Sensoperception: definition, components and how it works

We interpret and understand the world around us thanks to the fact that we are able to feel and perceive.

Sensory perception is the process by which we receive information from sensory stimuli from our senses so that it can be encoded and processed. then in our brain and finally we can generate a conscious perceptual experience.

In this article we explain what sensory perception is, what its main components are and how sensory and perceptual processes are organized from birth.

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What is sensory perception?

Sensory perception or sensory perception is a process through which we capture stimuli from our environment so that they can be processed and interpreted at the brain level.

We perceive what surrounds us and interpret the world thanks to our senses, which transform the received electrochemical signals and they transmit them as nerve impulses to the neuronal centers of sensory processing (transduction process).

The interpretation we make of the stimuli we perceive is neither neutral nor based solely on the physical characteristics of our surroundings. Our expectations, beliefs and prior knowledge influence how we finally perceive a particular object or phenomenon.

Components (edit)

Sensory perception, as its name indicates, consists of two parts: sensation and perception.. Sensation is a neurophysiological process that involves the reception of information (through sensory receptors distributed throughout the body) that comes from our own body and from the environment.

There are different types of sensations: the interoceptive ones, which inform us of the internal processes of our own organism through organs such as the viscera, and modulate our states of cheer up; proprioceptive, which help us to know how to position our body in space, seeking information about posture or movement; and the exteroceptive ones, which provide us with data from the environment through the senses (taste, touch, smell, sight, hearing).

All our experiences are based on sensory processes, and in every sensation there is a physical component (a stimulus), a physiological component (reception of the stimulus and transmission of the impulse) and a psychological component (brain processing and conscience). Sensation becomes perception when Our brain encodes, interprets, and makes sense of sensory data.

For its part, the perception process develops in three phases: first, the sensory information is received; second, there is a process of discrimination and selection of sensory data, which access our consciousness; and third, the areas in charge of sensory processing are in charge of interpreting and processing, based on acquired knowledge and previous experiences, sensory data, combining the information received with the previously acquired and generating a perceptual experience aware.

Sensory perception is therefore a process in which sensory and perceptual processing concur, both necessary for us to configure a coherent and accessible reality.

Sensory organization

Sensory organization refers to the way we capture stimuli through our senses, how they are transmitted to the brain and where the sensations are registered. Practically from birth, the senses are functional and allow us to access the sensory information that surrounds us through stimulation and action.

Around 5 or 6 months, babies already perceive the world in a similar way to how adults do. One of the most important characteristics of sensory perception, and in this case sensory organization, is that reception of information from the senses are combined and coordinated to generate the most sensory and perceptual experience complete.

The sensory organization follows the following stages:

• Triggering effects: a sense receives information from a stimulus and requests the cooperation of the other senses.

• Simultaneous effects: a single stimulus causes several senses to intervene at the same time.

• Inhibitory effects: several senses act at first and, selectively, one or more senses are inhibited.

The perceptual organization

Within sensory perception, perceptual organization refers to the way our brain structures, interprets and encodes sensory information to give it coherence and meaning.

This information can be determined by the following aspects: those of a physiological nature, such as the quality of the sensory receptors, the person's state of mind, their age, etc.; those of a psychological nature, such as motivation, expectations or the cultural context; and those of a mechanical type, such as the intensity of the stimulus.

Our perceptual system develops following a series of guidelines. Below are the main perceptual systems:

1. Visual perception

Vision is limited at birth (babies do not see, but can perform visual examinations), and it is gaining efficiency and functionality relatively quickly. Newborns preferentially discriminate certain stimuli that, for them, are more attractive; for example, the brightest, those that move, those that have colors or those that produce sounds.

These visual preferences are innate, which means that the perceptual system is conditioned from birth to attend to certain stimuli in the face of others, and thanks to this evolutionary mechanism, children can self-regulate their own perceptual development, spontaneously choosing the most learning experiences. adequate.

2. Auditory perception

The processes of auditory sensoperception are similar to those of vision. The newborn does not usually hear, although the ear will gradually refine its capacity, making the baby sensitive to the intensity of sounds. Loud, shrill noises make them upset, and sounds like their mother's voice or soothing music soothe them.

As in visual perception, children show a preference for certain sounds over others, especially the human voice. At 3 or 4 months they are able to identify voices, and to recognize their mother's. Complete hearing maturity occurs around 4-5 months.

3. Olfactory perception

Smell is one of the senses that are more and better developed from birth. Children have a preference for pleasant smells (they turn their heads towards them) and are able to detect unpleasant or harmful odors. They also tend to show a preference for smells such as breast milk or the mother's body odor.

During the first months, the infant memorizes many of the smells that he picks up from the environment. And although olfactory ability has been important in evolutionary development, this ability has gone losing over time due to a lack of stimulation of the same, to the detriment of hearing or visual.

4. Taste perception

From birth, what happens with auditory and visual perception also happens in the case of taste perception. Babies have a preference for more pleasant flavors (sweet), over other less pleasant (salty or bitter).

It should be noted that the sense of taste is the most specialized of all. We have more than 10,000 taste buds and we are able to detect 4 flavors and multiple sensations (rough, white, dry, hard, etc.).

Research in children has also been able to study the reaction of infants to increased blood pressure. glucose concentration in foods, verifying that they also react with taste preferences in these cases.

5. Tactile perception

Sensory processing of tactile stimuli is essential from the moment we are born, since we are able to interpret reality through our skin and contact with the outside. Normally, this first contact is usually with the mother's skin (through caresses and cuddles), which generates a strong emotional bond and a great sensorial-perceptual experience.

Through skin contact, the child is able to capture vibrations and generate experiences conscious and feelings that play a fundamental role in the construction and development socio-affective. The stimulation of touch is therefore essential for the child to form a mental image of his environment and she can begin to build her particular reality.

Bibliographic references:

• Merleau-Ponty, M., & Cabanes, J. (1975). Phenomenology of perception (p. 475). Barcelona: Peninsula.

• Prieto, R. M., & Percepcion, S. Y. (2009). The development of Sensoperception. Digital Innovation and Educational Experiences Magazine, 15, 117.