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Deinonychus
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13 Aug 2011, 1:01 pm

Searched for other posts regarding noticing patterns, and only found some more than 3 years old, and only seemed to discuss visual patterns, so I thought I would ask.

I have realized that I have a tendency to get bored or tired of things after a bit, like TV shows, books by the same author, people even. It's as if there is nothing unexpected coming (I know that is not possible, no one can predict things) because what seems to be going on, on the surface, is really expressions of continuing patterns. Examples: I like to read and contribute (in small amounts:)) to forums of different interests, and after a while, it seems that people aren't posting on the thread, but just keep continuing posting their own view, fulfilling their needs, something..... With books, after reading a few by an author, a similar thing happens and it's irritating, like listening to static, because it's just more and more of the same, same stuff.

There were also instances of taking classes in different disciplines, and seeing the patterns emerge, like the same general ideas presented from different angles, and some (like organizational communication and psychology classes) that seem to be based on tenuous or shaky evidence, that the science itself was about a few people finding exactly what they were looking for, or studying groups or situations right in front of them, drawing general conclusions about human behavior, with a complete blindness to the fact that studying a group only tell you how that group acts while you are studying it, and tells us nothing others.

Sorry for babbling, but the question is, do you think the noticing of patterns, the underlying patterns connected to motivation, can be accurate or am I just off on some mental tangent?
Thanks!



animalcrackers
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13 Aug 2011, 1:29 pm

backagain wrote:
Sorry for babbling, but the question is, do you think the noticing of patterns, the underlying patterns connected to motivation, can be accurate or am I just off on some mental tangent?
Thanks!


I don't understand your question, but I think I know what you're talking about in terms of patterns in human behavior and outcomes (as in books, research, etc.) and in systems that reflect that behavior (e.g. research methods, sometimes).

Personally, I find the small differences among big, overarching patterns interesting (and I think they can important in terms of understanding the chain of cause and effect.....depending on what you're looking for).

If I'm way off in terms of understanding your post, I apologize!



arielhawksquill
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13 Aug 2011, 1:55 pm

Yeah, sure. Once you have identified the pattern, you understand the thing. You can file it away as (somewhat) predictable and go on to study other things.

"Understanding is the apperception of pattern as such"--Alfred North Whitehead



backagain
Deinonychus
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13 Aug 2011, 2:14 pm

animalcrackers wrote:
backagain wrote:
Sorry for babbling, but the question is, do you think the noticing of patterns, the underlying patterns connected to motivation, can be accurate or am I just off on some mental tangent?
Thanks!


I don't understand your question, but I think I know what you're talking about in terms of patterns in human behavior and outcomes (as in books, research, etc.) and in systems that reflect that behavior (e.g. research methods, sometimes).

Personally, I find the small differences among big, overarching patterns interesting (and I think they can important in terms of understanding the chain of cause and effect.....depending on what you're looking for).

If I'm way off in terms of understanding your post, I apologize!


No, not way off at all! Maybe you could help me understand what you mean by overarching patterns, maybe an example? It might help me see things differently, thanks!



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13 Aug 2011, 3:54 pm

Patterns? Absolutely! I have always actively engaged in the process of looking for patterns. One should look everywhere for them, in the sciences, in your own life, in politics, in other people, etc. In short, always look for patterns everywhere. They are all around us if we just take the time to look. There is a great deal of information and insight that we can gain just by contemplating these patterns. Pattern searching is an activity that I often do during the wee small hours of the night, when I lie in bed and cannot sleep. It's amazing what you can discover this way.


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Artros
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13 Aug 2011, 4:34 pm

I like to try to reconstruct theories behind movies and the like simply by watching them. Detectives are the best example, I think. I often get bored of detectives where it's simple to see who the perpetrator of the crime is (easy deduction, patterns because it's always "the evil one" or "the least likely one"). Exceptions to this are Poirot and Baantjer (a Dutch one) because there's no distinct pattern: they're just so well-written.

If the patterns you deduce from watching things are capable of predicting other things, I would say that you are accurate. It's all about predictive power.


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animalcrackers
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14 Aug 2011, 2:24 pm

backagain wrote:
No, not way off at all! Maybe you could help me understand what you mean by overarching patterns, maybe an example? It might help me see things differently, thanks!


I'll try, but I need some time to figure out the words before I can post a proper response.