Episode description

Dr. Temple Grandin visits Google to discuss her book "Visual Thinking: The Hidden Gifts of People Who Think in Pictures, Patterns, and Abstractions" - this landmark book reveals, celebrates, and advocates for the special minds and contributions of visual thinkers.

A quarter of a century after her memoir, "Thinking in Pictures", forever changed how the world understood autism, Temple Grandin transforms our awareness of the different ways our brains are wired. Do you have a keen sense of direction, a love of puzzles, or the ability to assemble furniture without crying? You are likely a visual thinker.

With her genius for demystifying science, Dr. Grandin draws on cutting-edge research to take us inside visual thinking. Visual thinkers constitute a far greater proportion of the population than previously believed, and a more varied one, from the photo-realistic object visualizers like Grandin herself, to the abstract, mathematically inclined “visual spatial” thinkers who excel in pattern recognition and systemic thinking. She also makes us understand how a world increasingly geared to the verbal tends to sideline visual thinkers, screening them out at school and passing them over in the workplace. Rather than continuing to waste their singular gifts, driving a collective loss in productivity and innovation, Dr. Grandin proposes new approaches to educating, parenting, employing, and collaborating with visual thinkers.

Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.