Have you ever wondered why some people like to listen to music in their free time, while others prefer to watch movies or read books? Why do some people like to chat on the phone, others like to chat on social networks, and others like to post their own photos and look at other people’s photos?
The thing is that different people perceive information coming to them from the outside world differently.
There are three main channels of perception through which a person usually communicates: eyes, ears and tactile sensations. And each person has a different sensitivity to these channels.
Through our eyes we perceive visual images - movies, photos, drawings, that is, what can be seen. People who predominantly perceive through visual images are called visuals.
Through our ears we receive various auditory information - speech, music, noise, that is, what can be heard. People who prefer auditory perception are called auditory people.
With the help of tactile sensations, we can feel temperature, taste, pain, etc. People who perceive information primarily through sensations are called kinesthetics.
Recently, a fourth type of people has begun to be identified – digital or discrete. This type is very rare compared to the other three. The peculiarity of digital people is that they perceive information using logic, digital calculations and comprehension.
Let's take a closer look at each type of people.
Visual
A person with a predominant visual system, as a rule, speaks quickly, gesticulates actively, and is impatient in conversation. When he explains something, he tries to show a certain image that appears before his eyes. A visual learner quickly grasps everything new and easily remembers information.
Signs of the leading visual representational system:
1. Agile and mobile (energetic).
2. They love movement.
3. The state depends on the visual environment.
4. They usually speak quickly and are impatient.
5. They don’t like to be interrupted, because then the flow of their thoughts and pictures is interrupted.
6. They gesture with their hands, especially when they are carried away (this is how they point to mental imaginary images).
7. They remember feelings in the form of pictures.
8. Rhetorical questions are often formulated in the form: “Can you imagine what I’m trying to say?”, “Does anyone see the point in this?”
9. They don’t like working on the phone.
10. They love graphs, diagrams, short speeches.
11. Physiological signs: breathing is shallow and frequent; when they are looking for an answer to a question, they stop breathing.
A way to build and maintain relationships with a visual person:
1. Make visual assessments - beautiful, bright, dark, etc.
2. Listen actively, do not interrupt, repeat the last sentence or a few words.
3. Ask questions that stimulate the visual modality.
4. Show instead of tell.
Audial
Auditory learners speak measuredly, express their thoughts sequentially, and their speech is intelligible. If necessary, they can easily repeat verbatim the presentation of their own thoughts. Auditory learners strive to be consistent and logical. They easily learn languages, they are good storytellers, and they are pleasant to listen to.
Signs of the leading auditory representative system:
1. Tend to work well if there are no distracting sounds.
2. Open to discuss the case from all sides.
3. Decisions are based on logic.
4. Move their lips involuntarily when thinking or listening.
5. They try to dominate the conversation.
6. Noise is a source of severe discomfort.
7. The quality of work depends on how well it is explained.
8. They like to perceive information at the same speed as they speak.
9. They speak well on the phone.
10. They quickly master a foreign language.
11. Physiological signs: rhythmic breathing (metronome), diaphragmatic; sigh when making decisions. Not as stressed as visual people.
A way to build and maintain relationships with the auditory:
1. Speak to them with rich intonation in your voice.
2. Tell more than show (“Tell me”, “Explain to me”)
3. Let him talk
4. Precise verbal instructions will stimulate his work.
Kinesthetic
Kinesthetic people are more capable of deep emotional empathy than others. They usually speak slowly, in a low, pleasant voice. Their thinking is intuitive, and intuition works faster than logic. Actually, logic itself is not of significant importance for them, which allows them to make extraordinary decisions. Kinesthetic learners can have a beneficial effect on their environment and are highly respected by their colleagues.
Signs of the leading kinesthetic representational system:
1. Two types of kinesthetics:
a) External kinesthetics - more focused on external senses (the softness of the chair,
temperature in the room), tend to hold everything in their hands, touch everything, including people, when communicating;
b) Internal kinesthetics - more focused on internal feelings and emotions.
2. Can behave as very attentive and patient listeners.
3. They look for deep emotional layers in the conversation: what motivates, what are the intentions, what are the goals of the conversation?
4. They intuitively perceive what state you are in.
5. They love sports and physical activity and, as a result, are often in better physical shape than others.
6. They appreciate humor (subtle) and metaphors.
7. Physiological signs: breathing deeply and very slowly; speak in a lower voice and slower than visual and auditory people.
