#I also have a psych degree from a university with a heavy cognitive science and neurology focus

[mareastrorum]

I have to add, I love Hercules’ commentary on how vision works on a cognitive level. The description of cones versus rods is accurate: peripheral vision is better for detecting movement. It’s not too uncommon of a thing to rely on in competitive martial arts. The difference functions on a speed that it really is only meaningful for instinctive reactions—actions you’d take without thinking about them, as either a trained or a wild response.

But that’s what matters in these situations.