Understanding Perception: From Sensation to Meaning
Perception: A Complex Cognitive Process
Perception is a cognitive process of a more complex nature. It involves the mental process of organizing and interpreting sensations. Perception is based on feelings, but it is accompanied by mental representations.
Consider, for example, a chocolate bar. We do not perceive isolated sensations—first its black color, then its rectangular shape, and then its sweet and rich taste. Instead, we conceive of the chocolate as an integrated whole. We also consider cultural influences: think of a photograph. If a person has never seen a photograph before, they might find it difficult to perceive and recognize its three-dimensionality.
Early Theories: Empiricism and Associationism
Early psychological theories posited that we perceive individual and isolated sensations. This was the approach of empiricist philosophers like Locke and Hume, later adopted by associationist theories put forward by early psychologists (Wundt and James). Associationism argues that the human mind works by combining simple, irreducible elements. For Locke and Hume, the human faculties of memory and imagination can retain these sensations and then link them with each other, generating ideas of things, whether real or imaginary. For example, if we imagine Laura R. green with butterfly wings on her back, it is because, according to these authors, we independently experienced the sensations of green, wings, and Laura, and then combined them.
The Rise of Gestalt Psychology
This approach was challenged with the advent of Gestalt psychology. According to this school, images are perceived as a whole, as a configuration, and not merely as a sum of their constituent parts. Gestalt psychologists discovered that perception is strongly influenced by the context and the configuration of the elements received. The parts derive their nature and meaning from the total configuration and cannot be understood apart from it. As they famously stated: “The sum of the parts does not equal the whole.”
Key Laws of Perceptual Organization
Gestalt psychologists identified several laws of perceptual organization, noting that similarity, proximity, closure, and continuity are factors that determine the grouping of figures and the differentiation of figure from background. However, the more general law that governs perception is the Law of Pragnanz (or Law of Good Figure/Terseness), which states that psychic organization is as good as prevailing conditions permit. In other words, the perception that emerges with greater accuracy and speed is that which corresponds to the simplest, most complete, symmetrical, best-balanced, and best-focused sense.
Specific Gestalt Laws of Perceptual Organization
- Law of Pragnanz (Good Figure/Terseness): The perceived shape tends to be the best, meaning the most simple, complete, and symmetrical. This is also known as the Law of Simplicity.
- Law of Proximity: Elements that are closer together tend to be perceived as forming groups.
- Law of Similarity: Elements that are similar in appearance (e.g., color, shape, size) tend to be perceived as belonging together. This is sometimes referred to as the Law of Identity.
- Law of Continuity: Elements that form a continuous pattern or flow are perceived as belonging together.
- Law of Closure: We tend to perceive incomplete figures as complete, filling in gaps to create a whole. This is also known as the Law of Whole Act.
- Law of Contrast: The perception of an element’s size or other qualities can be influenced by its relationship with other elements in the set.
The Influence of Language on Perception
Furthermore, language significantly shapes the sources of perception. Concepts and symbols conveyed by language interact with sensory data, providing a particular orientation or highlighting specific aspects of sensation. Thus, concepts that act as potential frameworks must be continually checked against new sensory data.
For example, if we perceive a somewhat clear, blue, prismatic form of low altitude, we easily tend to see a book because we have a concept of a book that seems to fit the data. Thus, the use of concepts and symbols guides perception in a particular direction, much like the laws of form.
Memory and the Simplification of Perception
Perceptions also tend to undergo a process of simplification in memory, which can result in a kind of qualitative forgetting. Shapes tend to become more generic, or “idealized.” Memories are often processed in relation to objects that share some similarity.