Sensory Perception - Essay Example

Sensory Perception: Accuracy or Inaccuracy of Sensory InformationSensory Perception: Accuracy or Inaccuracy of Sensory Information The five senses (touch, sight, sound, smell and taste) are the information gathering devices of the human body that sends data into the brain in order for an individual to gain knowledge and make “sense” of the world he lives in.Naturally, these senses only become effective information gathering devices when the brain is bale to process the information correctly or accurately.

The question of authenticity of the information arises when the senses experience conflict during the gathering and processing of data, which most likely will lead to misinterpretation of the information. There is no doubt that sensory information will always often be subjected to (personal) interpretation of the individual, and these personal interpretations will most likely affect the cognitive process regardless of whether the information processed is correct or not. Fortunately there are a number of reasons to believe in the accuracy (or even in the inaccuracy) of sensory information.

The first reason talks about the source of the information and the cognitive capacity of the individual to interpret the data fed to him/her. In order for an information/data to be considered accurate, it must first be received through the senses of touch, sight, sound, smell and taste. The second reason pertains to the reliability of the data/information observed. The formation of “reliable” sensory data depends on how accurate the “observation” process was, and whether it would be able to provide enough supporting facts and data that is important to sensory perception.

The third reason simply states that the accuracy (or inaccuracy) of sensory information is linked to the interpretation of the brain regarding the information observed or received from the senses. Naturally the ability to correctly analyze and interpret sensory information is affected by whether your brain is considered to be healthy or not. If inaccurate data is sent to the brain and the brain is not able to analyze that there is something wrong with the information, misinterpretation would surely be the result and the view of a person about a certain issue of problem would be greatly affected.

Aside from reasons to help an individual decide whether to believe that a particular sensory data is accurate or inaccurate, there are also factors that affect the quality and/or accuracy of sensory data gathered. The sensory data may be affected by objects that are external to it and the individual doing the sensory information gathering, such as amplifiers, various forms of gauges, lenses, etc. Then there are other factors that affect not the data gathered but rather judgment of an individual as they try to analyze the sensory data.

For example, prior knowledge of an object to be analyzed can influence the accuracy of sensory data because an individual will most likely find what they intend to find (Kemp, Hollowood, & Hort, 2011). People will most like see (hear, taste, feel or smell) what they want to see (hear, taste, feel or smell). Distractions such as radio, television, conversation of other people or by personal preoccupation may also affect the kind of sensory information that an individual gathers mainly because the individual is not truly focused at assessing what is in front of him and is more likely to commit inaccurate assessments (Kemp, Hollowood, & Hort, 2011).

As for the interaction of nature and nurture when it comes to interpretation and evaluation of sensory information, a number of people would agree that both are clearly required in said processes (Shaffer & Kipp, 2009). A person’s cognitive ability, his ability to retain and retrieve from memory things that they’ve observed or learned are most likely to be affected by their biological development and the development of their learning abilities – which pertains to the nature aspect of the debate (Shaffer & Kipp, 2009).

However, a person’s cognitive abilities developed from earlier on in his life (such as habituation, classical and operant conditioning, and observational learning) are also likely to affect his interpretation and evaluation of sensory information – this side pertains to the importance of nurture in the debate (Shaffer & Kipp, 2009). ReferencesKemp, S., Hollowood, T., & Hort, J. (2011). 2.2 Factors affecting sensory measurements. In Sensory Evaluation: A Practical Handbook. John Wiley & Sons.

Shaffer, D., & Kipp, K. (2009). Chapter 5. In Developmental Psychology: Childhood and Adolescence. (8th ed.). (p. 193). Cengage Learning.