有，顺便说一句 ，这就是我们怎么样

we develop and formulate

用Autodesk开发和

strategy within Autodesk,

制定计划的。

in some of our organizations and some of our divisions.

在我们一部分的机构和部门里，

What we literally do is have the teams

我们其实就是把所有的组员

draw out the entire strategic plan

集合在一堵巨大的墙前

on one giant wall.

来制定工作策略和计划。

And it's very powerful because everyone gets to see everything else.

这十分有用，因为每个人都可以看到每一个部分。

There's always a room, always a place

这里总有地方，总有一个地方

to be able to make sense of all of the components

可以让计划方针里的组件

in the strategic plan.

产生意义。

This is a time-lapse view of it.

这是一个快进的小电影。

You can ask the question, "Who's the boss?"

你可能问到，"谁是老板？"

You'll be able to figure that out. (Laughter)

你会找出来的。

So the act of collectively and collaboratively

那么集体分工合作的行为

building the image

建立起了图像

transforms the collaboration.

近而转化成合作。

No Powerpoint is used in two days.

在这两天里没有用到Powerpoint。

But instead the entire team

但是整个小组

creates a shared mental model

创造了一个分享的心智模型

that they can all agree on and move forward on.

这个模型都被他们认可而且可以近一步的发展。

And this can be enhanced and augmented with

这个过程可以通过采用新兴点子技术

some emerging digital technology.

而得到增强和补充。

And this is our great unveiling for today.

今天我们就要进行盛大的揭幕仪式。

And this is an emerging set of technologies

这个是一个新兴技术，

that use large-screen displays

使用大荧屏，

with intelligent calculation in the background

在后台拥有智能计算功能，

to make the invisible visible.

使不可见的内容视觉化。

Here what we can do is look at sustainability, quite literally.

这里我们可以非常直接地看到连续性。

So a team can actually look at

所以一个小组实际上可以看着

all the key components that heat the structure

组成结构的所有关键部分

and make choices and then see the end result

然后做出决定，再然后看到最后的结果

that is visualized on this screen.

这整个都被屏幕所视觉化了。

So making images meaningful has three components.

所以赋予图像含义有三个部件。

The first again, is making ideas clear by visualizing them.

第一个， 是通过视觉化他们来把想法解释的更清楚。

Secondly, making them interactive.

第二个，让他们具有互动成分。

And then thirdly, making them persistent.

然后第三个，让他们具有持久性。

And I believe that these three principles

而且我相信这3个原则

can be applied to solving some of the very tough problems

可以被运用到解决一些十分困难的问题上面，

that we face in the world today. Thanks so much.

一些世界上我们现在面对的问题上。十分感谢。

(Applause)

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