Perception

Perception

Perception, the most immediate of our senses. The human senses however, are limited compared to those of the animal kingdom. To what extent can we rely on our senses? When discussing perception one is discussing the sensory means of picking up information. This includes sight, smell, hearing and touch. Perception is how we know what is happening around us. We see something for example, and our mind analyses this and categorizes it. Our knowledge is limited by our perception because there are some things that go beyond this, that we are not able to perceive. Our perception of the world is determined by our sensory input—the things we experience.Perception is the active, interpretive, and selective process of becoming conscious of that around you. It is how we understand the world and make conclusions about it. From that what we perceive we must make decisions on what exceeds our perception limits. Because we are unable to know how others experience sensory perception, we must merely rely on our own and perception is therefore individual and subjective. An example for this may be the color green. Green is impossible to describe and someone may perceive green differently than I do. As we are unable to know how others experience their sensory perception, sensory perception is something which every individual might see different. But not only color can be subjective. When we see something, certain people may be to extract more knowledge from it than another. When a child walks by a car, they see a car. When a car mechanic walks by he might know the date it was made, the power of the engine etc..Another example is that I know that I have a Chrysler at home. Someone from a poorer country may just see a random object. Secondly, sensory perception can be misleading. Magic for example, works on this premise. The brain wants to simplify things in order to understand them. So, you may see someone disappearing from stage, however it is an illusion. Also, sensory perception takes place momentarily. Often memory may affect what we recall etc..