From the author: Doodles are abstract drawings that you have to give meaning to. Droodles became widespread in the United States in 1953, thanks to Roger Price's book "Droodles". The name "doodles" is a collective word consisting of the words 'doodle' (doodles, meaningless lines) and 'riddle' (riddle). But in fact, droodles, or mysterious drawings (indovinelli graphic, Italian) became known in Italy during the Renaissance. One of the oldest droodles - an image of a blind beggar standing around a street corner - was created by the Italian artist Agostino Carracci ( 1557–1602).first droodleBut what exactly are “doodles”? In fact, it looks more like a tiny fragment of a caricature or comic strip rather than an abstract element of a painting that raises the legitimate question “What is this?” The punchline (usually a funny description) eventually makes the intention of the picture obvious. Doodles are based on pareidolia, the human tendency to shape an observed image into random, ambiguous or fantastic shapes. Astronomer Carl Sagan argued that the tendency to distinguish faces in the shape of clouds, corn cakes, cinnamon rolls, etc. is a feature of evolutionary development. He wrote: “Because the infant is able to see, he recognizes faces, and we now know that this art is programmed in our brains. A million years ago, those babies who could not recognize a face or smile back were less likely to win the hearts of their parents and therefore prosper in life. Almost every baby is now able to recognize faces and respond to smiles with a cute, cooing grimace" (Sagan, 1995). Our ability to relate what we see to what we know is what allows us to pick out images from these minute satirical images. The world that surrounds us is, so to speak, "sensory noisy": in fact, we are not aware that most of the signals/symbols that we receive from our environment are full of gaps, which our brain subconsciously fills in. How we identify each piece of data, entering our brain When our brain needs to identify an object, it must correlate what we see with existing knowledge and experience. Perceiving data from the world around us using our senses and then analyzing the corresponding information is called “bottom-up processing”. Bottom-up processing is related to EMPIRICAL reality and is produced by transforming concrete details of the stimulus being processed into abstract models. But when our EXPECTATIONS influence perception, this phenomenon is called “top-down” or “mentally induced processing”. Top-down processing, along with the perception of the world, involves our life experience, knowledge, motivations and cultural characteristics of the environment. In short, top-down processing involves more complex mental functions that influence HOW we understand physical objects, signs, and events. Doodles demonstrate the importance of this type of processing: without labels, these drawings have no meaning. But, as soon as the drawing is identified, our perception changes, and we easily find meaning in the drawing, or even give it a new meaning through associations. Moreover, as soon as the meaning of a given drawing “pops up” in our perception (that is, when we see familiar details in the image), we may no longer be able to see this drawing as it appeared at first! Expand your imagination with droodles The exercise of giving meaning to abstract shapes can also be a great way to stimulate the imagination and develop visual thinking skills. When Leonardo da Vinci needed to revive the flow of creative energy, he would sit and stare at the clouds or rocks for a long time... "If you look at an old wall , covered with mud, or on the bizarre surface of veined stones,"