Activity 4.4

I enjoyed the material on perception, especially the visual depictions presented. Pinker (2002) stated, “The mechanisms of perception go to a lot of trouble to ensure that what we see corresponds to what is usually out there” (p. 200). While reading James (1962), I ran across the typo “readng” (p. 79); however, I still read aloud the word “reading” without even paying attention to what the actual word looked like. My brain registered the correct reading of the word even with the typo present.

I watched a Lifetime movie over the weekend (Student Seduction), where the teacher’s actions led to accusations of what appeared to be inappropriate behavior with a student. Although the teacher meant well by her nice and helpful demeanor, her actions and the events surrounding the accusations appeared unfavorable. Of course, she did not do anything wrong; however, her husband kept saying, “it’s the perception of how things look”.  How would Pinker’s statement about perception relate to or explain how individuals take in and interpret other people’s actions or behaviors. Is there a difference between how visual depictions, such as art or optical illusions, are interpreted by the brain and how the perception of people’s thoughts and/or actions are interpreted?