糊塗偵探的視覺式思考Columo’s Visual Thinking

洪正幸 Felix T. Hong, M.D., Ph.D.Dept of Physiology Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48201 USA

fhong@med.wayne.edu

國立成功大學三創中心Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center

National Cheng Kung University,Tainan 701, Taiwan

國立成功大學三創課程

民國 98年 10月 23日

Columbo’s Creativity Lt. Columbo, L.A.P.D. (洛杉磯警察局 ), was a TV

personality. He was remembered for his absent-minded manner and for his punch line:

“Um, there’s just one other thing.” A series of movie clips from “Swan Song,” an

episode first aired during its third season, will be shown to demonstrate how Columbo cracked a murder case by taking advantage of his legendary visual thinking and keen observations.

Columbo’s Creativity In “Swan Song,” Johnny Cash guest-stars as

a country and western singer named Tommy Brown, who murdered his wife and a young singer by first doping their coffee with barbiturates, and then piloted a private plane and deliberately crashed it to the ground, after both women had lost their consciousness and after he had parachuted to safety near the crash site on a mountain.

Columbo’s Creativity In order to flush out the missing parachute, Lt.

Columbo leaked to Tommy Brown a police plan to search for a missing coffee thermos bottle the next morning at the crash site. Columbo was sure that, in the evening or late night, Brown would retrieve the hidden parachute, which, if found, would be more incriminating than the the coffee thermos bottle.

But Columbo actually witnessed, later the same afternoon at the L.A. International airport, Tommy Brown’s departure to San Francesco for a concert tour.

So, he was perplexed by Brown’s month-long trip to San Francisco, until he invoked his visual thinking.

Columbo’s Creativity

The key on the call box reminded Lt. Columbo of what he had seen when Tommy Brown was going through the metal detector.

Let’s see it one more time, while we focus our attention at the key or keys.

We then watch the remaining scenes to know what Lt. Columbo had seen and inferred.

You will have an opportunity to try out your own detective skill, before and after the answer is revealed. (Compare the difference).

Columbo’s Creativity

Columbo’s Creativity

Columbo’s Creativity

Now, let us watch the airport scene a few more times, when we know what we are supposed to see.

You will experience how expectation (priming of your mind) enhances your ability to recognize a vague pattern. That is, having a preconceived template, which may fit a certain pattern, facilitates recognition of the pattern.

Columbo’s Creativity

Columbo’s Creativity

Pattern Recognition 圖案辨識 You would be surprised to find that you

actually can remember the picture on a single video frame upon a single exposure of 0.033 seconds in duration!

… any man that can sing like that can’t be all bad!

It would not be an even-handed treatment, if I only show Tommy Brown in a compromising situation.

People who think in pictures do not think only in black and white.

Please also enjoy his (Johnny Cash’s) music. Remember, enjoyment enhances learning.

Columbo’s Creativity