Automated processing
Sensory perception involves not only the sense organs, but also specialized circuitry in the brain. This is akin to input devices + software drivers in the case of computers.
Perception often involves attention, but all processing is non-explicit and non-verbal.
Signal sparsity
The brain deduces most of what it knows from scant filtered signals.
Eyes keep moving around from nose to eye to lips etc.. So actual information observed is actually small, the brain does not know what is happening outside this small area. Instead, it constructs visual/ cognitive hypotheses far beyond what is observed.
Perception at grosser levels
Situation awareness
Situation awareness is perception of bodies in the environment at a grosser level, requiring some attention. This is observed while driving.
Affects and actions
Some understanding of the affective state of other animals is automatic, due to mirror neurons - when one carefully observes someone else performing an action, the same neurons which would have been involved in that action fire in the observer.
Similar is the case when the observed animal is in pain.
Illusions
Brain relies on scant signals, and is structurally prone to certain errors, despite being made cognizant of the illusion. This is true of both cognitive and sensory illusions.
Development and acuity
Effect of activities
Action (FPS) Video games are shown to increase visual acuity.
Early childhood training
Some perception is impossible if neural circuits to process those sensations are not developed in early childhood. For example:
- Infants deprived of vision in infancy remain blind.
- People who loose eyesight later in life retain the concept of color and visualization, unlike people who are born blind. \chk