Modern+Physiology+of+Sensation+and+Perception

The nineteenth century is held as the era in which the study of physiology began. Philosophers, scholars, physicians, and physicists all played major roles in the emergence of this area of study (Freedheim & Weiner, 2003). The catalyst to this research was the common theme held by these individuals which was the topics of sensation and perception as the key to understanding their respective fields of interest. Philosophy and psychology were frequently if not always studied together in many universities up until a few decades ago (Freedheim & Weiner, 2003). While many factions had a hand in the exploration of the perceptual and sensory experience it is the philosophers that must be credited with the shift in thinking that brought others to explore not just the “why” sensation and perception occur but to look deeper into the “how” what is seen, felt, touched and smell is transformed into our awareness of what surrounds us (Freedheim & Weiner, 2003). The body, hence forth, was perceived in a more mechanical light than in the years before this shift in thinking. This shift is reflected in the philosophers such as Rene Descartes (Goldstein, 2010). He theorized that the body not only had a soul, which he postulated was controlled divinely, but also a body which was more like a machine and governed by the same principles of mechanics (Freedheim & Weiner, 2003). Therefore it stands to reason that his theory was named dualism as he felt that humans had both body and soul. The distinction between mind, body, perception and sensation would continue on and fuel many other philosophers such as Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Thomas Reid, Immanuel Kant and Hermann Von Helmholtz (Freedheim & Weiner, 2003). Hobbes stated that through our senses the perception of our world becomes clear and it is that perception that we must focus on and tribute with what we perceive to be reality (Freedheim & Weiner, 2003). Half a century after Hobbes, Locke concurs that the senses are responsible for our perception but to have a complete and full understanding of our minds that not only do we need to take into account the sensations that we feel but also the perception of those sensations (Freedheim & Weiner, 2003). The credit for making the decision between sensation and perception is usually giving to Thomas Reid; sensation being more biological in nature and perception having more a philosophical and behavioral component (Freedheim & Weiner, 2003). Kant on the other hand felt that the study of perception and senses was unwise as these he felt were simply part of reason itself. It was not until Hermann Von Helmholtz that sensation and perception came to the forefront. Helmholtz explained the transform of a sensation flowering into a perception but still felt there were pieces missing in the overall concept of our surroundings (Freedheim & Weiner, 2003). media type="youtube" key="zSSbvfnHHN8?rel=0" height="315" width="560" The physiological study of perception and sensation not only includes biological factors but integrates the behavioral repercussions as to what happens internally as well. Although the beginning of the nineteenth century is credited with the start of physiological study, it is the past century that has actually seen the true development of much of what we now know about perception and the senses (Schneider & Tarshis, 1995). The discovery of neurons and their importance of their function within the brain were paramount in the understanding of the connection between the brain and the physiology of perception (Goldstein, 2010). The past several decades have witnessed the development of theories, research and technologies that are responsible for our current understanding of the physiological processes of senses and the perception of those senses (Schneider & Tarshis, 1995). The advances in technology have enabled scientists and researchers in the field to study the complex parts of the body with tremendous exactness that previously was unable to be achieved (Schneider & Tarshis, 1995). Techniques like the discovery of staining by Camillo Golgi made it possible to analyze the structure of neurons and thus begin to comprehend the complexities of how and why particular areas of the brain were responsible for certain functions and abilities (Goldstein, 2010). The stimuli from the environment and how that was translated by the senses into perception was more easily explained with the aid of such innovations (Schneider & Tarshis, 1995). “There is no real independent self, aloof from other human beings, inspecting the world, inspecting other people. You are, in fact, connected not just via Facebook and Internet, you’re actually quite literally connected by your neurons.” //— Vilayanur Ramachandran//

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