What is perception and why is it different from seeing?
To visualize, we are able to do that with what we have been given since we were just a fetus in our mother's womb - a pair of eyes. Throughout these eyes of ours, we are able to see. As stated in this module's study guide, this week's topic on "Seeing and Perceiving" is the fundamental challenge in learning visual communication.
Seeing and perceiving is not the same thing, although they do contribute each other - in a way that we see things and then we are able to perceive it. According to Baker (1955), 'seeing is seen as the mental picture seen within the sight range which appear visually by the eyes'. Seeing is mainly an act of watching or viewing. Seeing gives the purposes of looking or watching at an object/image and nothing more. According to Jamieson (2007), seeing is when "..light energy reaching the eye is converted into electrical discharges which are transmitted as impulses along the nervous pathways to the brain."
When we perceive, we are giving meaning to whatever we see. This is where truths and reality can be remake (reconstructions). Perceiving is done almost naturally as human beings. We perceive by making use of our senses. Hence the principle amongst communication scholars is that "words don't mean things, people mean things". Perceiving is when One's perception of another may not be the same as another one's interpretation. Jamieson (2007) believes that psychological, biological and socio-cultural factors may affect one's perception. How we see and interpret thing may be influenced or affected by what one knows, experiences and believes.
Let me give a brief example:
When we look at the image above, it looks just like the word M O N D A Y = Monday. As kids, we interpret Monday as the first day of the week. As we get older, we still see the word Monday as it is - the beginning of another week. However, how we perceive it has changed over time.
As a university student, I've always dreaded Monday. When it comes to finding the right tutorial time for my modules, I have always tried to avoid Monday morning slots. My experiences over time has taught me to appreciate my Sundays 'cause that it is the only time when I could get a good rest. I have always dedicated my Sundays to be an off day. It is a time where I get to do anything and assignments is an exception. A lot of people would perceive Monday as a "Manic Monday" or "Moanday" and get the "Monday blues". We moan and whine on how we wished the day would pass real quick just so we could go home and get a good rest. I believe that it is not only I that feels this way but those who go to work and get their brains pumping after a good and lazy ending weekend would surely dread the coming of another Monday. But of course, not everyone would agree that Monday is another back-to-reality day. For example, if you're counting towards the day that you're excited about say.. your next birthday, the coming of a loved one after months of not seeing one another or one may be looking forward to Monday perhaps because it is a day-off from work during the weekends so he/she may not perceive Monday the way those who has to go to work, send their kids, drive the car for work and school, having to face the morning traffic would. As Berger et. al (1972) stated, "the way we see things is affected by what we know and what we believe. We interpret Monday this way because it is happening, we experience it and it is a concept of reality. Intuitionists stated that perception can only occur if you have a concept of reality and a Monday is a reality. Rosenzweigh (2001) mentioned that "Perception is not just the passive recording of sensory stimuli, but rather an active mental reconstruction of the real world that surround us" (p. 44). We perceive and interpret Monday as a "Back to reality" sort of thing.
As a university student, I've always dreaded Monday. When it comes to finding the right tutorial time for my modules, I have always tried to avoid Monday morning slots. My experiences over time has taught me to appreciate my Sundays 'cause that it is the only time when I could get a good rest. I have always dedicated my Sundays to be an off day. It is a time where I get to do anything and assignments is an exception. A lot of people would perceive Monday as a "Manic Monday" or "Moanday" and get the "Monday blues". We moan and whine on how we wished the day would pass real quick just so we could go home and get a good rest. I believe that it is not only I that feels this way but those who go to work and get their brains pumping after a good and lazy ending weekend would surely dread the coming of another Monday. But of course, not everyone would agree that Monday is another back-to-reality day. For example, if you're counting towards the day that you're excited about say.. your next birthday, the coming of a loved one after months of not seeing one another or one may be looking forward to Monday perhaps because it is a day-off from work during the weekends so he/she may not perceive Monday the way those who has to go to work, send their kids, drive the car for work and school, having to face the morning traffic would. As Berger et. al (1972) stated, "the way we see things is affected by what we know and what we believe. We interpret Monday this way because it is happening, we experience it and it is a concept of reality. Intuitionists stated that perception can only occur if you have a concept of reality and a Monday is a reality. Rosenzweigh (2001) mentioned that "Perception is not just the passive recording of sensory stimuli, but rather an active mental reconstruction of the real world that surround us" (p. 44). We perceive and interpret Monday as a "Back to reality" sort of thing.
Reference:
Berger, J., Bloomberg, S., Fox, C., Dibb, M., Hollis, R. (1972). Ways of Seeing. London & New York: Penguin Books
Jamieson, H. (2007). Visual Communication: More Than Meets the Eye. Bristol: Intellect Books
