You know how babies explore everything with their mouths?
Well, we forget how sensitive our mouths really are. There's a lot that can be identified with the numerous and sensitive cells of the tongue. Like, for instance, Star Wars action figures.
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The second video of the kid determining the starwars miniatures from being put in her mouth was amazing. Not only could she tell who the figurine was, but also what movie it was out of! Amazing how powerful our mouths can be to perceiving something... I wonder how long she had to spend developing and practicing this talent. :)
ReplyDelete~Rachael Standley (HD TR 10-12)
Love the star wars video - hilarious! What I want to know is, at what point do we stop exploring things in our mouths and why? Of course I know most parents often discourage their kids from doing so because it's "yucky" and a lot of things have germs. So if it werent for that social learning aspect, how long would children naturally explore things with their mouths? I would almost guess that people may well do it well into adulthood, but then I wonder about the time before we even knew of the existence of germs and bacteria. Were people exploring things with their mouths more then? For some reason I'm guessing not. But what makes us stop? Interesting topic. I'd love more insight on it.
ReplyDeletePSU ID: 978802269
Trinh,
ReplyDeleteThat is pretty amazing that the kid can guest the character from just tasting. I wonder how long does he/or she have to train for this challenge?
I find the use of taste and our tongues to be such an interesting mode of perception. It is amazing how much you can tell about a person based on their use of this sense. Throughout my life I have always been easy to please in terms of food. As a kid the only things I didn't like were seafood and tofu. Now, it's hard for me to not love whatever is set in front of me. My brother on the other hand, is extremely picky. Although he is already 18, his diet of mostly just cheese, bread and pasta has not really changed since he started eating solid food! As a result, his sensitive taste buds have become an issue within our family throughout his life. There were countless power struggles that went on between him and my parents at the dinner table each week for as long as I can remember. What is it about the chemistry in our brains or the taste buds on our tongues that makes my brother's perception of food so different from my own? Clearly a great deal of our shared genes weren't programmed to develop our senses in the same way.
ReplyDeleteMiriam A. 987330843
(HD Tues/Thurs 10-12)
Well… I can see the baby trying to explore the world around her. What it’s interesting is to see how determined she is about putting that specific yellow toy in her mouth were as she has all the other toys that are closer to her face that she can “explore”.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Star Wars video I’m stunned. Amazing talent this girl has developed. She has definitely gone beyond in her senses to be able to guess right with her taste, mouth, tongue or whatever she uses.
PSU ID 952977658
i think thats a perfect example of how young children figure out the world through their senses and their mouths. i have worked many years with early childhood & its great when you are in an environment that allows children to learn & explore the way that they need to. unfortunately, in group settings, youre constantly telling kids to take things out of their mouths because of safety & the fear of spreading germs to other kids. & some kids have that sensory need longer then others while some kids stop needing to put stuff in their mouths at around 3yrs old. it is just nice to be in a setting where you can foster the individual and not limit them from their learning style. even if it means putting everything in their mouth. i had 1 kid whose sensory need was so intense that at almost 4 yrs old, he was still licking glue and eating other sensory stuff like paper mache, play dough...things that most kids lose interest in eating because it does not taste good.
ReplyDeletestudent id 912 68 4531
i love star wars, and that second video was really amazing! it shows that all our senses are important and how incredible the human body really is. On a side note, why does this guy look like Willy Wonka. haha
ReplyDeleteGotta love German television! At first I thought this was about a taste perception, but really all she's doing is feeling the textual differences. I don't think she's particularly skilled, just more repetition and practice. I find the food taste tests on shows like Top Chef to be a better reflection of the power of taste perception. Being able to distinguish different flavors from one another and know what goes well with what and how the flavors will combine is quite amazing. I know that the taste perception decreases over time but I wonder with practice, like Top Chef, if you can maintain it longer.
ReplyDeleteI also think it's important to note that even in taste tests you can't separate taste from texture. You also integrate smell. My husband broke his nose when he was younger and it has impacted his taste perception. Plus, he doesn't smell too good either (haha).
ID: 912490555
ReplyDeleteI found this very, very interesting. Even to the point where I almost wanted to try it myself. I've grown close to a number of people with varying disabilities, which has given them a greater ability to interact with their surroundings using senses one typically wouldn't use. I watched the video, and to understand the complexity of what she is doing is phenominal. You have to be able to identify items you have seen, and realize the scale of them compared to typical objects to visualize them, then combine all of the individual items and draw a conclusion.
I've grown very fond to tasting craft beers over the last year or so, and in doing so, breaking down all of the individual flavors that you taste and identifying them. It is the same with many other things such as identifying a particular texture like in this video. It really is cool to see what the human body is capable of.
The tongue is truly a powerful instrument. Not only can it be used for taste and speech, it can also be used as a tool of perception. Due to its ability to flex and fold, you get a more accurate impression of the figure than even by fingertips. It seems like this would take a lot of practice, but it makes sense since the tongue is very sensitive and malleable.
ReplyDeleteWhen the baby put the toy in the mouth, I can think of the taste of rubber or plastic and this would also be true of the kid with the star war figures. But these demonstrated experiences are more for the feel and texture of the object. The tongue is wonderful to determine what we like. My host Dad likes the feel and taste of marshmellow PEEPs but I find them disgusting. The kid with the star wars figures was amazing. I wonder how much practice they had to get good enough to feel 4 out of 5 figures correct?" Also, I cannot roll my tongue into a tube but most I know can. Does that make my tongue less sensitive?
ReplyDeleteHuan Wang PSU ID: 970488849
(HD Tues/Thurs 10-12)
The video of the infant is definitely typical of many children I have babysat. Kids just can't seem to keep things out of their mouth. As infants this is a mode of discovery and understanding the world around them. I also think sucking on things is a form of comfort. A baby is comforted by sucking on a pacifier or when they suck on a bottle and receive milk. This may be related to how people chew on or suck things later on in life, like pen caps and sweatshirt strings.
ReplyDeleteThe star wars video was pretty impressive. It just goes to show how we often don't utilize all our abilities or senses to their fullest capacity, when we can just rely on a multitude of our senses to solve problems.
PSU ID: 924437642
The second video is so fascinating. I am baffled by this kid's ability. I wonder how they can do that. This makes me think of super tasters who have a really well developed sense of taste. This kid is a super feeler. It is amazing what the body and mind are capable of if a person uses them to their full potential.
ReplyDeleteJanetta Tarley
PSU ID: 936451411