SENSORY PROCESSING - Research Paper Example

The first hurdle for scientists and those in research and development has been learning how to replicate the fast and multidimensional processing of the brain. In neural communication and storage in the brain, signals are sent via an electrochemical signal. This is the result of depolarization and re-polarization which occurs along the myelenated axon as ions move in and out of the membrane. Integration and processing of senses as a whole is orchestrated by all parts of the brain with receptors and sensory instruments working together simultaneously.

It is from this that the transfer from the sensation of the information being taken in can be processed by the brain and interpreted by our consciousness in order to give the perception. The brain works by organizing and integrating information on the basic level. For example, in vision objects are organized based on geodes and schemas. It is from these basic forms that we are able to interpret the object as whole. These are the foundations and laws in psychology which stem from Gestalt psychology.

The brain works by interpreting all the senses simultaneously and rerouting these feelings to their respective lobes in the brain. It is then all brought together in the cerebellum and other cognitive structures where the sensation is given meaning based on past memories, emotions, etc. Time is a very abstract concept. For humans, we are always looking for a way to quantify time. We think of time in terms of the past, present, and future. We further try to quantify it through the use of measurement such as seconds, minutes, hours, days, etc.

In cognition, we may be able to formulate the construct of keeping time on the conscious level by compartmentalizing memories and assigning a frame of reference such as specific memories that occurred during a given week, but what scientists are interested in is how the biological aspect of keeping time occurs. We already know that the body keeps to circadian rhythms which are a form of keeping time which helps us maintain our time awake and sleeping. Recent research into this area has shown that the right lateral frontal lobe and the superior medial regions of the frontal lobe are instrumental in the brains perception of time.

This was accomplished through research in which an auditory stimulus, in this case a tone, was used. Through the use of lesions, it was shown that it inhibited timing performance. Facial recognition is a unique trait among humans. In particular, the cognition involved in viewing faces relies on key components on the face. The main characteristics in which we process faces relies on the T- region, the placement of the eyes, nose, and mouth, as well as other features such as eye size, cheek structure, etc.

This relies on the process of not only the visual stimuli being transmitted from the rods and cones along the optic nerve into the brain, but also the perception and memory component. We are able to recognize faces because along with the perception of the stimulus, our brain pulls constructs from memory in an attempt to identify the face, which can not only be based solely on whether they know the person, but it can also be associated with gender. Video cameras and other security systems are able to pick up facial features of people depending on the clarity of the camera