A way to build and maintain relationships with a kinesthetic learner:
1. Talk about feelings.
2. Make it clear that you are interested in the issue being discussed.
3. Periodically ask questions about whether he likes you, how things are discussed, whether he feels good, whether he wants anything.
Digital (discrete)
It can be difficult to recognize a digital person, since in communication he tends to imitate his interlocutor and adopt the manner of behavior. His only difference is the desire for logic in everything - in conversation, in behavior, in decisions made. The main meaning for them is the words spoken or written, their meaning and meaning. There are very few digitals, literally one in 10,000. So the chance of meeting him is small.
Of course, in its pure form, each of the above types of representative systems is extremely rare. As a rule, the types of perception are mixed to one degree or another. However, in almost every person a predominant or dominant type of perception can be identified. And his behavior, communication style, tastes and preferences depend on this.
We receive information about the world through our five senses, but in reality we use much more than just them to internally represent the external world. For example, hearing. In order for us to process, store and comprehend the sound perceived by our ears, our nervous system must do a lot of work. The same applies to all senses. In addition, we are able to create pictures in our own heads, reproduce or imagine speech and other sounds, physical sensations, tastes, and smells.
In Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), the pathways by which we receive, store and encode information in our brains - pictures, sounds, sensations, smells and tastes - are known as representational systems.
Each person has his own preferred system for receiving and storing information: visual, auditory or kinesthetic. She is called the leader. Depending on which of the systems is leading, people are conventionally divided into visual, auditory and kinesthetic learners. Despite the fact that there seem to be only three channels (B, A, K), a person reproduces and processes experience within himself in 4 ways. Internal Dialogue or Digital Channel (Hell) is added. If B, A and K are analog channels, that is, objects are perceived as a whole, then Hell is discrete, digital, it works with words and numbers.
Usually a person is more focused on one of the channels - he spends more time in it, thinks better, and this method of perception is more important for him than the others. This does not mean at all that the visual does not hear or feel anything. This only means that vision is more important to him.
Representative system as a characteristic of an individual’s cognitive activity
Representational systems (RS) is a term created by neurolinguistic programming psychologists.
MS is a characterizing way of perceiving and processing information, which depends on the characteristics of the interhemispheric interaction of the individual’s brain.
One of the fundamental principles of NLP is that the sequence of experiences, like the order of words in a sentence, influences the final meaning. Another fundamental principle is that words are nothing more than inadequate labels for experience. It’s one thing to read how to drive nails into a board, it’s another thing to feel a hammer in your hand and hear the characteristic sound with which the nail enters the board. Another experience is to feel the vibration of a hammer and see how a nail bends, accompanied by a characteristic sound that indicates an unnoticed knot.
One of the first models of NLP was the idea of "modalities" or "representational systems". Many NLP publications use these terms interchangeably. We are considering representative system as a system through which the subject perceives and uses information received through sensory channels. The representative system of an individual can also be considered as a mental state that manifests itself in non-verbal and verbal behavior.
Sensory representational system-- a system that consists of a sensory analyzer that perceives and performs primary processing of incoming information from internal or external stimuli, and neural pathways that transmit this information in encoded form to the appropriate parts of the cerebral cortex for their final processing and use.
Filters of sensory representational systems
Sensory representational systems are in some way filters perception. They determine the spectrum of perception of the real world, which is physiologically accessible to a person (in the kinesthetic system: a person perceives the smell of many harmful substances only when their maximum permissible concentration is exceeded several times, in the auditory system - 20-20000 Hz; in the visual system - 380-680 mmk).
Since each sensory representative system is directly related to the operations of receiving, processing, organizing, storing and outputting information, then, using them in one order or another, a person creates his own representation (reflection) of the real world (in other words, a subjective model of the world). The direction of our attention determines the combinations in which sensory representations are used to encode/record the processes and events occurring around us. It is known that a person can consciously perceive 7±2 units of information at once, and different people “distribute” this reserve of perception between sensory representative systems in different ways. Consequently, the filter through which more bits of information will pass per unit of time will ultimately ensure the completeness and character (visual, auditory, kinesthetic) of the “sensory recording.”
