Description

Our brains are hardwired to make sense of what we see, hear, smell, touch and taste, and fill in missing pieces with whatever our expectations suggest should be there. This helps us understand sentences even when the letters are out of place. But while brains are amazing at processing the world around us, how much should you actually trust your own brain? Enough to multitask by chatting on your cell phone while taking a drive? Think spotting a dancing, life-size penguin sounds easy? Or how about riding a bike with your eyes closed, or picking the right person out of a line-up after witnessing a crime? Test Your Brain sizes up the human brain with an intricate series of interactive experiments to see how easily the brain can be fooled. Using some 12 watts of power, the brain is responsible for every fleeting thought, split-second decision and complex judgment. And it has a few tricks of its own – and some ways to cut corners – when piecing together how we see the world. This three-part special will leave viewers rethinking how much faith they are willing to put in everything from memory to multi-tasking.Episode 1: Pay AttentionDesigned to test your memory, the first episode presents viewers with a mock-up crime scene. In a New York park, a man is mugged in broad daylight. Test your Brain: You Won’t Believe Your Eyes But can you describe the robbery seconds later? And will your description be the same as that of the person next to you? Discover how details often go missing, forcing the brain to ‘make up’ memories. So what you believe to be true could actually be alarmingly false.Episode 2: PerceptionYou may not realise it, but our brains are being fooled all of the time – especially by Hollywood filmmakers. Experimental neuroscientist Beau Lotto guides you through the mind-bending world of optical illusions, showing you how our brains ‘fill in’ crucial information, enabling people to ‘feel’ with their eyes and ‘see’ with their ears.Episode 3: MemoryIf you witnessed a crime, could you be sure you recognised the perpetrator? Our memories are surprisingly vulnerable, and our recollection of names, numbers and details can often be incorrect at the most crucial of moments. Former detective Greg Walsh reveals how what you believe to be true can often be alarmingly false.