Communion between the Body and the Mind - Essay Example

Name Instructor Course Date Exercise 1: How does ‘the world’ change as the light changes? Sensation and perception are interconnected processes that highlight the communion between the body and the mind. The senses are the translators while the mind is the decoder. The overall result of the interaction between the brain and the senses produces a form of reality. According to Cropper, a person’s reality is distinctive. Light is an important determinant of the visual experience we get whenever we are watching the world around us. Indeed, our perception of the world does change as light changes. Visual stimulation is a basic prerequisite for sight. Essentially, it is a form of energy that causes us to see when the light is focused on the retina by the cornea and the system of lenses in the eye. The retina then converts the light energy into neural impulses. The impulses combine with the input from the senses (in this case the eye) forming an electrochemical signal that is then transported to the brain by neurons for decoding producing a result (visual perception of the physical stimulus) that is either functional or adaptive. This is the rudimentary denotation of the visual system. Watching the sunset is one of the most captivating pastime activities. Observing the gradual turn of events as the sun sinks into the horizon provides a deep insight regarding the world. Indeed, a deliberate observation of the dramatic change of the visual image of the whole phenomenon as the levels of light diminish to darkness offers a rich perceptual experience. Not only does the sunset project a pleasant weather, but it also eases the emotions. Observing the light gray clouds take the color of the golden rays then turning orange, red, dark blue, then a subtle purple before fading away gives a riveting view. On that particular day, the sun was exposed halfway at the horizon. It was conspicuously orange accompanied with hues of crimson and red. The ocean turned deep red as the surface wavered to and fro taking the appearance of floating diamonds. The hilltops and the trees were bathed in red dye as well. Silhouettes of palm trees and a boulder on the neighboring island looked quite small and trivial in comparison with the magnificent grandeur of the blazing sun and the aesthetic western sky. Before long, the purple clouds parted ways, revealing a huge spherule hanging steadily as it tenderly illuminated the darkness. Meanwhile, the twinkling little stars winked from a far-off distance. A deeper reflection upon the observations stimulates some intellectual curiosity. To begin with, all the objects mentioned in the observation had a distinctive form because they had edges. An edge is a spot in space where a sudden change occurs with regard to lightness, color, and brightness (Foley and Matlin 83). For example, each letter on this page has vertical, horizontal or even diagonal edges. This implies that it is not possible for us to see in the absence of edges. This explains why the moon and the stars stood conspicuously in the darkness or even the sun in the western sky. In addition, if one was to look at a uniform blue field for a long time, the experience changes. The person may now start to see a uniform green field. The lack of edges on the stimuli has altered the visual perception, even though coordination between the receptor system and light energy is credible. Another practical encounter involves a snow storm. Imagine a rescue operator who spends long hours in an extensive field covered uniformly with white snowflakes. In such a case, it is possible for one to claim that they see something on the snowy surface even when there is nothing. According to Cropper, the brain is a slave to the senses in that, it depends on the input from the senses to derive the meaning of a phenomenon from the natural world; and that this exquisite sensitivity can result in a fragmented visual world. The other interesting observation regards the motion. The ocean is certainly not still. A fixed gaze at the surface of the water reveals some diamond-shaped oblongs floating on the surface of the water. However, the involuntary movement of the eyes seems to alter the appearance. The ocean seems closer and the diamonds are more conspicuous. In addition, the sinking sun and the sky appear closer. This visual experience can be attributed to change over time. Our visual system creates the change through involuntary and voluntary movements of the eyes. The former is the most common form of eye movement and it is unconscious and spontaneous. You certainly cannot avoid the involuntary eye movement when you look at the world. Thinking of a simple experiment where my eyes are fixed on an object. The object seems to come closer because the involuntary movements of the eye cause the movement of the edges of the retina. That means if the edges were in a state of stability on the retina, we cannot see. This can explain the lack of vision in people suffering from paralysis of the eye muscles. Temporary blindness resulting from stabilized retinal images occurs because the image borders grow faint gradually and eventually the whole object recedes from view. Depth is an important determinant of visual perception. Closely related to depth are distance and our perception of lightness. According to Foley and Matlin, the lightness of an object is contingent on “the brightness of that object in comparison to the brightness of other objects in the scene” (94). Indeed, depth has an element of comparability. One of the observations made while watching the sunset was that silhouettes of palm trees and a boulder on the neighboring island looked quite small and trivial in comparison with the sun and the sky. Although the palm trees and the boulder were relatively closer compared with the sun, the latter appeared lighter and more conspicuous. Different objects reflect different proportions of light. For example, this surface looks white under different levels of illumination because it reflects more light than the print. Similarly, the sun appeared lighter than the sky because it reflected more light. Also, the stars appeared to illuminate more than the moon because they reflected more light. Cropper suggests that visual categorization or organization comes before the perception of lightness. This means that the context in which the stimuli is perceived is important in determining which surface appears darker or lighter. Organizing the visual scene involves establishing the objects that go together- an important role of the visual system. The visual organization of objects is premised on a number of factors. For instance, it can be premised on the perception that the objects in view appear at the same deepness from the viewer. In the case of the stars and the moon, the