Basic processes underlying the sense of vision
Our sense of sight relies on complex processes involving our eyes, brain, and nervous system. Light enters through the cornea and passes through the pupil and lens before finally projecting onto the retinal surface for viewing. Photoreceptor cells within the retina – commonly called rods and cones – convert light into electrical impulses that travel via the optic nerve to the brain’s visual cortex for interpretation into meaningful images (De Paepe et al., 2019). Brain processing of visual information involves recognizing patterns, colors, shapes, and motion that help us interpret visual stimuli such as patterns of colors and motion in patterns such as motion-perceived surfaces; we then use this visual perception along with other sensory input to gain a comprehensive understanding of our environment. Visual processing includes recognizing objects’ faces or spatial relationships as well as processing spatial relationships among them – and this sense of vision plays an integral part in how we engage and comprehend it all around us.
Other senses used and how did I use them to accomplish the tasks
As part of my activity, I relied heavily on hearing, touch, and proprioception rather than vision to navigate and comprehend my surroundings. By listening carefully for sounds or spatial cues to identify objects’ locations or potential obstacles. Touch was my primary sense, enabling me to perceive textures and forms, aiding object recognition, and providing me with safe handling when picking items up from shelves or rooms (Malchiodi, 2020). Proprioception allowed for stability while walking to different rooms or hallways. Additionally, my senses of smell or taste could help provide additional information about my surroundings, such as recognizing familiar scents or tasting an unexpected substance. This multisensory approach allowed me to adapt and interact effectively with my environment despite a lack of vision.
Information picked up
Utilizing my senses other than vision during this activity allowed me to notice subtle details and explore my surroundings more fully. As an example, I may have become more sensitive to sounds such as leaves rustling in the wind or doors creaking open and providing me with additional information regarding movements and activities around me. My sense of touch allowed me to detect textures and temperature variations, providing a tactile understanding of objects which might otherwise go overlooked with just visual knowledge alone (Oakley, 2020). As I learned more, I could recognize changes in air currents or temperature gradients that indicated open windows or nearby entrances, giving me a greater appreciation of my environment by drawing upon non-visual cues to provide insight. By doing so, my overall perception was broadened substantially.
Habituation and sensory adaptation.
Habituation is the psychological phenomenon in which an individual becomes less responsive to repeated or constant stimuli over time, typically when their brain recognizes these stimuli as non-threatening or irrelevant; leading to reduced behavioral or emotional reactions from them (McDiarmid et al., 2019). An example from my observation time could include hearing constant background noise like fan or air conditioner noise that at first may seem distracting and possibly noticeable; over time however, I can adjust to its presence, becoming habituated to it and becoming less bothered by its sound, thus freeing me to concentrate on other tasks without distraction from distraction by noise from constant background noise sources like fan and air conditioner noise.
In conclusion, sensory adaptation refers to a process in which sensorial receptors become less sensitive over time to constant stimuli that they once perceived intensely, such as the scent of freshly baked bread in your environment. At first, it may seem overwhelming; as time goes on, your perception lessens until eventually your sense of smell no longer perceives this strong aroma so strongly. For example: adapting to strong scents in my environment such as baking bread smell (Stone, 2012). But as my receptors adapt my perception is less intense due to my lessened sense of smell becoming less sensitive olfactory receptors becoming less sensitive, which means less intensity of perception over time.
References.
De Paepe, A. L., Williams, A. C. D. C., & Crombez, G. (2019). Habituation to pain: a motivational-ethological perspective. Pain, 160(8), 1693-1697.
Malchiodi, C. A. (2020). Trauma and expressive arts therapy: Brain, body, and imagination in the healing process. Guilford Publications.
McDiarmid, T. A., Yu, A. J., & Rankin, C. H. (2019). Habituation is more than learning to ignore: multiple mechanisms serve to facilitate shifts in behavioral strategy. BioEssays, 41(9), 1900077.
Oakley, R. S. (2020). To See, To Do, To Be.
Stone, J. V. (2012). Vision and brain: How we perceive the world. MIT press.
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