Ever had that moment of, “wait, what did they just say?!” That quick, mental “double-take” is known as cognitive reshuffling.
Lost my train of breadcrumbs…
Cognitive reshuffling is when a normal thought process is interrupted by an unexpected event or ending. Often there are subtle, outward signs associated as well. Going blank in the face, slight twitching of the eyes or lips – even hiccuping in babies – can be observed after experiencing a sudden or dramatic change in an expected outcome.
To further investigate this phenomenon, a couple of psychologists, Kutas and Hillyard, conducted EEG research and found that distinct changes occurred in the brain approximately 400 milliseconds after an unexpected event occurred. The study began by reading a sentence aloud to the subjects such as “He spread the warm bread with…” and ended the sentence either predictably (butter), slightly different (cream cheese) or outlandishly (coins).
So the next time your head spins from an unexpected or even ludicrous event, just remember – that’s psychology at work!
Tell us in the comments below of a time you experienced a cognitive reshuffling. Maybe you had one while reading this article!