Perception - Research Paper Example

Download file to see previous pages Many individuals mistake these two separate entities as one in the same. This paper will distinguish the difference between the two and provide clarity of each one’s function. This paper will also define how we as individuals acquire a cultural sense of sensation and perception through our experiences. This paper will define terms that will help you understand the history behind the functions of sensation and perception. The research in this paper will define abnormalities that can affect sensation and perception and the effects of those abnormalities as well as medical research and breakthroughs. Perception and Sensing of Our Everyday Environment Perception and Sensation though working together are different entities performing different functions. The functions performed by both perception and sensation are important to the interpretation of how we experience everyday life in the world around us. Sensation and perception are answerable to the brain. The brain is like a telephone pole and sensation and perception are some of the wires plugged into it to communicate. Perception and sensation to diffuse the confusion honed by most must be described and defined individually. Let’s begin by first defining sensation and describing sensations functions. Myers (2009) observes or defines sensation as the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment. So what does this mean in laymen’s terms? Basically sensation is the signal we send to our brain that represents our physical experiences in this world we live in. Sensation receptors are recognized by the brain through receiving input up to the brain, which the brain interprets and sends out. There are several interpretation methods that we know as the senses. The five senses are vision, hearing, tasting, touching and smelling. These five senses are used on a daily basis and play very important roles in our everyday lives. Without the use of the five senses, the function of sensation would not exist in our world. Vision is the way we see and interpret the world around us. Vision occurs through the eyes. The eyes have several components that receive and send out light to form visual images. The eye contains several parts, the cornea, the iris, the pupil, the lens, the retina, the fovea, the rods and cones, and the optic nerve to name a few. For the sake of the length of research I will only cover a few parts to give the summarization of the eye’s function and how it transmits to the brain. The parts of the eye that will be discussed are the retina, the rods and the cones and the optic nerve. The “retina is the light-sensitive inner surface of the eye, containing the receptor rods and cones plus layers of neurons that begin the processing of visual information” (Myers, 2009) The “rods are the retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray; necessary for peripheral and twilight vision, when cones don’t respond” (Myers, 2009) The “cones are retinal receptor cells that are concentrated near the center of the retinal that function in daylight or in well-lit conditions. The cones detect fine detail and give rise to color sensations” (Myers, 2009) The “optic nerve is the nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain” (Myers, 2009) So basically when putting all these functions together here is what happens. Once light enters the eye through the cornea, the retina processes the light through ...Download file to see next pagesRead More