3 ways the brain creates meaning | Tom Wujec

譯者: Pauline YW Lin 審譯者: Adrienne Lin

Last year at TED we aimed to try to clarify

去年在TED 我們主要試著去釐清

the overwhelming complexity

在研討會中我們所獲得的

and richness that we experience at the conference

那麼龐雜,豐富的資訊

in a project called Big Viz.

這個計畫就叫做Big Viz

And the Big Viz is a collection of 650 sketches

而Big Viz 收集了650件草圖

that were made by two visual artists.

這些全是由二位藝術家所完成

David Sibbet from The Grove,

The Grove的大衛西貝特

and Kevin Richards, from Autodesk,

以及Autodesk的凱文理查

made 650 sketches that strive to capture

所完成的650件草圖，設法掌握到

the essence of each presenter's ideas.

每位演講者想法的本質

And the consensus was: it really worked.

而大家一致認為，真的成功了

These sketches brought to life the key ideas,

這些草圖生動地呈現出關鍵的想法

the portraits, the magic moments

我們去年所接觸到的人物

that we all experienced last year.

以及我們所渡過的動人的時刻

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

今年我們則在思考: 這為什麼會成功？

What is it about animation,

究竟是動畫

graphics, illustrations, that create meaning?

圖像?還是插畫?創造了意義?

And this is an important question to ask and answer

這會是一個重要的問題要回答的

because the more we understand how the brain creates meaning,

因為我們愈了解大腦是如何創造意義的

the better we can communicate,

我們就愈能有效溝通

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

而我也認為, 也就愈能思考與合作得更好

So this year we're going to visualize how

因此今年我們要看看

the brain visualizes.

大腦如何呈現視覺

Cognitive psychologists now tell us that the brain

認知心理學家告訴我們

doesn't actually see the world as it is,

大腦並不是真的看見這個世界的樣子

but instead, creates a series of mental models

而是創造一連串的心智模式

through a collection of "Ah-ha moments,"

透過許多頓悟、發現的瞬間所組成

or moments of discovery, through various processes.

或透過各式各樣的過程

The processing, of course, begins with the eyes.

這些過程，當然是從眼睛開始的

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

光線進到視網膜後面，然後被傳遞

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

大部分會進到大腦的最後面

at the primary visual cortex.

進到主要視覺皮質區

And primary visual cortex sees just simple geometry,

而主要視覺皮質只會看見簡單的幾何圖形

just the simplest of shapes.

屬於最簡單的形狀

But it also acts like a kind of relay station

但它也像是個轉運站在運作

that re-radiates and redirects information

重新發射和重新定向訊號

to many other parts of the brain.

到大腦的其他部分

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

大腦的其他三十幾個部分則選擇性地產生更多知覺

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

透過頓悟的經驗創造出意義

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

我們現在只要談其中的三個

So the first one is called the ventral stream.

首先是腹側流

It's on this side of the brain.

它位在大腦的側邊

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

是大腦辨識東西的部位

It's the "what" detector.

它是一個"這是什麼"偵測器

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

看一下手，看一看遙控器、椅子、書

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

所以這是大腦活躍的部分

when you give a word to something.

能說出物體的正確名稱

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

大腦的第二個部份叫做背側流

And what it does is locates the object

而它主要幫物體定位

in physical body space.

在實體空間中

So if you look around the stage here

所以當你看看舞台四周

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

你就會創造一個舞台的心智地圖

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

如果閉上眼睛，你也能夠用心智走動

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

這是你正在活用你的背側流

The third part that I'd like to talk about

第三個我想要講的部分

is the limbic system.

是邊緣系統

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

位於大腦的深層部位，在進化上它是非常古老的

And it's the part that feels.

屬於感覺的部分

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

它算是一種直覺中心，你看見了影像

and you go, "Oh! I have a strong

會覺得: 喔! 對於這個東西

or emotional reaction to whatever I'm seeing."

我有種強烈、情緒性的感受

So the combination of these processing centers

所以結合這些程序中心

help us make meaning in very different ways.

幫助我們用不同方式產生意義

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

所以我們從這學到什麼? 可以怎麼用這些洞察?

Well, again, the schematic view

再一次的，用草圖表示

is that the eye visually interrogates what we look at.

