Perception and Sensation

Function

Perception is a function that endows a person with the capacity to mentally represent internal and external stimuli detected by sensory organs. The realization of this function is the mental representation of the detected stimulus, and the phenomenological experience that the stimulus is objectively present as perceived. The inputs to the perception function are typically the outputs of a sensory process. However, perception sometimes occurs in the absence of any sensory stimulus, for example, in hallucination.

  What is known about inputs to the perception function? Does the signal always originate somewhere in structures of the sensory function (whether or not the stimulus is present) OR can the perceptual function be instantiated by signals from other functions? 

The perception function endows a person with the capacity to create a mental representation of a stimulus (an object or energy) based on signals transmitted to the brain from the sensory system (i.e., the universe of  outputs/signals generated by the universe of processes made possible and instantiated by the sensory function).

Processes realized by the perception function include a) identifying specific stimulus properties, b) generating a gestalt mental model of the stimulus and/or about the environment from the stimulus, c) retrieving information from memory, d) generating a phenomenological experience, e) generating thoughts, beliefs, attitudes, emotional/motivational responses, etc.

Inputs to the perception function are (output) signals from the entire sensory function.

Outputs of the perception function are mental representations of the perceived object or environment and the phenomenological experience of the object or environment. 

Process

The perception process is the process by which sensory outputs (signal generated by a real or imagined sensory stimulus) are transformed to produce both a mental representation and phenomenological experience of the stimulus.  At the physical level, the perception process is instantiated by the perception function - the set of anatomic structures, physiological processes, and rules governing physiological processes that initiate, perform, sustain, and terminate the conversion of sensory outputs to a perceptual experience (i.e., the perception function).  

 Does it make sense to distinguish between a perceptual function and a perceptual process?

State

a perception, a sensation, a sight, a sound, a smell, a taste, a touch (sensation)

A perceptual experience (or perception) is a mental representation of some (real or imagined) internal or external stimulus and the associated phenomenological experience that the stimulus is objectively present. The inputs to the perception function are typically signals generated as an output of the sensory function (i.e., signals transmitted to the brain following transduction of the stimulus into neural signal). In some cases, such as hallucination, perception occurs in the absence of a stimulus corresponding to the perception.

The sensory function endows a person with the capacity to transmit specific types of information about specific classes of objects and energy to the brain. 

The realizations of the this function include a) the transduction of specific features of objects and energy in the environment into neural signals, b) the transmission of these signals to the brain, and c) processing of signals along the entire pathway from sensory receptor to brain. 

Inputs to the sensory function are specific classes of objects and energy capable of interacting with sensory organs and receptors.

This function inheres in physiological functions carried out in the entire sensory system.

The sensory function defines:

• the entire set of entities (e.g., sensory stimuli, anatomic structures, physiologic entities) that may participate in sensory processes
• the entire set of allowable interactions that may occur in sensory processes (e.g., rules governing interactions) 

sensation

1. the process or experience of perceiving through the senses. See sensory system.

2. an irreducible unit of experience produced by stimulation of a sensory receptor and the resultant activation of a specific brain center, producing basic awareness of a sound, odor, color, shape, or taste or of temperature, pressure, pain, muscular tension, position of the body, or change in the internal organs associated with such processes as hunger, thirst, nausea, and sexual excitement. Also called sense datum; sense impression; sensum.

perception

Publisher: Sage Journals

5-Year Impact Factor: 1.303

Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance^®

Publisher: American Psychological Association

Editor: Isabel Gauthier
ISSN: 0096-1523
5-Year Impact Factor: 2.671

Publisher: Psychonomic Society

5-Year Impact Factor: 1.967

• Identify the major concept(s) around which to organize a manageable project (scope of work) (artifact: mabh-crg concept plan)
• Complete the major concept table and iteratively update as project progresses (CRG to finalize the definition for SNOMED once all research has been completed) 

• Identify any non-standard use cases or pain points in research domain  (artifact: mabh-crg use case document)
• Identify any non-standard use cases or pain points in clinical domain  (artifact: mabh-crg use case document)

• Perform environmental scan to identify major theoretical models of construct/concept domain (artifact: mabh-crg theoretical model document)
• Perform environmental scan to identify disorders and clinical variables relevant to the concept domain  (artifact: mabh-crg clinical model document)
• Perform environmental scan to identify existing explicit representations of concepts in the domain in terminologies (nomenclatures, nosologies, classification systems, controlled vocabularies, and ontologies) (artifact: mabh-crg umls analysis matrix, mabh-crg terminology matrix)

• Perform and environmental scan to Identify key stakeholders in the basic research, clinical research, clinical practice, and patient advocacy domain (artifact: mabh-crg stakeholder document)
• Create and implement a plan for engaging stakeholders willing to participate in the CRG for the duration of the specific concept review, either on calls or via discussion forum, or to provide the following:
  • Stakeholder experience related to specific pain points or use cases in the domain
  • Copies or screenshots of note templates, clinical notes, flowsheets, order sets, research protocols, other 

• Review concepts in observable entity hierarchy
  • Create dot diagram of current state
  • Create observable entity spreadsheet
• Review concepts in clinical finding hierarchy
  • Create dot diagram of current state
  • Create observable entity spreadsheet

• Analyze concepts in observable entity hierarchy
  • Create observable entity spreadsheet
  • Create dot diagram of current state
  • Perform review of dot diagram to identify potential duplicate, outdated, missing or inaccurately modeled concepts
  • Update spreadsheet with changes including all defining relationships
• Analyze concepts in clinical finding hierarchy
  • Create observable entity spreadsheet
  • Create dot diagram of current state
  • Perform review of dot diagram to identify potential duplicate, outdated, missing or inaccurately modeled concepts
  • Update spreadsheet with additions or changes to concepts, including all defining relationships
• Identify missing concepts in other hierarchies (e.g., qualifier value, body structure) required to completely and accurately model observable entity and clinical finding concepts
• Create explicit, narrative definitions for all concepts

• Submit request for changes through CRS system or via template worksheet