• Question: why do i bump my head on low beams? Why don't i notice them?

    Asked by jesusjones to Andrew, Ben, Beth, Heather, Louisa on 22 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Andrew McKinley

      Andrew McKinley answered on 18 Jun 2010:

      I actually don’t know an answer for this, but thinking about it, it could be because your depth perception in your peripheral vision (the very edges of your vision) is not as good as with direct vision? I think you might need to seek a better answer from another scientist!

    • Photo: Ben Still

      Ben Still answered on 21 Jun 2010:

      Have you had growth spurt or grown recently? If so then it could just be that your brain has not caught with your body yet. The brain has to ‘know’ where all of your extremities are – including your head! If your body is changing rapidly then the brain has to keep up with the changes. If these are too rapid or often then the brain lags behind, it requires a lot of ‘readings’ of our surroundings to understand exactly where each part of our body is when we move.

      Your brain will soon learn!

    • Photo: Beth Dyson

      Beth Dyson answered on 21 Jun 2010:

      I’m not sure of the answer to this, but I think it is to do with your perception of how tall you are, and how high you expect things to be.

      Indoors, we have all come to accept how high doorways and ceilings are, so don’t expect to bump our heads inside.Outside, say in a forest with low branches, we would probably look more carefully at where we are going as we don’t have any expectations as to how low the branches are!

      It may also be that you are still growing, so your brain hasn’t had time to catch up with how tall you actually are! I also tend to bump into things when I’m distracted, usually by the tv!

    • Photo: Heather McKee

      Heather McKee answered on 22 Jun 2010:

      This has to do with spatial awareness and perception. Spatial awareness is an organised knowledge of objects including oneself, in a given space. Spatial awareness also involves understanding the relationships of these objects when there is a change of position. As we grow up there is a natural variation in our spatial awareness which can cause drops in perception and result in bumping ones head!however in time this will adjust ans ull be more aware of the things around you. Hence one of the reasons why people arnt allowed to drive until there 16/17 astheir awareness of objects in space is’nt fully developed and thus they could get in all sorts of trouble!It is thought team sports such as football, hockey and basketball can speed up this process and in time serve to enhance your spatial awareness!so maybe getting stuck in at P.E could help!!

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