Modality is a qualitative characteristic of perception. Depending on the dominance of one or another method of receiving and processing information, MS can be presented in three main categories: visual, auditory and kinesthetic. Each individual, according to the founders of NLP, having all three modalities of perception, prefers to use one with maximum load. This modality, which an individual uses more often than others, is called main modality. It is thanks to the main modality of perception that maximum access to information is achieved. Leading modality reflects the activity of the brain at the moment, in the “here and now” situation.
The memory type corresponds to the sensory type. Thinking, according to neurolinguistic researchers, also has modal properties.
Individual representations of the world are different, and in order to effectively carry out any type of communication (including educational ones), it is necessary to take these differences into account.
Representative systems of an individual have qualitative and quantitative characteristics.
Qualitative characteristics constitute modal differences between types of representational systems.
Quantitative characteristics show how developed (or “open”) certain channels of perception are. On this basis distinguish monomodal, bimodal and polymodal types of representative systems. When we talk about a monomodal type of representational system, we mean that only one modality is most developed and is used by an individual more often than others. Bimodality is characterized by sufficient development of two modalities, with a slightly developed third modality. Multimodality presupposes the presence of well-developed all three modalities.
The representative system of an individual can also be considered as a mental state that appears in a person’s verbal and nonverbal behavior.
The use of nonverbal messages along with verbal information to study the internal processes of a person is one of the foundations of NLP. The process of receiving unconscious information (pictures, sounds, words, and sensations) is called access in NLP. Symptoms, specific behavior that a person exhibits, are access keys. Access keys can be postures, facial reactions, kinesthetic sensations, voice timbre, as well as complex eye movements - patterns (from the English pattern - grid).
Based on the individual preference for the method of receiving and processing information, NLP psychologists have identified the following typology: visually, auditorily and kinesthetically oriented individuals. People rely on the leading sensory representational system in both behavior and speech, and also organize their thinking strategies with its help. Let us give their brief characteristics.
"Visual"
The visual representational system is equal-directional and simultaneous. A visually oriented person is usually organized, focused on appearance, he chooses carefully, remembers graphic images, and is less distracted by noise. He has difficulty remembering verbal instructions and enjoys reading rather than listening. Needs a general overview during the learning process. He must see the purpose of what is happening, must consider the details, and will strive for complete clarity. When speaking, it requires you to describe or offer a general picture. He writes more competently than others, but has difficulty with words that he reads for the first time. A visual learner reads quickly, has beautiful handwriting, and a vivid imagination. This modality is the best for long-term planning, since visual learners “see” the future perfectly.
"Audial"
The auditory representational system is step-by-step and sequential. A person with a dominant auditory modality loves to talk to himself, is easily distracted, and easily repeats what he hears. Mathematics and writing are more difficult for him (he uses a phonetic approach when writing and therefore writes incorrectly). Easily masters spoken language and uses a rhythmic pattern when speaking. Imitates sounds well and learns by listening. Remembers by steps, by actions. Dialogues are conducted both externally and internally. He won't start doing anything until he says it. The most talkative individual who is able to monologue a conversation and loves discussions. He has a tendency towards indirect descriptions. Writes with rhythmic movements, loves to read aloud and listen. Likes to talk while writing.
"Kinesthetic"
The kinesthetic representational system is analog and selective. With the dominant kinesthetic modality, a person responds to tactile rewards, and at the same time likes to touch people and does so. Physically oriented, moves a lot. It is characterized by early muscle development. Learns by doing, remembers by going through experiences. While reading, he points. He has a lot of gestures. Sometimes the chin is lowered (in internal kinesthetics). Recalls general impressions of the experience, is laconic and tactful in conversation, uses words that describe actions, and counts the internal rhythm. Loves books with an active plot. Writes with pressure, thickly and not as well as others. Strives to convey the experience behaviorally. They have strong intuition, but weakness in details.
Sensory representational systems have two sides - external and internal. External sensory representational systems (<ВАК>) are responsible for input and output of information. Domestic sensory representational systems<ВАК>Ad) are involved in encoding information and organizing mental strategies. Hell(auditory-digital system), internal dialogue, is a metasystem in relation to sensory representative systems, since it does not operate with sensory information, but only with its codes in the form of words and numbers. Often internal dialogue manifests itself as a person’s evaluative speech.
