Critical and Creative Essay Questions

Critical and Creative Thinking Questions 1. Sensation and perception are closely linked. What is the central distinction between the two?

Sensation is the process by which we detect stimuli through the five senses and convert them into neural signals. Perception is the process of selecting, organizing, and interpreting those different incoming sensations placing them into useful mental representations of the world. I understand the distinction between the two to be that sensations are things that we experience through the five senses (touch, taste, smell, sound and sight), whereas perception is basically how we interpret those different sensations. For example, although the way chocolate tastes is the same, the way chocolate is perceived to taste may vary depending on whether the individual likes it or not.

2. If we sensed and attended equally to each stimulus in the world, the amount of information would be overwhelming. What sensory and perceptual processes help us lessen the din?

Our perpetual processes that we experience through our sensory processes are familiar things that we experience in the world around. Things like the aroma of fresh cookies or the sound of music are examples of these things. They involve both the recognition of environmental and actions in response to these different stimuli and allows us to act a certain way within our environment. An example of something that I have used to lessen the din is earplugs while I am either studying or doing homework. I need silence when I am trying to focus on a particular task and I have found that ear plugs are a great tool that I can utilize.

3. What senses would likely be impaired if a person were somehow missing all of the apparatus of the ear (including the outer, middle, and inner ear)?

People who are missing the apparatus of the ear would loose the sense of hearing. This would lessen ones ability to hear the different sounds that people with hearing abilities are able to experience in the environment around us. Although this sense would be impaired, other senses like touch, sight and even taste may be enhanced. There have been cases in which individuals who are hearing impaired are able to experience music through the vibrations that are created from the sound of the music.