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The Power of Assumptions

A few weeks ago I was in some leadership classes at work that were taught by an PhD Industrial Psychologist. It was very interesting and I learned a lot. He was very knowledgeable about what is going on inside the brain during different actions and thought processes. One example was that the act of throwing a ball to someone on the move (i.e. playing catch) uses the same pathways in your brain that all delayed gratification decisions do. You are holding the ball while visualizing where the ball and person will meet at a point in the future. This is why it is very important to play arch with your kids. It trains their brains to use these pathways and help them develop the skills necessary to delay gratification.

How does this relate to audio? Another thing he takes about was the power of assumptions. When we believe/assume that something is true the way our brain reacts to it chemically and electrically is identical rather it is in fact true or not. The secondary effect that happens is that we then become supremely aware of every little thing that supports our assumption and we blindly ignor anything contradictory. He said that this is why it is so difficult to get someone to change their opinion of you. His point was that we needed to be aware of this involuntary response and be willing to ask ourselves if there was any other way to look at a given situation.

It made me think about how this directly relates to audio. What we assume can actually have a stronger impact our experience than the objective facts. For example, if I assume that solid state amplifiers are inferior it will be extremely difficult for me to have a positive experience with one because my brain will be working overtime to find a way to support my assumption. It might take hearing a solid state amplifier while believing it to be a tube amplifier to force my to be objective and at least consider that a solid state amplifier might sound great.
mceljo

Showing 6 responses by nonoise

nonoise's avatar
nonoise
11,180 posts
 
Not only are your ears involved, but so is your wallet. Pride of ownership goes a long way to blinding one to the obvious: that your choice wasn't the best.

Add to that, the unwillingness to spend more to get more, albeit incrementally.

Some of these debates here are like trying to justify to your parents the hows and whys of your spending habits. :-)

All the best,
Nonoise
nonoise's avatar
nonoise
11,180 posts
 
All of this reminds me of going to audio shows and expecting something ground breaking and revelatory, based on reviews that honed and whetted my expectations, only to be disappointed and realize that what I have at home is perfectly adequate, if not downright great at times.

I had a good laugh a long time ago when some reviewer said it would be best to just cut out a picture of what you want and tape it to your wall as you listen to your system. You can always update when a "better" product is reviewed by the old cut and tape routine and never be in debt.

What we imagine to be is what we tend to go by and sometimes the strength of that belief can border on religion. I've noticed this more and more on the political and economic landscape and find it disheartening, so why not audio?
Pick any topic and you'll see more acrimonious discussion than usual nowadays. It's getting to be the norm.

All the best,
Nonoise
nonoise's avatar
nonoise
11,180 posts
 
Dragon1952, thanks for your observations. I've stated in past forums as well concerning the onus of making a correct choice under pressure compared to what one experiences in the comfort of their own living room. When we are relaxed, we tend to make a more informed decision and are better able to extrapolate.

All the best,
Nonoise
nonoise's avatar
nonoise
11,180 posts
 
That brings up the play/movie "12 Angry Men". Only, Fonda's character was right all along. :-)

Mceljo, did your instructor bring up the role of semantics in detecting B.S. (deliberate or not) as it occurs instead of going back and sifting through the carnage of the argument to find the crucible of it all?

Or, is it conventional wisdom to assume that both sides have a point (another semantic error) and that it doesn't matter how poorly they present it?

I only ask as some points are so obviously in error but the meme of the moment is that all sides have a point and are valid and nothing is settled matter. Those types of assumptions only help to derail any hope of forward momentum or resolution.

All the best,
Nonoise
nonoise's avatar
nonoise
11,180 posts
 
It used to be that the power of shame was enough. It was done in public, be it at meetings, forums and at the table. Fringe elements were just that: on the fringe. They usually had to go to the fringe radio stations and listen to someone blathering about Area 51 from some trailer in the desert.

Nowadays, we have the internet and all the kooks you can shake a stick at. Their beliefs are reinforced on a level not seen before. All of this helps to reinforce this cognitive dissonance that only drives the kooks deeper into their illusions. Facts mean nothing. Gut feelings and emotions rule the day. It was not like this when I grew up.

All the best,
Nonoise
nonoise's avatar
nonoise
11,180 posts
 
How many times have rooms at audio shows been the focus of blame when the reviews touted otherwise?

It's now conventional wisdom to blame the room but I seriously doubt that most of the rooms that fared poorly at audio shows had otherwise great equipment in them. We all want to believe things despite evidence to the contrary.

Granted, one piece of equipment can make or break the chain as I've heard the best digital ever from MSB a few years ago to only wonder what the hell happened the year after. It was partnered with different speakers.

Great gear combined with great gear will usually guarantee great results but one component can't do it on it's own despite the rave reviews. That highly touted component thus becomes the placebo. Quite the turn of events, eh?

All the best,
Nonoise
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