Page 1 of 1 [ 6 posts ] 

RSMeyer
Emu Egg
Emu Egg

User avatar

Joined: 9 Feb 2014
Gender: Male
Posts: 5
Location: Saint Louis

22 Apr 2018, 5:07 pm

If asked to describe an event either from real life or a film or to explain something that has happened, what goes through your mind while you are doing it? In my brain putting thoughts into words is always a translation process from visual memory and mental impressions. If I am describing an event I have to take myself back and replay the scene in my mind as best I can so that I mentally re-see and "feel" the event. Then while doing that, attempt to construct a verbal description and physically speak it. This is very difficult when you're standing in front of someone. I really can't handle it very well and it always results in speaking delays, confusion and inadvertently leaving out important details. It's extremely stressful. The only way I can do this successfully is if I know I want to later describe an event, I go through the "prepare and construct the words" phase first and say the words to myself so that when it comes time actually speak them, I am more-or-less repeating a script.

Do you do this too? Does this even make sense?

My observation is that the "normal" folks just seem to be able do it without all this word preparation. Or if they go through a similar process it works a whole lot faster for them.



justkillingtime
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 12 Aug 2011
Gender: Female
Posts: 3,956
Location: Washington, D.C.

22 Apr 2018, 5:36 pm

I feel like I am surrounded by a universe of choices that are all equal and I don't know what to choose to translate into words to describe the event. I do very poorly with this and usually do not participate in a description. I don't know what to include and what to omit. I forget a lot. I get the chronology wrong. It is like someone threw photos on a table and I am supposed to sort them out and put them in order.


_________________
Impermanence.


neilson_wheels
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 11 Mar 2013
Age: 54
Gender: Male
Posts: 2,404
Location: London, Capital of the Un-United Kingdom

23 Apr 2018, 8:34 am

It's called 'visual thinking' or 'thinking in pictures' and is common for people with autism and/or dyslexia. It seems to be on a spectrum with those who think solely in pictures and one end and in words only at the other extreme. I think that processing speed is also different for some people and what I experience sounds very similar to what you describe in your post.

Here is a wiki page on the subject:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_thinking



Kiriae
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 30 Mar 2014
Age: 35
Gender: Female
Posts: 2,349
Location: Kraków, Poland

23 Apr 2018, 9:57 am

My brain plays the memory of the event. I can choose to freeze time, make a close up to some detail and such. I will also be able to feel as if I were touching the thing I am recalling/imagining, hear the sounds, feel the temperature etc.

I don't have much trouble when I am talking face to face with someone - I move sort of as if I had virtual reality glasses on and make a lot of gestures while verbally describing what I see. Eye contact is affected but my communication style is expressive and lively enough (I am lucky to have fast processing speed) for most people to know what I mean, except for auditory thinkers (theyjust don't get it and I might even need someone else to translate it to them).
I don't have the "word preparing" phase. Words just come out fluidly as I look at something. Sometimes I will start saying a word and realize I don't remember the word. It confuses me but usually I can buy some time saying "I forgot the word. It's like this and this and this <gestures> and you use it this way <gestures> when you are cooking... oh, I recalled. A ladle. So I took the ladle and...".

But talking through a phone or speaking about something I cannot clearly imagine is a pain.



LaetiBlabla
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 31 Dec 2015
Posts: 981
Location: Earth

23 Apr 2018, 2:57 pm

I can't describe.

So, I summarize.

It makes it all clear, and if one wants to know more, they ask :)



Dear_one
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 2 Feb 2008
Age: 76
Gender: Male
Posts: 5,721
Location: Where the Great Plains meet the Northern Pines

25 Apr 2018, 4:34 am

I think that I begin conceiving of the description as an outline, arranged around the most significant fact. Then I fill in details according to how well they support the theme.