The Perception Process

Adaptation

A fundamental process of perception is sensory adaptation — a decreased sensitivity to a stimulus after prolonged and constant exposure. When you step into a swimming pool, the water initially feels cold, but after a while you stop noticing it. After prolonged exposure to the same stimulus, our sensitivity toward it diminishes and we no longer perceive it. The ability to adapt to the things that don’t change around us is essential to our survival, as it leaves our sensory receptors free to detect the important and informative changes in our environment and to respond accordingly.

Exposure

Exposure speaks to the vast amount of commercial information—media messages, and other forms of advertisements—we are constantly subjected to on a daily basis.

• The absolute threshold of a sensation is defined as the intensity of a stimulus that allows an organism to just barely detect it.
• The differential threshold (or just noticeable difference, also referred to as “JND”), refers to the change in a stimulus that can just barely be detected.

Schemata

Interpretation is the third part of the perception process, where we assign meaning to our experiences using mental structures known as schemata. Schemata are like databases of stored, related information that we use to interpret new experiences. IWe have schemata about individuals, groups, places, and things, and these schemata filter our perceptions before, during, and after interactions. Just like computer programs and apps must be regularly updated to improve their functioning, competent communicators update and adapt their schemata as they have new experiences