Visualization of the letters of the alphabet as a means of timing exercises designed to strengthen the back.
Many years ago my back was so painful sometimes I had to roll out of bed, I couldn't "get up", I had to "roll up". My doctor recommended a physiotherapist who taught me some exercises to do, and since then I've had very little back trouble.
But. The exercises require you to, for example, "repeat 5 times and hold for a count of 15 at each repetition". And I as I got to do the exercises automatically, my mind would wander and I'd forget how many repeats I'd done and how long I'd been holding the position. The problem was the mixing up of the numbers.
So I solved that problem by counting the exercises with numbers and the "hold for" with letters. So if I had to hold for 10, I'd "count" from a to j. And instead of saying the letters I'd visualize them. Seemed like more fun.
But I found to my surprise that some letters were hard to visualize. The first 6 are a doddle, but for the life of me I could not easily visualize the 7th and 10th. Especially with the 10th (capital) letter of the alphabet I'd stay fixed in position wondering if the lower curve went to the left or the right.
Before you think there must be something wrong with my brain, I think you must admit that recognition is easier than recreation. Close your eyes and visualize one after another the first 10 letters of the alphabet. Don't vocalize. See them in front of you. Are they all clear? Is it just me that is handicapped in this?
- update -
I remembered this post as I was reading Little Wilson and Big God the autobiography of Anthony Burgess (of A Clockwork Orange fame). I have problems visualizing the upper case letter G. This was the paragraph which reminded me of this post:
The big G baffled.
And I sometimes stop halfway through and exercise trying to get upper case J right.
I don’t have a problem with this.
ReplyDeleteHowever, it does remind me of something else.
A few years ago we travelled by (medium sized) boat to Lundy Island in the Bristol Channel.
The boat was moored, bow-in at the dockside. When the time came to return there was a strong wind blowing from the south-west and I found myself trying to work out where we should sit so as to be sheltered from the wind once the boat had turned round. And I was surprised when it wasn’t immediately obvious to me.
I’m fairly sure I used to be good at this kind of exercise (rotating shapes in my imagination) but I don’t think I am quite as good at it now.
Regular testing with the Tetris game would have established whether the deterioration was real.
I don't think it is to do with age. I think it is to do with the fact that we can visualize 6 or even 8 dots, but we cannot see clearly, in out mind's eye, 20 dots for example. That is my story and I am sticking with it.
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