1. How to seeHow to see
Perception and sensationPerception and sensation
Perception and sensationPerception and sensation
Perception and sensationPerception and sensation
David Aguilar
July, 2014
2. Primary Visual CortexPrimary Visual Cortex
Primary visual cortex - the portion of the
cerebral cortex of the brain that receives
and processes impulses from the optic
nerves.
A couple main components involved that
contribute to vision, as seen on the left,
are the following: cornea, lens, retina, the
optic nerve, the optic chiasm, the optic
tract, the thalamus (lateral geniculate
nucleus), optic radiation, and the occipital
lobe (where the visual cortex resides).
Can you believe everything we see is
happening in the back of our head?
3. Higher Visual ProcessHigher Visual Process
(In the Back of the Head)(In the Back of the Head)
(In the Back of the Head)(In the Back of the Head)
Ventral Stream - “What?”
recognizes pieces and
fragments of the object being
seen.
Dorsal Stream - “Where?”
analyzes spatial motion and
interacts with movement
efficacy and visual processes.
Both streams provide significant
contribution towards sensing,
selecting and perceiving
information.
4. SensingSensing
Sensing is greatly executed by the eyes
and the nervous system, sensing it’s not
synonymous with perceiving - which is
done by the mind.
External objects, the gross substance,
can be sensed in various ways.
Particularly, the eyes act as the
apparatus from which the sense of sight
can be performed.
Sensing doesn’t equal perceiving.
Meaning it doesn’t have to make sense at
first, but everything will be alright, keep
on going mate. You’re wonderful and
clever.
5. SelectingSelecting
Selecting - to choose in preference to another or others; pick out.
A large portion of selecting involves where the attention is set in the external field, be it
by internal thoughts regarding psychological factors or physiological, pleasant to the
eye, attributes. Which is to say its a part of the process of the mind, hence a process of
perception.
In being able to distinguish a given object through, to single out as in the apple picture
above, the fovea centralis, also known as macula, fixates and makes the object clearer
and sharper - with the help of the active cones inside the eye in improving vision acuity.
Therefore, dulling the surrounding area and leaves the rest unwanted or not perceived.
Macula
6. PerceivingPerceiving
Perceiving - to become aware of, know, or
identify by means of the senses
[conscious appreciation]
The act of perceiving is formed and
integrated with memories. For example,
when a person grows a habit and
remembers the environmental factors, it
perceives rapidly. Contrary, when in a new
area, it senses rapidly but doesn’t quite
perceive as evenly fast.
How we Perceive? With the neocortex. A
stimulus is introduced into the eye and the
nervous system modulates the light and
turns it into an electrical signal, which is
transmitted to the cerebral cortex.
Perception is established.
7. How I seeHow I see
“We’re not born knowing how to see, we learn how to see.” - Peggy Mason
I’m a healthy 19 year old male, except for one damaged factor, my eyesight. I wear
spectacles and contacts, not simultaneously, to serve as a crutch to instantly aid in my
vision. Without them, uneasiness forms and blurred surfaces look wrong. I like to consider
myself a positivist, and believe everything happens for a reason to strengthen ourselves in
our misfortunes. Therefore I haven’t lost hope and will seek for a practical solution in
learning how to see better at this age, eventually acquiring an eyesight that will no longer
need any instantaneous refractive lenses to aid my eyes. That is my hope and the way I
see things now are becoming clearer, thank you neurobiology for enlightening the way I
see the world, full of constructive failures and endless possibilities.
8. How This Course Helped MeHow This Course Helped Me
Better Analyze Myself and MyBetter Analyze Myself and My
EnvironmentEnvironmentA realization of my present condition, particularly the current state of my eyes, and the
events that led down the path of becoming myopic (shortsightedness) - mostly due to
sitting-indoors-obsessively-fixating into a TV. Now that I’m aware of it, and because of the
few opportunities stated for the recuperation of eyesight by scientific orthodox
announcements, I will study other ways to improve vision acuity and see, hopefully, new
techniques for the betterment of our species.
Its exciting to recognize bits and pieces of the powerful function of the eye when looking at
the outside stimuli now. For instance, when I perceive my friend wearing a vibrant blood
velvet dress under the sun, I recognize what’s going through my head as it passes through
the cornea, focusing the light, passing the lens, opening and closing depending on lighting
conditions, hitting the macula on the retina, which fixates on the object for clarity. The rest
goes on. My objective with learning this valuable information is to keep my eyes on check
and seek what’s real, in this case the wavelength which is interpreted by the brain as the
color red. To know what to say, what to do and fix, exercise, and learn how to see so in as
much as to help the younger generations to come, specifically my younger brothers, before
its to late. Thank you.