Observing color perception and visual attention in natural objects

Physiology & the Orange

As I tune in to "my orange," I find that it is difficult to separate the sensory input that I am experiencing. My mind seems to put integration on automatic pilot. Before I close my eyes, I find my visual sense to be dominant. I know that I tend to be a visually-oriented person anyway, so this is not really a surprise. But in my attempts to deal with each sensation separately, it is readily apparent that vision stays in the forefront of my awareness. I know from my reading that the brainstem receives information from my eyes and ears and then sends the sensations along to the midbrain.

Once I close my eyes, it becomes easier to focus on the sensations that my fingers and hands are generating as I manipulate the orange. I am aware of the heft and roundness of the fruit, and the texture of the skin seems amplified when I cannot see the surface of the orange. From my reading, I remember that the diencephalon (where the thalamus and the hypothalamus are located) and the telencephalon (where the cerebrum is located) areas of the brain are responsible for transmitting the nerve impulses that originate in my sensory organs to other parts of the brain.

As I grapple to peel the orange without benefit of sight, I recognize how strongly -- and apparently, automatically -- I depend on my vision for even the most mundane tasks. As I tear the peel of the orange, I hear it give way, and I feel the small drops of oil make contact with my skin. Remembering my reading, I open my mouth to increase my ability to smell the orange and I am instantly aware of the rich citrusy aroma that is inherent to the orange oil. I know from my reading that my olfactory bulb is responsible for communicating the delightful aroma surrounding me to the limbic area in my brain. I am a bit astonished at how quickly the process of transmitting olfactory information occurs, although the process seems a bit slower than does my brains processing of visual information.

My mind drifts to the city of Florence, Italy, where I encountered blossoming orange trees lining the streets -- and I remember thinking that this backdrop could surely cause someone to fall in love forever -- if only with the scent of orange blossoms. Next, my mind skips to Morocco where I washed my hands in orange-scented water before eating in the traditional fashion of shared trays of food taken up in the fingers and skillfully -- or in my case, not so skillfully -- popped into the mouth. I remember that I brought home a small vial of the orange oil; it still sits on a shelf where I see it when I pass and think simultaneously of the excitement of the trip and the many small places and manners in this culture that create an oasis for the mind. My academic orientation inserts itself here, and I remember that aromas are associated with long-term memory and emotions, apparently since the olfactory system appears to be linked to the hippocampus and the limbic system.