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10: Perception

  • Page ID
    54117
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    Perception in cognitive psychology refers to the process by which individuals interpret and make sense of sensory information from the environment. It involves organizing, identifying, and interpreting sensory input to form meaningful experiences. Cognitive psychologists study how the brain processes sensory data to create a coherent and useful representation of the world.

    • 10.1: Sensation vs. Perception
      Sensation and perception are closely related processes where sensation involves sensory input about the physical world and perception involves the brain's organization and interpretation of these sensations. Perception can vary among individuals due to differences in learning, memory, emotions, and expectations. This module explores the distinction between these processes, discusses how sensory information is processed by the nervous system, and introduces Gestalt theory.
    • 10.2: Classic View of Perception
      Perception involves understanding the difference between distal and proximal stimuli. Distal stimuli refer to actual objects and events around us, whereas proximal stimuli are the sensory patterns received from these objects. Despite the limited and unstable nature of proximal information, perception accurately reflects the properties of distal objects.
    • 10.3: Visual Illusions
      Psychologists have studied human perception, focusing on systems like vision and hearing, as well as others such as smell, taste, and balance. By creating perceptual illusions, scientists explore how the brain interprets sensory information. These illusions, often used by artists to depict depth, demonstrate our ability to judge context rather than absolute qualities.
    • 10.4: Top-Down vs. Bottom-Up (Conceptually-driven vs. Data-driven processing)
      Perception is the process by which sensory information is organized, interpreted, and consciously experienced, involving both bottom-up (sensory input-driven) and top-down (knowledge and experience-influenced) processing. Sensation is the physical detection of stimuli, while perception is the psychological interpretation of those stimuli. Not all sensations lead to perception due to sensory adaptation, where prolonged, constant stimuli become less noticeable.
    • 10.5: Multisensory Perception
      The page discusses the concept of multimodal perception, emphasizing how different sensory inputs integrate to create a unified perception of events in the world. This integration contrasts with traditional unimodal perception, where senses are considered separately. Research has shown that various sensory modalities are combined during perception, suggesting a fundamentally multimodal experience.
    • 10.6: Subliminal Perception
      Subliminal perception, the idea that stimuli below the threshold of awareness can influence behavior, has intrigued and unsettled people. Claims, like the famous but fabricated study asserting that subliminal messages boosted popcorn sales, have drawn attention. Psychological research has aimed to validate this phenomenon, encountering challenges in defining consciousness thresholds. Evidence suggests subliminal stimuli can have an impact, but the extent of their influence are unresolved.
    • 10.7: Synesthesia
      Synesthesia is a condition where a stimulus in one sensory area triggers a sensation in another. Observed by Galton in the 19th century, it appears in about 4% of the population and is often hereditary. Commonly, individuals experience colors associated with letters or sounds. The condition is stable over time for individuals, though different people may perceive different colors for the same stimuli. It can sometimes arise from sensory deprivation, leading to cross-activation in the brain.
    • 10.8: McGurk Effect-Bimodal Speech Perception
      This page offers a video explanation about the McGurk effect, highlighting its influence on perception. The McGurk effect illustrates how visual and auditory information can interact and alter what we perceive, demonstrating the complexities of sensory integration in the human brain.


    This page titled 10: Perception is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Mehgan Andrade and Neil Walker.

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