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Examples of Perceptual Data

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VolT

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Hello!

In chapter two of OPAR, 3 stages of consciousness are presented and I am trying to better understand these stages.

The three stages are:

    Sensation
    Perceptual
    Conceptual

Sensation level I can understand from the definitions given:

Is a stimulus on a sense organ, A sensation lasts only as long as the stimulus. Data not retained.

If I touch something, I will feel heat data. If I disconnect my touch, heat stimuli disappears.

If I see something, I have light data. If I close my eyes, light stimuli disappears.

If I had a switch like sense organ, as long as it is pressed it will output stimuli, when removed it will stop.

I cant speak with the same confidence for Perceptual Data, and need your help here.

The definition being, The faculty of retaining a group of sensations and integrated by the brain.

I think the first thing that will help me is defining group of sensation, does this mean the same sensor across time, including the periods when there is NO sensory data such as:

post-11556-0-08132100-1418336974_thumb.p

or does it mean multiple sensors AND across time. The above image but also for touch, and sight simultaneously.

Then what does he mean by integrated by the brain? What does this process look like?

Finally if you can then also present to me how this data might look like when presented to the conceptual level through an example I will be very happy!

Thank you for your time in advance.

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A photographic film of a landscape receives a flood of photons, as do your retina.  These photons can be understood as "sensations".  The film, and your retina, however do not differentiate between a tree, a park bench, clouds, people, a lake, ducks, etc., but your "brain" does.  This automatic differentiation by your brain can be understood as "percepts".

 

I say "...can be understood..." because once we reach a certain level of cognitive development (the conceptual level) we no longer really see "sensations" and "percepts" as such.  We automatically see trees, grass, clouds, etc.  Young children might not have a name for what they are perceiving, but they can differentiate what is in their field of view in to discrete objects.

 

About as close an example an adult could come to having a direct experience of a "percept" would be, say, if you were to enter a room and see an unfamiliar object on a table.  Is it a tool of some sort?  A part of a machine?  A measuring device?  Even if you don't know what it is, you brain automatically differentiated it from the table, walls, floor, ceiling etc.  Once you discover it's purpose (and name) the next time you see, it your mind will automatically recall it's name.

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