![]() As we did in Module 12, we will cover perceptual topics for vision and the other sensory modes separately. Using top-down processing (expectations and context) to recognize objects.Bottom-up processing, such as detecting features (which you saw briefly in module 12 already).Grouping parts of a scene into a single object and grouping objects together.Perceiving distance using monocular and binocular cues.These are the key perceptual processes, and they are quite complex, comprising several sub-processes. So, an expanded list of processes essential for survival includes ones that allow us to locate objects and perceive their motion, and then to recognize what they are. For example, there is a big difference between a hungry lion 30 feet in front of you sprinting out of the forest toward you, and a cute bunny 30 feet in front of you hopping into the forest away from you. Specifically, if you were trying to find food and avoid predators, you would want to know where something is, where it is going, and what it is. Of course, we would want to know more than simply where one object begins and another ends. In the module, we suggested that brightness contrast, because it helps us separate objects, might be the most important visual property to help us survive. Recall the “surviving in the wild” question asked in the Activate exercise at the beginning of Module 12. That certainly does not mean that perception has no contact with the information from the outside world, only that the emphasis is on procedures that the brain uses to make sense out of the input. In perception, the brain steps to the forefront. You can see, however, that sensory processes do make extensive use of that information from the outside world. ![]() So already, the brain is taking an active role in processing the neural signals that come from the outside world. We sense brightness not in the absolute, but by comparing nearby objects to each other. For example, a process seemingly as straightforward as detecting whether or not a stimulus is present is affected by your decision strategy. You can see the distinction is somewhat artificial from some the topics in Module 12, however. You may be tempted to think of sensation as a somewhat straightforward translation of the outside world into brain signals, and perception as a heavily brain-dependent, higher-level set of processes that have little direct contact with the original outside world. You will usually find sensation and perception treated separately, as we have done in this book, but you should realize that psychologists draw this distinction for ease of explanation only.
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