Exists a number of differences between kinesthetic, visual, auditory and digital learners. They relate to many things, for example, the organization of thinking, memory, and methods of learning. A kinesthetic person remembers everything with his body, his muscles - the body has its own memory. This method is very effective for learning to ride a bike or swim, but for remembering how to solve an integral or a phone number it can be quite inconvenient. In order to remember a phone number, a Kinesthetic learner must write it with his own hand, an Auditory learner must pronounce it, and a Visual learner only needs to remember what it looks like. The visual person loves information in the form of graphs, tables, films; he needs something to look at. At the same time, he is able to “see the entire sheet.” The auditory usually needs to talk all this out within himself. Kinesthetics need to be touched, done, moved. He will immediately begin to figure out exactly how to do something, and what needs to be pressed in order for “this thing to strum,” and preferably in his hands. The Visual is more likely to ask to show how this is done, and the Audible is to tell you in more detail. Digital will first of all ask to see the instructions and will first study in great detail the power consumption and water consumption per kilogram of laundry.
In Russia at the moment, a very approximate distribution by type is as follows: Visuals - 35%; Kinesthetics - 35%; Auditory learners - 5%; Digital - 25%; And, for example, for the USA it looks a little different: Visuals - 45%; Kinesthetics - 45%; Auditory learners - 5%; Digital -5%. If we talk about culture, we can say that Russia and the USA have visual-kinesthetic cultures. But in England there is an auditory-visual culture. At the same time, almost all ancient cultures were kinesthetic (ancient Indian or Persian drawings).
It is known that different types of people have their own style of clothing, their own company, their own conversation and their own work. For example, among officials and military personnel there is a very large percentage of digital and audio people. In general, the division by type is very arbitrary, and although there are indeed people who use almost one channel, they are quite few. Most people use several quite effectively, they just prefer one more.
Methods of teaching in the lesson
The kinesthetic student performs the laboratory part of the lesson quite adequately, since he is able to physically “grasp” the concept, but gets lost when he reads about it in the textbook.
A visual student has difficulty in a laboratory experiment, while reading a textbook allows him to calmly imagine the overall picture of the experiment.
Auditory works well in a small group of reading students, away from the teacher's seat, and with the proper use of a phonics (step-by-step) approach.
In every class there are always visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners. As the results of the study showed, when the main modality of the teacher and student coincides, it is much easier for the latter to understand the teacher, since he uses predicates and other features of speech that are familiar to him. It is clear that multimodal learners are in a better position. They perceive information at all levels without much difficulty, since all modalities of perception are sufficiently developed for them. If a teenager has a well-developed and much more often used only one modality, then in a lesson with a teacher with another main modality he will experience significant difficulties. This is due to the fact that the student in this case is forced to “translate” the information into a form familiar to him, as if into a language familiar to him. This procedure of “translation” of information takes some time. At the same time, the teacher continues to explain the material. And the teenager develops a so-called “gap” in the flow of perceived information. This often results in the student not understanding what the teacher is explaining. It follows from this that when explaining new material in a lesson, it is necessary to provide it at various levels.
One of the psychological reasons for the low performance of some schoolchildren, along with lack of motivation to learn, is shortcomings in the cognitive activity of students. They are divided into the following: the child’s improper use of his qualities, unformed methods of educational activities, deficiencies in the development of thought processes. In most cases, the reason for the low performance of schoolchildren is the discrepancy between the students’ representative system and the methods of presenting information.
The educational process, according to NLP psychologists, along with various types of therapy, experience of personal growth and other techniques can be classified as methods of internal change. NLP has developed highly effective techniques for improving literacy, developing attention, memory, thinking and speech, teaching reading, as well as relieving phobic reactions and other psychocorrective techniques.
To teach effectively, teachers need a separate curriculum for each student, extensive use of the full range of visual, auditory, and kinesthetic styles, and knowledge of how each is appropriate for that child.
Monomodal learners (translators), preferring one modality, are very weak in the other two. Any information passing through their sensory system must be "translated" into the leading single modality of memory. Therefore, when the content of the information coincides with their leading modality, they cope perfectly well, but when the need for “translation” arises, the student is forced to translate the information into their leading modality. Such a broadcast requires a temporary “disconnection” from reality, that is, the student is not able to perceive the information provided by the teacher. As a result, he has a series of information gaps.
When we teach using seeing and listening, moving and touching, the class as a whole receives information through one or more channels. This multi-sensory approach helps develop students' less developed sensory channels.
