Psychology 2: message received and understood?

Human beings judge and make sense of their surroundings in two ways. Sensory organs supply information to the brain where it is processed and interpreted according to the idiosyncrasies of that individual's personality and experiences. Perception is the active process which integrates and coordinates these activities. Hence, any sensory message can be received and/or understood quite differently depending on the individual concerned. This article outlines how a knowledge of psychology can assist in the understanding of human perception, and how this can be applied to a wide range of nursing care settings and applications. The psychology of perception is of particular relevance to areas such as patient/client assessment, skilled communication, teaching and the provision of health education.