眼睛會問我們在看什麼

The brain processes this in parallel, the figments of information

大腦則同步處理這些虛構的訊息

asking a whole bunch of questions

藉由提出一連串的問題

to create a unified mental model.

創造出統一的心智模式

So, for example, when you look at this image

舉個例子，當你看著這個影像

a good graphic invites the eye to dart around,

一個好圖會讓你的眼睛停留在四周

to selectively create a visual logic.

而選擇性地創造了視覺邏輯

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

所以透過行動及影像觀看創造了意義

It's the selective logic.

這是選擇性邏輯

Now we've augmented this and spatialized this information.

現在我們已經詳細說明這個資訊

Many of you may remember the magic wall that we built

你們很多人應該還記得我們所建造的神奇之牆

in conjunction with Perceptive Pixel

連結了感知像素

where we quite literally create an infinite wall.

這我們確實是創造了一個無限之牆

And so we can compare and contrast the big ideas.

因此我們可以比較並對照這個大想法

So the act of engaging and creating interactive imagery

透過參與行動與建立交互影像

enriches meaning.

能夠豐富意義

It activates a different part of the brain.

它讓大腦的不同部位活躍起來

And then the limbic system

邊緣系統的活躍

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

在我們看見動作、看見顏色的時候

and there are primary shapes and pattern detectors

那裡有主要形狀及圖樣的偵測器

that we've heard about before.

這我們其實已經知道的

So the point of this is what?

所以到底重點是什麼?

We make meaning by seeing,

我們透過視覺診斷

by an act of visual interrogation.

來製造意義

The lessons for us are three-fold.

這堂課對我們有三個面向

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

首先，用影像來釐清我們設法要傳達的東西

Secondly make those images interactive

第二，讓這些影像有互動

so that we engage much more fully.

因此我們能夠更投入

And the third is to augment memory

第三，藉由讓視覺持續

by creating a visual persistence.

來強化記憶

These are techniques that can be used to be --

這些技術可以用來

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

應用在廣泛的問題解決

So the low-tech version looks like this.

而低階的版本看起來就像這樣

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

另外，這就是我們Autodesk

we develop and formulate

用來發展與規劃

strategy within Autodesk,

的策略

in some of our organizations and some of our divisions.

在我們的一些組織和部門

What we literally do is have the teams

我們真正做的只是讓團隊

draw out the entire strategic plan

在一個巨大的牆上

on one giant wall.

畫出整個策略計畫

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

這相當的強而有力，因為每個人都能看到別人的

There's always a room, always a place

那兒總是會有空間、總有位子

to be able to make sense of all of the components

能夠讓所有的組件在這個策略計畫中

in the strategic plan.

都產生意義

This is a time-lapse view of it.

這是一個時間快轉的景像

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

你可以提出這樣的問題: 到底誰是老闆？

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

而你將可以看得出來

So the act of collectively and collaboratively

所以共同合作的行動

building the image

建立起影像

transforms the collaboration.

進而形成協同運作

No Powerpoint is used in two days.

這二天，沒有使用簡報軟體

But instead the entire team

取而代之的是，整個團隊

creates a shared mental model

創造了共享的心智模式

that they can all agree on and move forward on.

他們所有人都能認同及前進

And this can be enhanced and augmented with

這能夠強化、擴大

some emerging digital technology.

一些發展中的數位科技

And this is our great unveiling for today.

這就是今天的揭示

And this is an emerging set of technologies

這是一個新興的科技組合

that use large-screen displays

使用大型螢幕展示

with intelligent calculation in the background

並有智慧型電腦在背後

to make the invisible visible.

讓看不見的東西視覺化

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

這裡我們能做的是持續看著

So a team can actually look at

一個團隊能夠真正看到

all the key components that heat the structure

所有的組成結構的關鍵

and make choices and then see the end result

並做出決定，在這個螢幕上

that is visualized on this screen.

看見最後成果

So making images meaningful has three components.

讓影像產生意義有三個部分

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

第一，藉由視覺化讓想法清楚呈現

Secondly, making them interactive.

第二，讓它們互動

And then thirdly, making them persistent.

第三，讓他們持續

And I believe that these three principles

我相信這三個原則

can be applied to solving some of the very tough problems

能夠應用在解決我們所面對的

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

艱難問題上。謝謝大家

(Applause)

(掌聲)