Perception of Space

- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica (2018)

Perceptual learning, Encyclopædia Britannica,
https://www.britannica.com/topic/perceptual-learnin
g
Visual factors in space perception

Physical World - exist outside observer

Perceptual World : Experienced by the observer,
Produced by activity in eye-brain system - when -
patterned light simulates the eye of observer 
 Most individuals receive the bulk of the information
about their environment through the sense of sight,
while balance or equilibrium (vestibular sense)
apparently ranks next in importance.’
Hearing is also considered a distance sense, as is
smell, though the space they encompass is
considerably more restricted than that of vision.
vestibular systemThe membranous labyrinth of the vestibular
system, which contains the organs of balance—(lower left) the
cristae of the semicircular ducts and (lower right) the maculae of
the utricle and saccule.Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
 The eye works along similar principles. While this is a rough
comparison, it is possible to think of the retina (the back
surface of the inside of the eye) as the film in a camera; the
lens (within the eye) is analogous to the single lens of the
camera. Just as in a portrait photographer’s camera, the
picture (image) that is projected from the environment onto
the retina is upside-down. The perceiver, however, does not
experience space as turned upside down. Instead, a person’s
perceptual mechanisms cause the world to be viewed as right
side up.
Perception Of Depth And Distance

The perception of depth and distance depends on

information transmitted through various sense organs.
Sensory cues indicate the distance at which objects in
the environment are located from the perceiving
individual and from each other. Such sense modalities
as seeing and hearing transmit depth and distance
cues and are largely independent of one another
Gross tactile-kinesthetic cues

When perceiving the distances of objects located in

nearby space, one depends on tactile (touch) sense.
Tactile experience is usually considered in tandem
with kinesthetic experience (sensations of muscle
movements and of movements of the sense-organ
surfaces).
Visual cues

Binocular disparity
 Eyes are imbedded at different points in the skull,
they receive slightly different images of any given
object.
Two retinal images of the same object are apparently
perceived by the brain as a three-dimensional
experience.
The degree of disparity between the two retinal
images—a phenomenon known as binocular parallax.
Auditory cues

Auditory cues for depth perception include sound

intensity (loudness), auditory pitch, and the time lapse
between visual perception and auditory perception
Factors of constancy

The perceiver controls, shifts, and corrects the

considerable range of sensory information offered by
isolated local stimuli. The specific nature of these
“corrections to conform to reality” will depend on the
unique combination of stimuli at any given moment.
 Path recognition: navigation in space
Developments in aviation and space technology have prompted
research efforts to increase understanding of the sensory basis for
human navigation in space. Reliable perception of the vertical and
horizontal dimensions and preservation of perceptual constancy for
these dimensions during flight are based on the parallel activity of
vision and balance. Even when flying small aircraft, a pilot becomes
disoriented if visual control of the horizontal dimension is lost;
there is no way that the human sense of balance can inform a pilot
that a wing tip, for example, is dipping dangerously low. This
disorientation occurs because the vestibular sense depends primarily
on the force of gravity, but the movement of an airplane produces
additional forces that easily mislead a person’s vestibular receptors.
For this reason, in high-altitude flight the horizontal line of the
surface of the Earth is simulated for the pilot by an optical display
that works on the same principles as does a television screen
Social and interpersonal aspects of
space perception

Many animal species that use nests, lairs, or dens and

care for their young will typically defend a specific
territory. This process is observable in birds and
among seals during the breeding season. Apparently
this territorial behaviour depends on a rather precise
perception of space, because the animal ceases its
defensive maneuvers when an interloper passes out of
the territory by moving across the “border.”