Human perception relies on the smooth functioning of sensory organs, nerves, and the brain. The brain’s limited processing ability and cultural conditioning also affect perception. The senses gather a vast amount of data, but the brain filters it to focus on the most relevant information. Perception is shaped by individual differences in sense organs and learned values.
Human perception requires that the sensory organs, nervous system and brain work together smoothly. Any failure in this system can impede or change human perception of the world at large. The human brain is also limited in its ability to process information and takes some shortcuts when processing information received from the senses, especially during visual perception. Cultural conditioning and training also influence perception to some extent, as men and women are conditioned to view certain stimuli as more important than others.
The five senses of the human body pick up a huge amount of detail about the world. Every sensory system receives data from the world, either in the form of light hitting the rods and cones at the back of the eye or as vibrations in the air that are picked up as sound by the ear. Once the information has been received by a sense organ, it is transmitted via the nerves in the form of raw data. Damage to the nervous system can prevent information from reaching the brain for processing. The brain builds a model of reality based on information received from the senses.
The sense organs of every human being have different strengths and weaknesses. The ability to gather raw data from the world imposes key limitations on human perception. For example, as men and women age, most lose the ability to detect very high pitches. Many conditions can limit the senses’ ability to gather information from the world and therefore limit the brain’s ability to perceive its surroundings.
Another factor that shapes human perception comes from the sheer volume of information that the senses are capable of gathering. The senses can potentially convey far more raw information to the brain than the brain can actually meaningfully process. Parts of the brain work on an unconscious level to do crude processing and filtering in order to limit the conscious brain’s attention to that information that is most relevant.
Typically, the human brain follows certain patterns in sorting data. The brain is especially likely to notice changes. Movement in the field of vision, a rapid change in temperature, or the sudden sensation of an insect crawling over the skin is likely to be transmitted to the conscious brain. Some men and women are naturally better at these perception tasks than others, although mindful focus and training can improve anyone’s skills. Learned values also play a role in shaping perception, as cultural systems teach the conscious brain what information is meaningful, and human memory and perception can become interconnected.
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