The Dynamics of Human Perception: A Psychological Perspective

Understanding Human Perception

• Perception is an elementary form of psychic behavior, basic to the development of human personality. Perception is, therefore, not a simple mechanical reaction.
• The perception of man always expresses something of oneself (the same thing happens with sight or speech).

Subjectivity and Influences on Perception

• Perception depends not only on external stimuli but also on psycho-social circumstances. As the act of perception involves several subjective factors, the characteristics of perception also depend on social conditions.
• What we perceive is interpreted conceptually in logical or symbolic categories, or values. That is, between the perceived object and our perception, a system of thought emerges that, like a set of coordinates or a backdrop, attributes significance to that object.
• The previous social experiences of an individual predetermine the style of their present perceptions.
• The perception of certain phenomena will vary depending on the set of stimuli acting in the field of our awareness.
• We do not perceive stimuli in isolation, but within a structured system.
• Our perceptions also depend, to some extent, on one's personality traits, especially when stimuli are ambiguous or insufficiently structured. This phenomenon has been used by some psychologists to build personality diagnostic tests, based on the different ways certain stimuli are perceived, which characterize specific human types.

Identifying Stimuli: Beyond Completeness

• It is not always necessary for the stimulus to be identical to previous ones, or complete, for it to be identified. This phenomenon occurs, for example, when we identify a logo as a symbol of a particular trademark.

Exploring Types of Sensory Perception

• Although the actual processes of perception often combine different kinds of sensory input, it is useful to distinguish types of perception.
• There are: Tactile, Olfactory, Auditory, and Visual Perceptions.
• Visual perceptions allow us to quickly gather information about shapes, colors, movements, and relative positions. Our organs of sight instantly register what has happened around us and allow us, at the same time, to adjust our behavior to changing events.

The Active Role of the Perceiver

• Experimental psychology has demonstrated, through extensive research, that the individual is not a blank slate or a passive recipient in whom only environmental stimuli are recorded. Man, even in the process of perception, is an active being, a creator, who imbues everything with his own style.
• The act of perceiving is a psychological construct, not simply a reaction to physical and chemical stimuli. We never approach an act of perception with a blank mind; instead, we are in a previous state of expectation, due to past experience and the characteristics of the human nervous system.