Sensation and Perception

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Sensation and Perception

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Sensation

• The process that activates our sense receptors
  (sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch) and
  enables them to transmit signals to the brain
  (think of the cerebral cortex)
• These sense receptors are turned on so that
  signals are transmitted (passed on to the brain)
• I.e., if you touch a hot stove, this message is
  sent to the brain

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Perception

• This is the process that allows us to select,
  organize and interpret sensory signals in the
  brain (think frontal lobe)
• It is also the process by which our brains try to
  make sense of incoming messages
• I.e. Touching a hot stove, will cause pain and
  may burn your hand, so you must move your hand
  away

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Does the brain pay equal attention to all parts
of the body?

• No! The more a body part is used or the more
  sensory neurons it contains, the more space it
  gets in the brains cortex

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Sensory Development begins during embryonic
development

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In developing your five senses as an embryo, you
could at...

• Week 7 Develop the holes for your nostrils
  (smell)
• Week 9 Develop the hearing mechanism in your
  ear (hearing)
• Week 12 Swallow and take in amniotic fluid
  (taste)

• Week 24 Suck your thumb (touch)
• Week 40 Open your eyes while awake and discern
  light (sight)

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Why does a newborn baby focus best on objects
that are between 20 and 35 cm away?

• SIGHT

• Its the distance at which a nursing infant sees
  his/her mothers face
• Objects that are closer or farther are blurry
• Prefers black white over bright colours for the
  first 6 weeks
• Improved vision at 3 to 4 months

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Why can a baby sleep through a dog barking or a
vacuum cleaner running?

• HEARING

• These sounds are heard in the uterus, therefore
  the baby is accustomed to them
• Newborns and children have great ability to
  ignore their environment at will

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Why may babies younger than 9 months fall off
beds and changetables?

• SIGHT

• There is no depth perception until 9 months
• They do not understand that if they roll too far
  off the bed then they will land on the floor and
  get hurt

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Other than a lack of nutrition, why may a baby
not grow at a normal pace?

• TOUCH

• Touch plays a large role in the development of a
  babies growth
• Babies who arent touched dont grow normally
• Babies love to be caressed, hugged, cuddled and
  kissed

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How does a newborn recognize its mothers
breastmilk?

• SMELL

• This is why a crying newborn can be comforted
  more easily when snuggling against its mothers
  breast rather than by its dad

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Why do babies put objects in their mouths?

• TASTE

• Tasting becomes a way of exploring and
  everything within reach usually ends up in the
  mouth
• May also be touching and the need to suck, or
  chew due to teething

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Perception

• Perception is the process of getting information
  from the environment through the senses and
  organizing that information into something
  meaningful and understandable.
• This ability can vary dramatically from person to
  person, and can affect our relationship with
  others.
• Everyone has their own perceptions - unique

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Factors Influencing Perception

• First Impressions
• Personality
• Life Experiences Emotions of the Perceiver
• Selective Memory Attention
• Background and Surroundings
• Culture

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First Impressions

• Often determine how we think or behave in certain
  situations
• First impressions can be difficult to change
• Everyone has been effected by their first
  impressions of everyone and everything they meet

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Life Experiences

• These teach us how to think and act towards
  people and events
• Everyone has unique experiences and a personal
  point of view
• When we dont understand how to do something, we
  may find it too difficult to try. So some people
  may perceive something as difficult while others
  perceive it as simple.
• (i.e., bad experience learning math may affect
  the way you receive the next learning experience)
• Our life experiences and emotions can distort
  perceptions and even lead to hallucinations or
  perceptions that do not exist
• These perceptions can be produced by drugs,
  emotional stress, hunger, lack or sleep
• Experience and emotions can both result in
  misperceptions or errors of judgment

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Selective Memory Attention

• Each of us chooses, consciously or unconsciously,
  to remember certain things and block other things
  out
• We tend to block out those things we find
  unpleasant or upsetting
• This process is referred to as the cocktail-party
  phenomenon (which is the ability to only focus on
  one thing while totally ignoring others

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Background and Surroundings

• Our surroundings at the moment of perception will
  affect our perception
• The position of objects on certain backgrounds
  will trigger different sensations in people
• i.e., People often enjoy food more when they are
  in comfortable surroundings with people whose
  company they enjoy.

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Culture

• Our culture shapes how we perceive and understand
  the world
• Human beings are products of culture and we live
  our lives based on it
• Thus, if we are the products of culture then how
  we perceive life and objects will also be
  culturally determined

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Perpetual Set

• This occurs because each and every individual has
  their own assumptions about the world
• A person with a fixed perceptual set interprets
  new or contrary information in a way that makes
  it fit with their existing beliefs
• I.e. we assume that when we ask someone How are
  you, that the person will answer Fine
• Also, a person may assume that rocks are heavy
  and cannot be persuaded otherwise

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The Object Itself

• Some objects are presented as abstract illusions
  and therefore require a greater degree of
  sophistication in its interpretation
• Thus an observable figure or object will have
  contradictory meanings to different people
• Lets take a look at the following slides

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Sensation Perception

• The process of sensation and perception requires
  constant interplay of external stimuli, the five
  sense and the interpretation by the brain
• Perception has an impact on our behaviour as well
  as on our beliefs, thus affecting how we see and
  treat others

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Decide the factor influencing perception

• Patricks teacher said that he would never do
  well in math and constantly put him down, and
  told he to drop the course. Although Patrick
  needed math to fulfill his goal of becoming a
  real estate agent, he decided to drop the course
  because he began to hate math.
• LIFE EXPERIENCES

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• In the hallway at lunch, Kevin and his friend
  were talking about their fun weekend and used
  some profane words in their descriptions. Mr.
  Fraschini walks by and is shocked by the language
  these students are using. Everytime Mr. Fraschini
  sees these boys in the hallway, he thinks that
  they are up to no good!
• FIRST IMPRESSIONS

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• Shanelle does not see the merit of saving money.
  She would rather spend money because she believes
  life is too short to deny herself the pleasures
  money can buy.
• PERSONALITY
• LIFE EXPERIENCES

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