stars are lighter compared with the moon, although in practice, the distance between the viewer and the stars is way greater than that between the viewer and the moon. However, to achieve comparability, the visual organization brings the two bodies at par with regard to depth. The change in the appearance of different colors determines visual perception. The ability to distinguish between different stimuli being viewed is called visual acuity. For example, picture two dots drawn close to each other on a white sheet of paper. A person with a good visual acuity will see the two dots as separate characters on the paper. On the other hand, a person with a poor visual acuity is likely to view the two dots as one character on the sheet of paper. Visual acuity allows us to recognize that a person is wearing a gray shirt before they come closer and we realize that the shirt is actually checkered with black and white. There are two major factors that determine the level of visual acuity. First, the one-to-one placement of cone cells in the fovea enhances acuity in a significant way. Second, with regard to the object being viewed, the condition of lighting affects acuity. The other factors that influence acuity include the size of the object and the degree of contrast between the stimulus and the background. One of the observations made when viewing the sunset is that the colors were very distinct while the sun was still shining. This is because the cone cells are the greatest contributor of vision in moderate and bright light. That is why it is possible to see the sky assume different colors as the sun sinks down the horizon. However, in the darkness, it is not possible to see colors distinctly instead everything appears gray. This is because, in very low levels of light, only the rod cells facilitate our vision. One attribute of rod cells is that they do not assist with the vision of colors. Exercise 2: Sensory Oddities and Reality We often hear the phrase ‘I couldn’t believe my eyes!’ Well, this is because the first glance at an object is quick and the object appears normal. However, a more focused view of the object leads to the discovery of new attributes, some of which may not be obvious unless the viewer is more intentional. The first observation is often random and less focused. It can lead to poor or suboptimal deductions because most of the attributes may escape the attention of the viewer. However, subsequent observations are more objective and analytical and often lead to a more coherent deduction. At times, the discoveries can be very captivating, particularly when compared with the real world. This phenomenon is quite intriguing considering that we often authenticate the reality by actually witnessing via the senses. One wonders if it is still tenable to rely on our senses in every instance to capture the reality. However, it all lies in the perception. William Blake summed it all in a simple but profound statement ‘If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is, infinite’. We often encounter illusions of vision in our everyday life. Consider the following simple puzzle about shapes in elementary schooling? Figure 1 Looking at the drawing we can see that the main drawing takes the shape of a square. However, the lines emerging from the vertices intersect at the center creating additional shapes. For example, 4 additional squares have been created. The lines have also created 4 rectangles and 16 triangles. Additionally, the lines have created 8 trapezia. We have arrived at this deduction as a result of analyzing the drawing. Our perception has evolved from one big square with crossing inner lines to an integrated drawing comprising many different shapes. Perhaps this is the very elementary illustration of the illusion of vision. This concept continues to evolve with technological advancements, particularly with regard to motion and 3D imaging. The concept has been employed in film, art and other media to create some interesting oddities of vision. In fact, animation technology builds on this concept to create certain visual effects for entertainment. In my view, the most interesting application of visual illusion in art is the use of stereograms to add the aesthetic value of a piece of art. This technique applies three-dimensional images that repeat on a surface to create a visual oddity. Essentially a stereogram is a combination of one or two similar images to form a certain pattern when arranged in a certain manner. A simple glance at the piece of art may not lead to a discovery of these patterns and the effect thereof, and one may miss on the perceptual experience intended by the artist. However, each person has their unique visual perception of the image and this difference in approach can provoke some intellectual curiosity. According to Cropper, we are a result of a mental faculty that is delicately sensitive to the sensory input and exceptionally fine-tuned to draw out an interpretation of the natural world. This is the connection between sensation and excitement. The visual perception determines the level of excitement of the viewer. That is why an image may truly captivate one person but not the other. If you ask them to explain the reason behind their excitement, you will realize that it is entrenched on their perception of the image.Top of FormBottom of Form ATop of Form Bottom of Form Top of Form Bottom of Form Figure 2: Source https://web.facebook.com/search/top/?q=bobby%20schuller Consider the image above. It is a three-dimensional stereogram. Different people would have different perceptions regarding the image and what they think it represents. To begin with, the blue element depicts a sea or an ocean. I have come to that realization as a result of relating what is presented (sensory input) and the natural world. The brown elements represent boats and the effect is that there is a storm in the ocean. A closer look at the image reveals a picture of a man seated on the water in the middle and a whale is approaching him from the right. The picture represents the Biblical account of the old prophet who was sent to preach in a certain city, but he boarded a ship and took the opposite direction in protest. As a punishment, he was swallowed by a whale but later survived. Well, this is my own perception and reality as well. Someone else may have a different perception of the image and that will inform their reality as well. Whether vision is a construction or a reflection is a subject that should be explored further. Works Cited Cropper, Simon. "Nature makes abstract visual art more captivating." The Conversation (24 Mar. 2014): n. pag. The Conversation. The Conversation, 24 Mar. 2014. Web. 17 Apr. 2017. . Foley, Hugh, and Margaret Matlin. Sensation and perception. Revised ed. N.p.: Psychology Press, 2015. Print. Read More