Cognitive Psychology
Cognitive Psychology
5th Edition
ISBN: 9781337408271
Author: Goldstein, E. Bruce.
Publisher: Cengage Learning,
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Chapter 3, Problem 3.1-1TY
Summary Introduction

Introduction

Perception, in psychology, is defined as a mental process that allows one to make sense of the world by identifying and modifying the information received through the senses into different mental meaningful schemas.

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The human perceptual process follows a pattern that involves attention toward the environment, images falling on the retina, transforming the information received through the eyes into neural signals, and perceiving and recognizing the stimuli based on past experiences and schemas. For instance, when Crystal goes to the beach, she witnesses the sunrise, the mist along the riverside, and the subtle light surrounding the space. This perception of hers makes her feel good in that moment. Besides this, she mistakes an umbrella for a driftwood that was around 100 yards away from her, which reflects how the perceptual process is prone to errors and changes.

Three characteristics of perception are:

Perception is not an isolated event; rather, it unfolds through a process. It does not only involve the reception of stimuli from the environment, but also turning the information into something personally meaningful to the individual.

Perception is prone to changes and modifications. For instance, when Crystal first perceives a driftwood going by her past knowledge, but later changes her perception when she approaches the object and realizes that it, in fact, is an umbrella. Thus, perception is continual.

The perceptual process occurs simultaneously with action. For instance, Crystal is walking on the beach when she observes the sunset and the mist. Another example that illustrates the same is when a person is typing while reading words on the computer.

The mechanism of perception is more than just receiving and identifying objects because it is more complex than that. It takes into account the various processes taking place during the perceptual process. For instance, reception of information involves more than one senses, such as feeling cold while witnessing snowfall at the same time. Along with this, perception allows individuals to create their own perceptual field, which gives them a unique subjective view of the world.

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