The Processes of Visual Perception and Visual Sensation

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The Processes of Visual Perception and Visual Sensation

Visual perception and visual sensation are both interactive processes, although there is a significant difference between the two processes. Sensation is defined as the stimulation of sense organs Visual sensation is a physiological process which means that it is the same for everyone. We absorb energy such as electro magnetic energy (light) or sound waves by sensory organs such as eyes. This energy is then transduced into electro chemical energy by the cones and rods (receptor cells) in the retina. There are four main stages of sensation. Sensation involves detection of stimuli incoming from the surrounding world, registering of the stimulus by the receptor cells, transduction or changing of the stimulus energy to an electric nerve impulse, and then finally the transmission of that electrical impulse into the brain. Our brain then perceives what the information is. Hence perception is defined as the selection, organisation and interpretation of that sensory input.

Perception is defined as the process of organizing, interpreting, and selectively extracting sensory information . Visual perception is left to the individual person to make up their own mind. Perceptual organisation occurs when one groups the basic elements of the sensory world into the coherant objects that one perceives. Perception is therefore a process through which the brain makes sense of incoming stimuli.

The process of perception is an interactive yet separate process from sensation, however, it is sometimes difficult to separate the two processes. The main difference is that sensation is where our sense organs first encounter raw stimuli. Perception is the process by which the stimuli are interpreted, analysed, and integrated with other sensory information.

An experience from everyday life that helps to work out perception and sensation is a football game. A ball could be kicked towards the goals. Two people will see the same ball going in the same direction at the same time yet one could say that the ball was a goal and the other could say that the ball went in through the goals for a point.

There are many different Visual Perception principles in perception. The main principles are Gestalt. Gestalt is a German word meaning 'form' or 'shape'. Gestalt psychologists formulated a series of principles that describe how t...

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...the other end there are only two. Such a figure is an impossible figure. It is possible, because, the depth cues and shape cues of one part of the figure do not have to be consistent with the depth and shape cues of another part of the same figure.

There are six diagonal lines. At one end there are circles on them giving the impression of three circular prongs. At the other end the same size lines have cross connecting lines consistent with two square prongs. These perceptions can violate our expectations for what is possible often to a delightful effect.

Our psychology class did an Empirical Research Assessment on perceptual set. The ERA consisted of showing people pictures of faces and then showing a picture of a face/rat. The same was then done to a different group of people using pictures of different animals and then the face/rat picture. The picture of the man/rat could neither be decided if it was a rat or a man. This experiment showed the deception of showing a person previous pictures influenced the decision on which the subject would make.

Visual perception plays a big part on how we perceive life. If we didn't have perception I don't know where we would be now.

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