A multimodal approach will influence a large proportion of students, allowing them to obtain information by selecting an input channel. Moreover, multisensory learning reinforces memorization and strengthens sensory channels. When the emphasis is on content, the teacher must use multisensory techniques so that students can choose which aspects of the presentation they want to pay attention to, decide whether they can move more or observe more, listen more or touch more.
One of society's reproaches against the modern school is that the school overloads students' heads with unnecessary knowledge, without giving them development, without adequately stimulating their abilities. Knowledge acts as an end in itself, and not as a means of development. The activities of the students themselves and the ways they acquire knowledge remain outside the teacher’s field of vision.
In the learning process, it is necessary to focus on the specifics of the cognitive processes of schoolchildren, and “the impact on the cognitive sphere of the student’s personality must be complex.”
Representational (representation is the repeated reproduction of what is seen, heard, felt) system is the predominant way of processing, storing and reproducing previously received information. VAC is an acronym for the major sensory representational systems: Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic. Together - VAK.
The representational system is practically synonymous with concepts and channels of perception, although there are some differences between them. The concept of Representational System is often used in NLP.
Development direction
It is useful to develop those representational systems that work worse for you (a sign that you use them less often), and to build bridges between the R.S. you use. See Development of Personal Representational Systems
When we build bridges between our representational systems, then we perceive the world brighter and more colorful, more sonorous and more tart.... How?
Visual==="A cow peeked around the corner"
Visual+Auditory==="A mooing cow peeked around the corner"
Visual+Kinesthetic==="A warm cow peeked around the corner"
Visual+Auditory+Kinesthetic==="A mooing cow slowly sinks into the crunchy snow"
Usually pictures appear and disappear very quickly. If you add kinesthetics, pictures stay on the screen longer.
To the classical triad of representative systems, there is one more - the system of “rational people” (“people-computers”, “digitals”) - this is a digital representative system of a person in which people react not to sensations, but to the names of words (“labels”), using which they try to identify their images and sensations.
Eye movements in people who have a developed digital representational system of a person are quite difficult to catch, because they prefer to use words such as: “we need to figure it out,” “we will analyze,” “weigh,” “compare,” “systematize,” etc. .P.
With external calm, active mental activity occurs at this moment. Gestures at chest level, speech monotonous.
There is also group of multimodal predicates(not based on sensory): think, count, reflect, know, explain, realize, remember, negotiate.
Words, phrases, and eye movements are not the only way to determine people's mental preferences. A visual person typically speaks quickly, holds his head high, has a high-pitched voice, and gestures at facial level. People based on auditory images speak more measuredly, clearly, in a low voice, breathe deeper, often tilt their heads to the side, take the pose of a typical listener, immersing themselves in themselves (“talking to their own tie”). Kinesthetic learners usually speak slowly, in a deep voice, are physically relaxed, and tilt their head down.
An example of the practical application of the syntonic model of perception:
It is better to seat kinesthetic students on the first desks closer to the aisle;
Auditory students - in the first and middle desks;
Pupils – visual learners – are placed in middle and even back desks;
For students with a digital representational system, location in the classroom is not important.
Distribution of people by perceptual systems
Here are some interesting facts.
In Russia At the moment, the approximate distribution across representative systems is something like this:
Visuals - 35%;
Kinesthetics - 35%;
Auditory learners - 5%;
Digital (computers) - 25%.
IN THE USA:
Visuals - 45%;
Kinesthetics - 45%;
Auditory learners - 5%;
Digital - 5%;
If we talk about countries, it is not difficult to notice that Russia and the USA are visual-kinesthetic countries. But England is an audio-visual country. At the same time, almost all ancient cultures and countries belonged to kinesthetic systems - remember, for example, ancient Indian or Persian images.
It is believed that women are more likely to have a visual channel of perception, and men - a kinesthetic one.
Remember that people of different systems have their own style of clothing, their own circle of friends, their own topics of conversation and their own work. For example, among officials there is a very large percentage of audio and digital speakers, as well as among the military. But remember that the division into types is very arbitrary, and that there are very few people who use only one channel. The overwhelming majority of people use several representational systems, but they still prefer one of them more.
Knowledge of human representational systems is increasingly being used in education and other areas of activity.
To achieve the best result in the process of teaching and upbringing, in the process of interaction with a pupil or student, it is very important to speak a language that he understands, in particular in his channel of perception, or at least know his type of perception in order to understand what he means.
