Chapter 4

The awareness of things through our 5 senses•sight•sound•touch•taste•smell

Perception

The theory that all knowledge is ultimately based on perceptual experience.

Empiricism

Perception is a passive and relatively straightforward process which gives us an accurate picture of reality.

Common-sense realism

• Perception is a complex process

• Perception consists of 2 distinct elements:

• sensation (is provided by the world)• interpretation (is provided by our

minds)

Perceptual Illusions

The way we see something depends partly on the context in which we see it.

Context

When we look at something, we tend to highlight certain aspects of what we see and treat other parts of it as background.

Figure and ground

We have a natural tendency to look for meaning in what we see and to group our perceptual experiences together into shapes and patterns.

Visual Grouping

Our expectations can influence how we see things.

Think about how difficult it is to spot your own typing errors!!

Expectations

How many legs does the elephant have?

In this test DO NOT READ the words, say aloud the COLOR of each word.

 

YELLOW BLUE ORANGEBLACK RED GREEN

PURPLE YELLOW REDORANGE GREEN BLACK

BLUE RED PURPLEGREEN BLUE ORANGE

Word Color Test

•People lose the ability to interpret what they see

•This can happen when people suffer from brain damage.

Visual Agnosia

• Perception is selective

• Our interests and mood shape our perception•Example: When a woman becomes pregnant, she notices pregnant women wherever she goes.

• Our feelings and emotions shape our perceptions

Selectivity of Perception

How would each of the following differ, depending on the person involved?

1.A child dying in poverty as seen by a doctor, an economist, a social worker, the child’s father.

2.A sunset as seen by a religious figure, a painter, a farmer.

Our perspectives affect the way we see things…

It is easy to confuse the source of your memories…

Example: Thinking back to your childhood, you may be unsure whether some of your memories are really memories of the events, or whether your parents have told you stories so many times that you think you remember them.

Eye-witness testimony

We usually distinguish between appearance and reality by…

• using a second sense to confirm the evidence of the first

• appealing to coherence

• the testimony of other people

Distinguishing appearance from reality…

One way to distinguish appearance from reality is to use a second sense to confirm the evidence of the first.

* If it looks like an apple and tastes like an apple, it is reasonable to conclude that it really is an apple.

Confirmation by another sense

There are 3 theories about the relationship between perception and reality.

1.common sense realism: the way we see the world mirrors the way the world is

2.scientific realism: the world exists as an independent reality, but it is very different from the way we perceive it

3.phenomenalism: matter is simply the permanent possibility of sensation, and it makes no sense to say that the world exists independent of our experience in it

Theories of reality…