Perception, Sensation Without Our Basic

Perception, Sensation

Without our basic physical senses: sight, smell, hearing, touch, and taste, we would be cut off from the outside world. Unable to see, we could no longer know the color of a rose; unable to smell we would have no knowledge of the rose's perfume. If we could not hear, we would be unable to listen to music and would need to use sign language gestures in order to communicate with others. Without the ability to touch, we would not know the difference between a hot potato and a cold one. If our taste failed, we could not tell the difference between chocolate and vanilla ice cream, save for their hue. The eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and skin are therefore the body's major organs of perception. Damage to or obstruction of one of the organs of perception would entail a loss of ability to acquire sensory input from that particular organ. Through the body's main organs of perception, a human being encounters data such in chemical, wave, or other forms. However, sensations only contribute part of the information our brain needs to formulate a view of reality. Perception, or the process by which our brain processes sensory data, is equally as important as sensation. To perceive something means to interpret it, and not simply to sense it; perception helps human beings make important judgments about the world around them.

Without organs of sensation, we would be cut off from the outside world, but without perception, we would also be continually vulnerable to threats to our safety and well-being. For instance, deprived of visual data we could easily fall off of a cliff. Yet if our eyes were working fine but we did not know that the cliff entailed a five hundred meter drop, we would fall to our death. Therefore, the perception process enables our brain to make key conclusions about raw sensory input. Deprived of the sense of smell we would not realize that our house was on fire. Yet if we were unfamiliar with the smell of a gas leak, then even if we smelled something funny we might not perceive anything to be amiss. Along the same lines, if we lost the ability to hear, we would not sense the presence of a burglar and would also be unmotivated to act. Without the ability to taste, we might not know that our meat had gone rotten and would eat it anyway. If we could no longer feel anything with our skin, then might leave our hands on a hot stove and cause indelible damage to our skin. Brain damage could cause perceptual problems; even when sense organs are functioning properly they are useless without the power of the brain to process their data.

Optical illusions are frequently used to explain the differences between sensation and perception. With illusions like the ones posted on Bach's (2005) website, what the human eye senses is different from what the brain perceives. One of the most famous examples of an optical illusion is the old woman/young girl drawing; depending on how we look at it, we will perceive either. In the real world, optical illusions can be dangerous. If we were to lose our perception of depth, we might indeed fall off of the cliff: even if we could sense the change of color we might mistakenly believe that the ground and the depths below were on the same plane. Auditory illusions have similar effects and can cause people to distort reality. One of the most notable examples of auditory illusions causing a distortion of reality is the ventriloquist who "throws" his or her voice.

Attention and concentration are also essential aspects of sensation and perception. Human beings are usually bombarded by a barrage of sensory data and must consciously or unconsciously filter out extraneous information. Although our senses are exposed to a multitude of material, much of the sensory data remains outside of our conscious awareness. For example, we tune out conversations in a crowded restaurant in order to listen to our dining partner, or we tune out the radio when we want to study. Our failure to perceive everything works in our favor, as we would become exhausted and confused if we perceived everything that we sensed at any given moment. However, in some cases our attention fails us: as when our mind wanders in class or when we are engaged in conversation. Occasionally our attention shifts, and sometimes the brain senses danger before we perceive it. For instance, if we are watching television and someone tries to break into the house, we would probably perceive the sound. On the other hand, if we knew that children were playing in the other room, we would probably ignore any extraneous noises. Furthermore, concentration enables human beings to consciously attend to sensory data that we personally deem important. For instance, we choose to pay attention to the television in lieu of listening to a conversation in the next room.