Visual processing and the mind: A simple brain test for AS?!

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On the web page, where the white block with letters was against a light tan background, I saw the little letters for a long time before I realized they made up bigger letters.

On the forum, where the white block with letters was against a blue background, the big letters "popped" right out at me immediately. But it could also be an effect of the forum being the second time I saw the letters so my mind had already figured out that there were big letters there.

Once I know what I'm looking for it's easier, but I kind of have to look at it sideways, or unfocus my eyes a bit...otherwise the small letters get in the way because I see it in the wrong color.

No, they wouldn't recalibrate it for you. Instead, they would use it to show neuroscientifically that you are truly a synesthete. They've done fMRI studies of synethetes before, using the Navon test, and the true synesthetes did show different activation when they were told to see the different letters, because they were seeing a different color.

I think I saw the small letters first. My brain works very quickly, so I tend to see both at once. But I will say that the big "E" is hard for me to see. The other letters aren't hard for me to see the "big picture" letter, but I just go straight for the little "A"s for that big "E."

I had difficulty with the baby carriage thing for two reasons- one, I thought that you were supposed to look for that big fuschia diamond shape. I didn't see the equilateral triangle example until much later. Also, I saw a bunch of little triangles. It took me awhile to see the big triangle that was made up of smaller lines. But I have NVLD. I do horribly with block design and embedded figures. They need to consider this during testing, as a good many Aspies have comorbid NVLD. This is a hypothesis of why HFA participants tend to do better on embedded figures than the Aspies- HFA individuals tend to have higher PIQs than VIQs, and Aspies are the opposite.
-OddDuckNash99-

I can't NOT see both (or more, on some of them) of the illusions at the same time. very much a vibrating effect sometimes. certain color combinations will vibrate for me, too. I've done sign painting before, and once had to do a pink letter on a certain blue background. It made me sick.

Well, I see one that may match, but it has a heavier line on one side, so it's not the exact same? It is one of the ones that I saw originally, I just don't see it as being the same triangle. *shrug*

I saw the little letters, first but vey quickly perceived they were making up some whole, which I could then see. Perhaps I am an NT?

Seriously, I know I am not, but I think that aspect of my visual processing is normal.

It also took me a while to find that triangle. But I dont perform well in tests involving shape recognition anyway. That is one of my deficits...

I dont think my problem is that kind of tunnel vision though, that a lot of AS people have. I have sort of flattened near vision and irritatingly strong vision at the sides. But even that has only been since using computers. I have always had problems with reading though, and viewing near things, it tires me out, though opthamologists can find nothing wrong with my eyes.

One thing I did in childhood, was a lot of staring into space.

You know that reconstruct the shape with the blocks test I always did in record time according to the school psychologist.

Though the very last time I took it I botched it because I've developed some coordination problems.

My trick was not looking at the overall shape.

Interesting...so the same tests used for detection of synesthesia...

While I have not had any actual fMRI tests or brain scans, I have taken tests regarding the grapheme-color synesthesia where I was so far at the right end of the curve for matching that it was a beyond 99% certainty that it is synesthesia. (And personally, I know what it is I see.)

In the case of a synesthete, would something else have to be used to get at the same construct that the Navon test does, though, since the color perceptions interfere?

I feel like I noticed the big AND little letters both at the same time

Thanks for the constructive comments.
I tweaked the article a bit, such as leaving out the word "baby carriage" because thats sort of priming the brain I guess....which could really screw up the test for some people!

For the first one, I noticed that I saw the little letters first, and then the big letters last. Perhaps I'm seeing both at the same time. As for the second, I'm not sure what it's asking me to do.

Me neither.

In the second image you are supposed to find the triangle in the image to the RIGHT.
It is not rotated, you are looking for the outline of the same triangle. *Note- there can be shapes INSIDE the triangle too.

The left image is a block test, different.
I hope that makes a little more sense.

Little letters (for some reason they remind me of the old Zelda games. The A's look like mountains).

Took me a while to find the right triangle because I didn't notice the example til after I'd counted all the triangles I could see. Somehow I thought that's what I was supposed to do.

I wonder if growing up playing video games (back when graphics were still fairly primitive) and doing countless word searches and hidden images things as a kid (sometimes as an extra thing at school) effected my ability to take these tests?

am i the only one who was - insanely - confused by the instruction "See how fast you are able to find the OUTLINE of this triangle in the picture (to the left)"

.. i thought the equilateral triangle (top right) was supposed to be found within the pink / white patterned blocks (because it said "to the left") .. and obviously there was no equilateral triangle there.

as soon as i read a few of the responses here and there was mention of the baby carriage i looked at the baby carriage and found it immediately.

small letters first, but big letters a split second following - almost imperceptible

Small letters, didn't even care about the large ones.

But regarding tests in general, I'm wondering if timing is an important factor. The reason I say this is, for me anyway, is the inane habit of over analyzing.

Which is why I always hated multiple choice tests, because I would sit there and come up with logical conclusions of why more than one answer could be correct. It wasn't that I didn't know the material, it was almost that I knew it too well.

And the same with IQ tests and such. I may study the minute details of something for much longer than any NT and in doing so lose sight of the initial result that is expected and then have to start all over.

For the second one, it took me a couple seconds but I found it.