Categorical perception affects how humans and animals perceive things in the same class, with differences within categories often being overlooked. It is unclear whether it is learned or innate. Perception can also be influenced by language and other factors, and computational methods are used to study it. Categorical perception can help the brain process information more predictably.
Categorical perception is when the categories understood by a human or other animal can change the perception of things in the same class. Scientists have found that people often perceive things more accurately when concepts such as words or images are in different categories. Things in the same category are often misperceived because their differences aren’t so obvious. Differences that fall into the same category are often grouped together; however, differences in concepts between two categories tend to be noticed more easily. Studies have also sought to determine whether categorical perception is learned or is innate or built into the brain.
Categories generally are to be understood with respect to a related idea. All visible colors of the light spectrum, as seen on a rainbow, are recognizable regardless of what a language calls colors. Some theories of perception try to explain how defined things are recognized in different ways. Whorf’s hypothesis sought to show that colors were classified according to their names. In the late 1960s, researchers determined that whether languages expressed colors similarly or differently, visual perception was generally similar.
With speech, categorical perception usually helps people recognize words even though the vowels may be pronounced differently. Perception can also be influenced by the size and color of drawings or the appearance of objects or animals in an image. Researchers modeling the concept have tried to decide whether people classify based on what is more typical or based on characteristics that are not typical of a group. The categorical perception may depend on what someone uses as a point of reference, whether typical or atypical characteristics are the focus.
Computational methods based on the psychology of perception have been developed. Researchers often use computers to represent cognition and learning mathematically. Neural imaging can show the effects of stimuli before and after someone has learned something. Correlation of categorical perception with brain activity sometimes shows that perceptions may have changed when a person learns something new. The concept in general can offer insight into how the brain organizes sensory information.
Categorical perception can take information from various senses and symbolize it. This can make information more predictable for the brain to process. Perception can be influenced by many languages because general words are often given to multifaceted concepts. Arranging many things in the world into such categories can change how physical objects and abstract ideas are perceived by people.
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