Sensation and Perception
People have senses such as sight, hearing, touching, and tasting and these help us to get by life every day. These senses possess the ability to convert our real-world information into an electronic form that can be processed by the brain. The way we often interpret this information which is through our perceptions is what informs and influences our experiences of the world. Sensation and perception are two distinct processes that are very closely related. Sensation is basically defined as the process that occurs when a sensory receptor is stimulated and produces nerve impulses that go all the way to the brain which then interprets the impulses as either a visual image, taste, pain, touch, or odor. Perception, on the other hand, is the process that occurs when the brain organizes the information it receives from nerve impulses in a way that it can translate and interpret the information. Perception and sensation are completely different in terms of how they process information. In the process of sensation, all the physical properties and the physical stimulus are usually registered by the sensory organs. The sensory organs then decode this information and transform them into signals or neural impulses. These impulses are then transmitted to the brain’s sensory cortices. So this is where the central distinction occurs because perception takes place after sensation. In the brain, the impulses are organized and then they undergo translation and interpretation. Once the process of perception is complete, one can make sense of their sensations (Olin, 2014). For instance, seeing a light that is a sensation is distinct from determining what color it is in which perception is.
When we look at the world around us, it is easy to assume that what we normally see is what we get. However, according to various research, how we view the world is largely influenced by our motivations, expectations, past experiences, culture, emotions, and even our beliefs. This is what is usually referred to as a perceptual set; a tendency to perceive things in a certain way. Our previous perceptual experiences usually affect how we do things and how we inform our decisions based on previous actions.
As human beings, we tend to pay more attention to things that we feel will attend to our needs and interests. This type of effort in paying selective attention to certain things can help us get things done and achieve our instrumental goals. For instance, if when conducting an important business meeting earlier you had created a good impression due to knowing and mastering all of your clients’ names, you will be more inclined to do the same on other business meetings to close a deal. Another instance could be choosing to watch a certain movie or film because it has your favorite character in it when you go to the movies.
Motivation also plays a huge role in how we see the world around us and perceive it. Perceptions also allow for predictions of what behaviors people might engage in. For instance, if listening to a particular song or engaging in a sporty activity such as jogging helped motivate you to finish a given task then you will most likely do the same before you start doing the job.
Expectations play a huge part in how we perceive people or surroundings. If we have expectations of how people should behave in certain roles or when they encounter certain predicaments, the lack of them behaving in that expected many may lead us to have negative views and attitudes towards them. Expectations can also be salient and we can find both expected and unexpected things to have salience. If for example, at the workplace the last time you overheard the general manager speaking in a very high pitched voice and was angry at something it resulted to someone being fired then you walk into the office one day and find him speaking angrily, you will expect the same to happen as the previous instance. Another example could be that you had applied for a scholarship previously and a mail was sent to you informing you that you got it. If you have been applying for jobs and you receive a letter, due to your previous experience you will expect that it is good.
Our culture and environment also influence our perception. Our families and peers alike tend to determine what is desirable or not desirable and most times we find ourselves inclined to interpret information that way. You will tend to buy a certain brand of perfume because a friend who wore it received many compliments. Another instance could be helping your siblings with homework because the previous time you did it you were rewarded greatly. You will tend to indulge in activities that your peers or parents approve of if they were especially rewarding.
How we feel could also have a dramatic impact on how we treat people and perceive things. If some time back you fell out with a friend and by trying to work things out you got more angry and hostile, this will inform on how you resolve conflicts in the future. When faced with such a situation in the future, you will more likely approach it in a more calm and collected way to avoid what might have happened the last time.
The perceptual set theory asserts that perception is an active process that involves selection, organization, and interpretation. When faced with real-world problems, the differences we as human beings have may prove a little difficult to reconcile and this is what often brings about prejudice towards people who do not share the same sentiments as we do. Prejudice can be described as a negative feeling and attitude towards someone based on them belonging to a certain social group (Clark, 2018). This type of behavior is especially common against people who belong to a certain unfamiliar cultural group. Social groups include ethnicity, race, nationality, gender, social class, religion, profession, sexual orientation, and more. An example includes having a negative attitude towards people who are not born in your country of origin. When people act on their prejudiced attitudes towards a particular group of people, this is referred to as discrimination. Discrimination is when someone acts negatively towards another individual as a result of the individual belonging to a certain social group. Due to holding negative beliefs and attitudes about people in a particular group, some people often treat others in a very bad and poor manner. Choosing not to invite someone from the workplace to a workplace party due to their social class is a good example of prejudice. Another instance could be how the Mexican Americans, African Americans, and Latinos are more likely to be asked to show their formal identification by the police compared to their white counterparts. Due to discrimination, a black man walking the streets can be easily harassed by the police due to his color.
Human beings are very diverse and even though we have shared similarities, we also have many differences. The environment we come from or social groups we belong to most times help to form our identities. Based on our perceptions and how we see things, we develop feelings of prejudice and discrimination towards other people who are different from us and then we decide how to treat them which can sometimes be misleading. In cases where we find ourselves making the wrong decisions, we often find ourselves developing new perceptual sets that are more accurate.
References
Clark, A. (2018). Priors and Prejudices: Comments on Susanna Siegel’s The Rationality of Perception. Res Philosophica, 95(4), 741-750. https://doi.org/10.11612/resphil.1757
Olin, L. (2014). Burge on perception and sensation. Synthese, 193(5), 1479-1508. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-014-0531-1