To see how pattern selection
works, let us consider an example
from fiction. In the book (and the
film) Contact, by Carl Sagan, the
central character Ellie Arroway
is a scientist leading a search for
evidence of extraterrestrial life. She
uses a telescope array designed for
capturing sound/radio transmissions
to listen for intelligent patterns in
the background of cosmic noise and
radiation that fills the universe. More
than once, she hears the regular beats
of quasars and pulsars, objects that
give off regular bursts of energy and
radiation that can be heard across
space. Those naturally occurring
patterns, however, are not the patterns
she is listening for. It is only when
she hears a pulsating systematic
rhythm, set to prime numbers, does
she recognize the pattern she has
been seeking. This is an example
of not just pattern recognition, but
pattern selection – the ability to
discern a specific pattern, among
a cacophony of unrelated patterns,
that is a hallmark of the prepared
mind. While some people do seem to
have an innate preference for pattern
thinking (as Temple Grandin notes in
her book) this is a skill that can also
certainly be developed with practice,
training and patience