Perception in the Real World
Example One
The Perception of Color
Human beings perceive color when a particular wavelength of light gets reflected from the object, which makes entry into the eye through the lens. The retina then receives the message for interpretation in rods and cones. The perception of the color starts with the electromagnetic wave that exists in the form of light reflected from the object, which carries the visual color wavelength to human eyes. As per Wolfe et al. (2017), the concept defines color as the “visual sensation, associated with a part of the field of view that appears to the eye to be without structure, through which this part can be distinguished from another unstructured neighboring area when observed with a single, unmoving eye.” Moreover, a single photoreceptor cannot completely code for color vision due to the inability to differentiate various wavelengths. As a result, individuals fix such challenges through employing three distinct cone photoreceptors for coding color in the environment through principles of trichromacy (Wolfe et al., 2017). The critical observation of the trichromacy exists as adding lights together, thus forming a mixture identical to other hence producing the single light wavelength. On the same note, the visual system, the outcome of the three cones for color perception, gets translated into the phenomena of the opponent process mechanism (Wolfe et al., 2017). The mechanism explains concepts of differentiating colors such as blue versus yellow as well as red versus green.
As witnessed from the texts and lectures, the human visual system mainly concentrates on informing the individuals about what exists in the surroundings instead of the specific wavelength that strikes eyes. For example, the light reflected in the red shirt in a store by fluorescent light and that of sun, the shirt would remain to be perceived as red but not judged based on the type of light (Wolfe et al., 2017). In most cases, individuals similarly experience color. Moreover, losing one cone would lead to a deficit known as color blindness.
Space Perception and Binocular Vision
Some of the visual tasks appear to be simple. For instance, measuring distances based on the picture planes in different directions in front of the face occur as simple work for many individuals. According to Wolfe et al. (2017), measuring such distances always happens easier in the planes running from one point to another, such as bottom to top and right to left. In such planes, the retinal distance equal to the real ones. Moreover, individuals face difficulties measuring retinal distances while focusing on other types of planes. In some pictures, retinal distances could appear equal as opposed by the real measurements brain understands the difference in distance. As per Wolfe et al. (2017), the human visual system solves various challenges of measuring distances on the plane picture through the construction of accurate “representation of the three-dimensional space from two-dimensional retinal images.” Moreover, individuals accurately perceive various depth relations in many movies, pictures, and TV shows they encounter hence the high possibility of representing space based on entire monocular cues. Monocular depth cues significantly help humans in viewing world or paintings with one eye (Wolfe et al., 2017). However, the real-world requires binocular views that enhance individuals to perceive the real world. For example, closing one eye while walking offers different aspects of the world, as illustrated by the binocular disparity.
Relating the material to class lectures, the sense of depth, also known as stereopsis, occurs when individuals view the actual three-dimensional scenes or stereograms. In such a case, stereopsis happens as a result of calculations originating from the binocular disparity made by an individual’s visual system (Wolfe et al., 2017). By identifying the two points that go together, individuals can calculate the binocular disparity, also known as stereoscopic correspondence, which helps in identifying various aspects of the visual system.
References
Wolfe, J., Kluender, K., Levi, D., Bartoshuk, L., Herz, R., & Klatzky, R. et al. (2017). Sensation & Perception (4th ed.). Oxford University Press: Sinauer Associates.