Visual Perception

Visual perception and visual sensation are both interactive processes, although there is a significant difference between the two processes. Sensation is defined as the stimulation of sense organs Visual sensation is a physiological process which means that it is the same for everyone. We absorb energy such as electro magnetic energy (light) or sound waves by sensory organs such as eyes. This energy is then transduced into electro chemical energy by the cones and rods (receptor cells) in the retina. There are four main stages of sensation. Sensation involves detection of stimuli incoming from the surrounding world, registering of the stimulus by the receptor cells, transduction or changing of the stimulus energy to an electric nerve impulse, and then finally the transmission of that electrical impulse into the brain. Our brain then perceives what the information is. Hence perception is defined as the selection, organisation and interpretation of that sensory input. Perception is defined as the process of organizing, interpreting, and selectively extracting sensory information . Visual perception is left to the individual person to make up their own mind. Perceptual organisation occurs when one groups the basic elements of the sensory world into the coherant objects that one perceives. Perception is therefore a process through which the brain makes sense of incoming stimuli. The process of perception is an interactive yet separate process from sensation, however, it is sometimes difficult to separate the two processes. The main difference is that sensation is where our sense organs first encounter raw stimuli. Perception is the process by which the stimuli are interpreted, analysed, and integrated with other sensory information. An experience from everyday life that helps to work out perception and sensation is a football game. A ball could be kicked towards the goals. Two people will see the same ball going in the same direction at the