Fred Astair's mirrors

From Bruce Nevin (971010.2121)

Rick Marken (971010.1000)--

Fred Nickols (971008.0223 ET)--

Why would you label the appearance I present to others as a "side
effect" of what I was doing?

Because you can't really control it because you can't perceive it.
What you can perceive is the way people react to you. When Fred
Astaire danced he controlled his own perceptions of movement,
sequence, event, program, etc _from his own point of view_. He had
a damn good idea of the kind of side effects his control of his own
perceptions would have; he knew (could imagine accurately) what he
looked like to others but he couldn't perceive (and control) the way
he appeared to others _while he was dancing_; but he could see the
film clips so he _could_ control what he looked like in those clips.
And, as we all know, he produced one hell of an amazing set of
side effects;-)

Dancers and actors work with mirrors a lot--a *lot*. I suspect, but I don't
know, that more than one aspiring soldier has privately practiced saluting
in front of a mirror. That's a good source of memory of what it feels like
to look a certain way.

... They
are perceiving a side-effect of your efforts to control
your _own_ perceptions of tension in your wrist, angle of your
arm, etc.

Isn't it likely that these are means for controlling a higher-level
perception of body configuration for a proper salute--meaning, what it feels
like to look right if one were in front of a mirror, or when others give the
desired response? Think of saluting in storm conditions, while being
jostled, from a rocking boat, while weightless in orbit, and under all the
other unpredictable disturbances that perceptions are heir to.

Response of others must be part, of course, but it seems like at a higher
level than these low-level perceptions there's a body-image awareness that
gets developed pretty early. I may not be so precise at drawing circles or
writing messages while blindfolded or in the dark, but I think I'm about as
good blind as sighted at effecting familiar body configurations -- say,
raising my arm to 90 degrees, 45 degrees, 30 degrees.

You can't control your appearance to others, but you can control what it
feels like to appear that way, to the extent that kinesthetic memory can be
a guide.

        Bruce

[From Bruce Gregory (971010.2205 EDT)]

Bruce Nevin (971010.2121)

You can't control your appearance to others, but you can control what it
feels like to appear that way, to the extent that kinesthetic memory can

be

a guide.

You can control what it feels like to hold yourself in some way. But you
can't control your appearance to anyone but yourself.

n'th Best

[From Rick Marken (971010.1930)]

Bruce Nevin (971010.2121) --

You can't control your appearance to others, but you can control
what it feels like to appear that way, to the extent that
kinesthetic memory can be a guide.

Yes!!

Bruce Gregory (971010.2205 EDT)

You can control what it feels like to hold yourself in some way.
But you can't control your appearance to anyone but yourself.

Yes!!

Now that you have both been reinforced I expect to see many
repetitions of these responses whenever I say "Fred Astair":wink:

Behavioristically

Ginger

ยทยทยท

----
Richard S. Marken Phone or Fax: 310 474-0313
Life Learning Associates e-mail: rmarken@earthlink.net
http://home.earthlink.net/~rmarken/