Sensory and Perceptual Processing

 Sensory perceptual processes are the fundamental mechanisms by which

we gather, process, and interpret information from our environment
through our senses.
 Without our senses, our brain does not have access to the outside
world. Sensory processing allows the brain to receive external and
internal stimuli. Perceptual processing, however, allows the brain to
interpret the stimuli that have been received.
 Understanding sensory perceptual processes is vital in fields like
psychology and neuroscience, shedding light on how we perceive and
make sense of our surroundings. It also has practical applications in
design, marketing, and healthcare.
 Sensory perceptual processes in psychology explore how our senses
gather and interpret information, shaping our perception, cognition, and
behavior. By understanding how we perceive the world through our
senses, psychologists gain insights into human experience, memory,
decision-making, and mental processes.

Sensory Processes
There are five primary senses: taste, smell, vision, touch, and hearing.
However, these are not the only types of sensory input that the brain receives.
Other sensory information the brain may receive could include balance and
body position, blood monitoring, and immune system monitoring. Even the
sense of touch has subdivisions such as pain or temperature. The sensory
processing transforms the stimuli we receive into a language that the brain can
understand.

Perceptual Processes
Once the stimulus information has undergone the stages of sensory processing,
and is now in a form the brain can understand, interpretation begins. This
process is called the perceptual process.
Perceptual Process Stages
There are five stages of the perceptual process.
1) Stimulation - the sensory information is received.
2) Organization - the brain uses past experiences to form connections to
familiar ideas and concepts. Ideas and patterns are being arranged as the brain
begins to understand what is happening.
3) Interpretation/Evaluation - biases, emotions, motivations, and environment
begin to shape our interpretation of the information received, and we begin to
assign meaning to it. Interpretation is subjective and will be different for
everyone.
4) Memory - our brain stores the event or moment into either our short-term or
long-term memory.
5) Recall - the information that we receive can trigger past events and moments
in our brain and even recover stored memories without us realizing it.

Sensory Processes Perceptual Processes

Raw data is provided Forms our experiences

Process during which sensory Process during which the brain is provided
organs receive information with and interprets sensory information
Awareness of stimuli Interpretation of stimuli
Objective Objective and subjective
Sensation ends where perception
Perception begins where sensation ends
begins
Doesn't always result in
Always built from sensation
perception

Difference between sensory & Perceptual Processes

What is a Sense Organ?

“Sense organs are the organs that respond to external stimuli by conveying
impulses to the sensory nervous system.”.

Sense organs play an important role in a variety of functions and help in

perceiving our surroundings. These are an integral part of our bodies that enable
us to sense the environment around us.
These classic five sensory organs help in perceiving sound, light, smell, taste,
and touch, respectively. Receptors present in the sense organs can transmit a
signal to a sensory nerve, and these are classified into two, namely- general
receptors and special receptors. Special receptors have specialized sense organs
that include eyes for vision, ears for hearing and balance, tongue for taste, and
nose for the smell. General senses are all associated with the sense of touch and
do not bear special sense organs. Touch or general receptors are found
throughout the body (skin).

Our Five Sense Organs

The five sense organs are capable of receiving and relaying sensory information
to the brain. It’s necessary for an organism to perceive information with the help
of sense organs. Below are the five sense organs and their functions described in
detail.

Ears- Sensory System for Hearing (Audioception)

Also known as the auditory sense organs, ears play an important role in hearing
or perceiving sounds. After detecting sound waves or vibrations in the air, our
auditory system helps us in hearing sounds. The ear is also important for our
sense of balance (equilibrium) as it is known that the vestibular system, also
known as the organ of balance, is found inside the inner ear. Three parts of the
ear are namely-
 Outer Ear- It consists of the visible portion known as auricle or pinna,
and a short external auditory canal (eardrum) enclosed by the tympanic
membrane. The outer ear collects sound waves and makes these reach the
tympanic membrane.
 Middle Ear- It is a narrow air-filled cavity in the temporal bone and
surrounded by three tiny bones that include hammer (malleus), anvil
(incus), and stirrup (stapes). Auditory ossicles are the name given to the
combination of these bones.
 Inner Ear- Two functional units of the inner ear are the vestibular
apparatus having vestibule and semicircular canals, and cochlea having
sense organs of hearing.

