Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 6, 2026
13:40
Combining Computer Game-Based Behavioural Experiments With High-Density EEG and Infrared Gaze Tracking
Published on: December 16, 2010
Tweaking the concepts of perception and cognition
1Department of Philosophy,New York University,New York NY10003.ned.block@nyu.eduhttp://www.nyu.edu/gsas/dept/philo/faculty/block/.
The Behavioral and Brain Sciences
|March 31, 2017
Summary
This study explores how perception and cognition interact. Researchers investigate if adjusting these concepts can prevent cognition from directly influencing perception.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Science
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
Background:
- The relationship between perception and cognition is a complex, long-standing debate in cognitive science.
- Understanding the interplay between sensory input and higher-level thought processes is crucial for explaining human behavior.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the potential for decoupling direct, content-specific effects of cognition on perception.
- To explore theoretical adjustments to the concepts of perception and cognition to minimize cognitive influence.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual analysis of existing theories on perception and cognition.
- Theoretical modeling of cognitive-perceptual interactions.
- Review of empirical evidence examining cognitive modulation of perception.
Main Results:
- Findings suggest that perception and cognition may not be as tightly coupled as previously assumed.
- Theoretical adjustments can be proposed to delineate distinct roles, minimizing direct cognitive override.
- Empirical data provides mixed evidence, highlighting the need for nuanced models.
Conclusions:
- It is theoretically plausible to conceptualize perception and cognition in ways that limit direct cognitive influence.
- Further research is needed to empirically validate these conceptual adjustments and their implications for understanding consciousness.
Related Concept Videos
01:17Cognitivism
Cognitive psychology emerged as a significant field in the mid-20th century. It focused on understanding humans' internal mental processes. This approach emphasizes how people perceive, remember, think, and solve problems—elements critical to human cognition.
Previously dominated by behaviorism, which prioritized observable behaviors and largely ignored mental processes, psychology transformed in the 1950s. Cognitive psychologists argue that understanding how we think and process information is...
Previously dominated by behaviorism, which prioritized observable behaviors and largely ignored mental processes, psychology transformed in the 1950s. Cognitive psychologists argue that understanding how we think and process information is...
01:28Perception
Perception is a fundamental psychological process that enables individuals to organize, interpret, and consciously experience sensory information. This process is crucial for understanding and interacting with the world around us. It includes both bottom-up and top-down processing, each playing a distinct role in how we perceive our environment.
Bottom-up processing begins at the sensory level, where receptors detect external environmental stimuli. These could include the tactile sensation of...
Bottom-up processing begins at the sensory level, where receptors detect external environmental stimuli. These could include the tactile sensation of...
01:21Gestalt Principles of Perception
Gestalt principles provide a framework for understanding how humans perceive objects as unified wholes within their context. These principles are essential in explaining the cognitive processes that make sense of complex visual stimuli by organizing them into coherent groups. One fundamental principle is proximity, which posits that objects located close to each other are perceived as a collective group. For instance, when dots are positioned near one another, the visual system interprets them...
01:25Factors Affecting Perception
Perception is influenced by perceptual set, context, motivation, and emotion. Perceptual set, or perceptual expectancy, refers to the tendency to perceive things in a particular way, influenced by previous experiences and expectations. This phenomenon affects the interpretation of stimuli, creating a set of mental tendencies and assumptions that impact sensory perceptions of sound, taste, touch, and sight.
An illustrative example of a perceptual set is the scenario where an airline pilot told...
An illustrative example of a perceptual set is the scenario where an airline pilot told...
01:20Introduction to Cognitive Psychology
Cognitive psychology is the field of psychology dedicated to examining how people think. It attempts to explain how and why we think the way we do by studying the interactions among human thinking, emotion, creativity, language, and problem-solving, as well as other cognitive processes. Cognitive psychology studies how information is processed and manipulated in remembering, thinking, and knowing.
This field emerged in the mid-20th century, following a period dominated by behaviorism, which...
This field emerged in the mid-20th century, following a period dominated by behaviorism, which...
01:29Introducing Social Perception
Perceiving others accurately is fundamental to effective communication and relationship-building. Social perception, a key concept in social psychology, refers to the cognitive processes through which individuals gather and interpret information about others to understand their actions, intentions, and motivations. This process extends beyond spoken words and overt behaviors, incorporating subtle nonverbal cues and contextual factors.Nonverbal Cues and Their SignificanceNonverbal cues play a...