Sensation And Perception
Visual sensation and visual perception are the processes by which we see and understand our surroundings. The difference between these processes and the dividing line where sensation ends and perception begins is debatable, however some distinctions can be made.
Sensation is a physiological function, and begins with reception, when the cornea and lens of the eye focus light on the photoreceptors (rods and cones) in the retina of the eye. After this, transduction occurs, transforming stimulus energy into nerve impulses. The next step is transmission, which is the movement of the data in the form of nerve impulses from the receptors to the brain. As sensation is physiological, all ...
Want to read the rest of this paper? Join Essayworld today to view this entire essay and over 50,000 other term papers
|
cases, our interpretation may vary from other people's. For example, two people sense a round, flat, shiny object, one from a poor country, another from a rich country. The rich person might understand the object to be a music compact disc because he has had prior experience with them, but the poor person may not know what it was as he has never seen one before.
The visual perceptual principles are processes which are applied to incoming visual stimuli to help explain any inconsistencies that may occur when the perception process takes place. There are three main types, the Gestalt principles, depth cues and perceptual constancies.
The Gestalt principles are based on the concept that we perceive objects in the simplest possible manner (Grivas et al 1996 page108), and describes how the brain organises, groups and simplifies visual stimuli.
The depth cues are signals given from a visual stimulus (secondary cues), or from our own visual system (primary cues). These cues help us ...
Get instant access to over 50,000 essays. Write better papers. Get better grades.
Already a member? Login
|
of the retinal image changes, however shape constancy compensates for that and we understand that the object remains constant.
An example is a coin being flipped. As it spins, the retinal image suggests that the shape is changing because it changes from a circle to a half moon to a line, the automatic process of shape constancy enables us to understand that the coin remains the same shape.
Although every person, given normal vision will sense the same image on their retina when seeing the coin flipping, their perception of the image may differ. Psychological factors influence our perception and give us our individuality. We each have a perceptual set made up of ...
Succeed in your coursework without stepping into a library. Get access to a growing library of notes, book reports, and research papers in 2 minutes or less.
|
CITE THIS PAGE:
Sensation And Perception. (2005, July 16). Retrieved November 28, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Sensation-And-Perception/30138
"Sensation And Perception." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 16 Jul. 2005. Web. 28 Nov. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Sensation-And-Perception/30138>
"Sensation And Perception." Essayworld.com. July 16, 2005. Accessed November 28, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Sensation-And-Perception/30138.
"Sensation And Perception." Essayworld.com. July 16, 2005. Accessed November 28, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Sensation-And-Perception/30138.
|