Perception

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In philosophy, psychology, and the cognitive sciences, perception is the process of attaining awareness or understanding of sensory information. It is a task far more complex than was imagined in the 1950s and 1960s, when it was predicted that building perceiving machines would take about a decade, a goal which is still very far from fruition. The word comes from the Latin words perceptio, percipio, and means "receiving, collecting, action of taking possession, apprehension with the mind or senses."

Perception is one of the oldest fields in psychology. The oldest quantitative law in psychology is the Weber-Fechner law, which quantifies the relationship between the intensity of physical stimuli and their perceptual effects. The study of perception gave rise to the Gestalt school of psychology, with its emphasis on holistic approach.

What one perceives is a result of interplays between past experiences, including one’s culture, and the interpretation of the perceived. If the percept does not have support in any of these perceptual bases it is unlikely to rise above perceptual threshold.

For more information about Perception, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.


News tagged with perception

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Hammerhead shark

Wide heads give hammerheads exceptional stereo view

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Nov 27, 2009 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (8) | comments 4

Hammerhead sharks are some of the Ocean's most distinctive residents. 'Everyone wants to understand why they have this strange head shape,' says Michelle McComb from Florida Atlantic University. One possible ...


Now you see it, now you know you see it

Medicine & Health / Neuroscience

created 5 hours ago | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 1

There is a tiny period of time between the registration of a visual stimulus by the unconscious mind and our conscious recognition of it ― between the time we see an apple and the time we recognize it as an apple. Our ...


'Too fat to be a princess?' Study shows young girls worry about body image

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

created Nov 24, 2009 | popularity 4 / 5 (2) | comments 2

Even before they start school, many young girls worry that they are fat. But a new study suggests watching a movie starring a stereotypically thin and beautiful princess may not increase children's anxieties.


Highest jobless rate in three decades causes drop in consumer confidence

Other Sciences / Economics

created Nov 24, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Florida's consumer confidence fell three points to 69 in November amid continued concerns over the state?s high unemployment rate, according to a new University of Florida survey.





Search results for perception


Tactile input affects what we hear: study

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

created 7 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Humans use their whole bodies, not just their ears, to understand speech, according to University of British Columbia linguistics research.


Patients say 'no thanks' to risky medical treatments

Medicine & Health / Health

created 12 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

A recent study suggests that increasing patient responsibility for making medical decisions may decrease their willingness to accept risky treatment options. Details of this proof-of-concept study appear in the December issue ...


For stars, high-tech gaffes hard to hide (AP)

For stars, high-tech gaffes hard to hide

Technology / Internet

created Nov 28, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

(AP) -- So, you fail to take a deep breath and to count to 10 - and you post something you probably shouldn't on Twitter or Facebook, or somewhere else online.


Some patients diagnosed with HIV experience improved outlook on life

Medicine & Health / HIV & AIDS

created Nov 25, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

A new study from researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) and the Cincinnati Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center reaffirms that some patients with HIV experience an improved quality of life following their ...


Political views may skew perception of skin tone, new study finds

Other Sciences / Social Sciences

created Nov 24, 2009 | popularity 3.3 / 5 (7) | comments 7

(PhysOrg.com) -- Political affinity could influence how some people view the skin tone of biracial political candidates, according to a new study from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, New York University ...


Visual assistance for cosmic blind spots

Visual assistance for cosmic blind spots

Physics / General Physics

created Nov 23, 2009 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (3) | comments 0

A bit of imagination on the part of a measuring instrument wouldn't be a bad thing. It could help to add data from areas where the instrument is unable to measure. However, it must do so constructively. In ...


Lose the fat: Targeting grease to curtail sewer overflows

Space & Earth / Environment

created Nov 23, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Sewer overflows are a nasty business, posing dangers to human health and the environment. North Carolina State University is launching a new project with funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that targets ...



List of search results for perception