Sensation and Perception Tutorials - Essay Example

The sensation is the basic process of detecting that a stimulus is in the world. Perception is the process involved in identifying and interpreting the stimulus that is detected in sensation. (Krantz, 1.6). Three of the main organs for sensation are the eyes, ears, and skin. The eye is the organ of sight. The eyes enable us to explore the world with precision, balance, and a sense of wonder. Its role in human behavior is very important as it plays a vital role in survival, reproduction, and building/maintaining social and role relationships. The ear is the hearing organ. Our ears provide a rich and complex experience of the world, complementing visual functions. Ears influence human behavior by means of communication/language. Our ears’ perception affects our mental health and our relationship with others. The skin is the organ of touch and it is the body’s outer covering. Its function includes insulation, temperature regulation, sensation, and protection. It also gives appearance and shape. Our skin helps us withdraw from danger and reacts to environmental stimulation. Its role in behavior involves human interactions and reproduction.

Role in Everyday Life

These organs have significant effects in terms of enhancing both sensation and perception by enriching the quality of experiences seen, heard, and felt. Every day, people use these senses as tools for personal and professional growth through the development of skills associated with their use. Learning, cognitive and analytical skills are honed with the major uses of both eyes and ears, in conjunction with the sense of touch. These organs heighten one’s perception through the memory of experiences to indicate the appropriate responses in various scenarios: happy occasions, in times of remorse, when faced with danger or emergency cases, and in simply enjoying leisure and rest, among others.

Summary of Topic Chosen

In the tutorial A Pictorial Introduction to Fourier Analysis, Blakemore and Campbell (1969, cited in Krants, 2005) suggested that the neurons in the visual cortex might process spatial frequencies instead of particular features of the visual world similar to a Fourier Analysis (a mathematical technique). There were two basic concepts of Fourier Analysis as proffered. The basics of the grating were initially expounded. The grating was indicated as a repeating sequence of light and dark bars. A grating composed of black and white bars with sharp edges was known as square-wave grating and light fall across different positions along the surface of an object. However, light also varied in sinewave grating.

Included also in the concepts of Fourier Analysis was the Fourier Analysis of Square-wave Grating. Fourier Analysis was manifested as a mathematical procedure used to determine the collection of sinewaves that differs in frequency and amplitude. It was likewise regarded as necessary to make up the square-wave pattern. Even one sinewave had the ability to give the basic shape of a square-wave grating as well as the bar's contrasts. The rationale was that it has the lowest frequency and biggest amplitude.

On the other hand, the sharp contrasts between white and black bars came from sinewaves with higher frequencies and lower amplitudes. The result of a Fourier Analysis was presented in the frequency domain. Those sinewaves with frequencies that were odd multiples of fundamental were included in the square-wave grating.

Finally, harmonics were presented as frequencies higher than the fundamental and the amplitude was one over the frequency times the fundamental. The fundamental had the lowest frequency of all sinewaves and gave the general wave of a square-wave grating. As a rule, as the frequency gets higher, the amplitude decreases.