An attempt to explain the observed bias towards inserting a USB "A" plug the wrong way into it's socket in a way that does not involve us living in a Matrix style simulation.
Inserting a plug into it's socket is a spatial problem for which the human brain has varying ability based on the circumstances and configuration of the objects.
To illustrate this property, I'll use the US style 120 volt, 15 amp power outlet as a first example.
The US system uses 2 parallel blades arrayed left to right, above a semicircular ground pin. For this example I'll reference an ungrounded plug, with just the two blades. You'll notice on the female socket, that the left blade (neutral), is wider than the right blade (hot). The male plug has the same arrangement, one blade wider than the other. The result is that the plug can only be inserted into the socket in the correct orientation. The human brain is very good at processing left versus right spatial problems. Probably because our eyes are arranged on our face, left to right opposite from each other. So as a learned physical behavior, we can easily, almost without thinking, recognize that for both the socket and the plug, the wider blade is on the left and we will have a bias to automatically orient the plug so that the wider blade is on the left.
For USB A, on the other hand, the design is different.
In both the female socket, and male plug, there is a plastic block containing the the signal contacts. Generally the female socket is presented with the plastic block on the bottom. This requires the male plug to be inserted with the plastic block oriented on the top. Up/down spatial processing is not as easy for the human brain as left/right. What's happening that induces the bias for us to attempt to insert the USB the wrong way is that our brains will try to apply the power outlet logic - "wider blade is on the same side for both plug and socket" to the USB problem. For USB, the plastic block must be oriented on THE OPPOSITE side for plug and socket. So since both the orientation for both parts is opposing rather than congruent, and the spatial process is up/down rather than left/right, we will tend to naturally try to insert it the wrong way.
They solved this problem with USB-C by making the plug insertable either way.
Inserting a plug into it's socket is a spatial problem for which the human brain has varying ability based on the circumstances and configuration of the objects.
To illustrate this property, I'll use the US style 120 volt, 15 amp power outlet as a first example.
The US system uses 2 parallel blades arrayed left to right, above a semicircular ground pin. For this example I'll reference an ungrounded plug, with just the two blades. You'll notice on the female socket, that the left blade (neutral), is wider than the right blade (hot). The male plug has the same arrangement, one blade wider than the other. The result is that the plug can only be inserted into the socket in the correct orientation. The human brain is very good at processing left versus right spatial problems. Probably because our eyes are arranged on our face, left to right opposite from each other. So as a learned physical behavior, we can easily, almost without thinking, recognize that for both the socket and the plug, the wider blade is on the left and we will have a bias to automatically orient the plug so that the wider blade is on the left.
For USB A, on the other hand, the design is different.
In both the female socket, and male plug, there is a plastic block containing the the signal contacts. Generally the female socket is presented with the plastic block on the bottom. This requires the male plug to be inserted with the plastic block oriented on the top. Up/down spatial processing is not as easy for the human brain as left/right. What's happening that induces the bias for us to attempt to insert the USB the wrong way is that our brains will try to apply the power outlet logic - "wider blade is on the same side for both plug and socket" to the USB problem. For USB, the plastic block must be oriented on THE OPPOSITE side for plug and socket. So since both the orientation for both parts is opposing rather than congruent, and the spatial process is up/down rather than left/right, we will tend to naturally try to insert it the wrong way.
They solved this problem with USB-C by making the plug insertable either way.
