How does the brain deal with expectations and respond to incomplete data?
Input to the brain shapes the way it prepares for subsequent input. It arranges itself physically and chemically to receive more information. Visually, if insufficient information is provided with input, the brain uses its data bank to fill in the blanks. If you see the left front end of a car in your cars rearview mirror, you assume that a complete car is in the right lane next to you. However, if your brain had insufficient background information, it might fill in the blank inappropriately. Heres another all-too-common example: being trained to read the whole word forces a student to guess an unfamiliar word based on the context of the story and whatever illustrations may provide clues. Its not unusual for young readers to fill in the blank by guessing wrong. Thats especially true (and discouraging) for a student with weak cognitive skills.