Eyes- Sensory System for Vision (Ophthalmoception)

Eyes are sensitive to all light images; it collects data from an environment to
send to your brain for processing. This light is converted into usable
information by the brain enabling you to differentiate how bright, what colour,
or how far the object is situated. The cornea and lens are the two layers of an
eye through which the incoming light travels. The former layer is at the front of
an eye, and the latter layer is situated right behind the pupil; both work in
tandem focusing the light ray onto a spot on the retina (located at the back of an
eye). After the light is focused on the retina, it triggers photoreceptors leading to
generating visual cues. The two kinds of photoreceptors include the following:
  Rods: These are more sensitive to light as compared to the cones,
however, they cannot detect colour. There are nearly 120 million rods in
the retina.
 Cones: These can detect colour, the three types of cones can perceive
different colours including red, green, and blue, that further combine to
create the full range of colours. There are nearly 7 million cones in the
retina.

Tongue- Sensory System for Taste (Gustaoception)

One of our sense organs is the tongue that helps in perceiving tastes and
flavours due to the presence of taste buds. Papillae consist of these taste buds on
the tongue and it helps in sensing different tastes. Nose and tongue, together are
associated with discriminating flavours and work together to create a taste. The
receptors present in the taste buds are called chemoreceptors functioning similar
to that of the present in the nasal cavity. The difference lying here is that there
are four different taste buds on the tongue to detect different tastes like sweet,
bitter, sour, and salty.

Nose- Sensory System for Smell (Olfacoception)

Known as an Olfactory organ, the nose helps us to perceive a variety of smells.

It also plays a role in sensing taste and is a part of the body’s respiratory system.
We inhale air through the nose and as it passes over olfactory cells
(chemoreceptors), the brain recognizes and identifies different smells. Hairs in
the nose called cilia, move back and forth to take out the mucus from the
sinuses and back of the nose.

Skin- Sensory System for Touch (Tactioception)

The largest sense organ of our body is Skin and it relates to the sense of touch
known as tactioception. It is a flexible outer covering of the body that comprises
hair follicles, nerves, nails, and glands. The three major functions of Skin are
protection, sensation, and regulation. It consists of sensory nerve structures or
receptors that detect surface temperature, pain, physical touch, and chemical
stimuli. The three layers of the skin include the following:
 Epidermis- It is the outermost layer called keratinocytes that contain a
protein called keratin. Melanocytes, Merkel cells and Langerhans cells
are also present in this layer. It is further divided into multiple layers.
 Dermis- It is located beneath the epidermis and consists of papillae. It is
responsible for making skin flexible and sturdy due to the presence of fat,
collagen and fibers. It plays an essential role in supplying blood for new
cell formation via blood vessels.
  Hypodermis- It is a subcutaneous layer made up of fat that provides
energy and regulates temperature. It is highly beneficial for cushioning
internal organs, bones, muscles, and protecting these from injuries.

Other Sensory Organs

Besides the five sense organs and their functions discussed above, there are
other sensory organs that aid us in perceiving different sensations. The
following are the two other sensory systems that signal the brain for varied
functions.
 Vestibular System- It signals the head position, spatial orientation,
motor functions and motions. Maintaining body posture, body balance,
stabilizing head and body, etc. are among the essential functions of the
vestibular system.
 Proprioception System- It helps in making us aware of the joint
position, consciously, or unconsciously. Some of the examples of the
proprioception system include the balance on one leg, kicking the ball
without looking at feet, and sensing the surface we are standing upon.

Conlusion:
Sensory perceptual processes are fundamental mechanisms through which we
acquire and interpret information from the world around us. They involve the
detection, transmission, and interpretation of sensory stimuli, leading to our
subjective perceptual experiences. By studying these processes, we gain
valuable insights into how our senses shape our understanding of the world and
how we interact with it.