Reflection Papers On Sense and Perception [PDF]

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Sensation All our sense organs are, in some very basic ways, much alike. All the sense organs transform physical stimulation such as light waves or sound waves into the neural impulses that give us sensations such as the experience of light or sound. Sensation is the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment. Each of the senses provide us with lot of value information. Sensation is possible through our five senses that we have namely; vision, auditory, smell, taste and touch. Vision is the main source of our information and knowledge. Our memory mostly works through the visual images that we see in day to day life. Movement in a desired direction is possible because of vision. Our eyes are the source of vision to us. The eyes absorb the light radiation from outside and we are able to see. We can enjoy the best and latest music through our ears. Ears are the source of auditory sensation to us. Ear is most complex and carefully designed to absorb sound. It is the sense through which we are able to understand others. It gives us a significant part of our knowledge that we hold on to. By the use of these sense we are able to listen to discourses given by various persons. Smell is a unique sense. It gives us various kinds of smell or odor. There are five million olfactory receptors cells with their 1000 different receptor proteins recognize individual odor molecules. Some odors trigger a combination of receptors. Like other stimuli odors can spontaneously evoke memories and feeling. Taste is a compound sense, it is composite of five basic sensations - sweet, sour, salty, bitter and unnamed and of the aromas that interact with the information from the taste buds. There is a influence on taste by the sense of smell. Touch is another sense that we have it is also called as skin sense. It has several different types of sensory receptors just below the surface of the skin. It can recognize heat, cold, light touch, heavy pressure, pain etc. These are the various senses that we have and we are able to sense the world through this. These senses are God's gift to each one of us. I believe that sensation is caused by God in this world and it is my duty to respondent to it. They are the sources God's of inspiration to me. I should always try to make best use of them. I have seen so many people born handicap. As a child of God it is my responsibility to see to the welfare of others. Through my vision I see the world and its problems. I should try to make these earth a better place by making use of my senses.



Perception We transform sensation into perception. Plato rightly said that we perceive objects through the senses. We are able to construct the outer world in our brain. Perception refers to Selection, organization, and interpretation of sensory input. Perception comes to us moment by moment, one perception vanishing as the next appears. It is a selective attention to a particular sensation. By one estimate, our five senses take in 11,000,000 bits of information per second, of which we consciously process about 40. Yet we intuitively make a greater use of the other 10, 999,960 bits. Perception is a mental process that elaborates and assigns meaning to the incoming sensory patterns. Thus, perception creates an interpretation of sensation. Perception gives answers to such questions as: What do I see—a tomato? Is the sound I hear a church bell or a doorbell? Does the face belong to someone I know?. Perception is influenced by various factors. Contrast, the more different is the stimuli we are more likely to attend to it. For example I remember the mistakes and jokes that were cracked in the class of Fr. Allan than the scientific process he spoke about. Size also affects our perception the bigger the object the more easy it is to remember. I vividly remember the Mysore Palace I saw in the month of may because of its huge structure and Place. Motion is another factor which affects the way we perceive things. A moving object is more likely for further processing than a static object. I remember the Gandhi museum I saw at Aurangabad Because of its motion picture presentation of the life of Gandhi than any other museum I have seen. Culture also plays an important role in the way we perceive the objects. The culture in which we are brought up or the physical environment. Since I spent my early life in a village I like nature that surrounds me, I also like getting wet in the rain, I also enjoy places which are cool and serene, I like the soft music than the rock one. These are things which affect my perception. Perception is the immediate knowledge of things through senses. Perception helps us to be grow in our knowledge and love of God. George Berkeley philosopher on whom I am writing my scientific paper says esse est percepi which means to perceive is to exist. All our knowledge comes to us through perception. Unless we perceive we can know nothing. Perception forms the very basis of our existence. Sensation and Perception are the two most important things according to me. It is through them we are able to experience the world around us and make a significant contribution to the society in which we live.



Agustinho Barretto