Perception

Perception is the process of understanding sensations or attaching meanings based on past experience to signs.

Determinants of perception

1. Sense organs: Perception depends upon the number, structure and function of the available sense organs. For example; the absence of certain taste buds will limit one’s taste perception.
2. Brain function: Certain relations such as bigger and smaller, lighter and heavier, above and below etc., are all perceived because of the function of the brain.
3. Past experience: Past experience may influence perception in the form of creating various kinds of prejudices and assumptions regarding the object perceived.
4. Set or attitude: Set or attitude provides the subjective conditions for perception.
5. Organic condition: One’s organic condition will also influence his perception. The individual who is starving from hunger will easily perceive the eatable objects.

Errors of perception

The perception can be misleading. The errors are due to;

1. Illusion: An illusion is a wrong or mistaken perception. Illusion occurs when a stimulus is taken wrongly. For example, perceiving the coil of a rope in darkness as a snake.
2. Hallucinations: Hallucination is a false perception. A figure or object is perceived even when it is no stimulus at all. For example; perceiving ghost when there is practically no stimulus in the form of a human figure or anything resembling.