TrOn – Basic principles of visual and auditory perception

If I stopped to think through all of the many complex, interconnected (as well as distinct) pathways and processes that enable me to sit here and type out this first paragraph, I wouldn’t get much typing done. Thinking only of what I see, ignoring the abundance of other sensory information bombarding me at any given moment, I am somehow able to focus on a computer, which is apparently sitting still on a table. I am aware of potential distractions in the periphery, but can still concentrate on the screen and direct my hands to type out these words, which I somehow perceive to be ‘words’.

After two centuries of study, we are still debating the exact processes underlying perception and its disturbance (for example, auditory hallucinations). Much of the basic science and theories we will encounter in this module are those driving the latest exciting multidisciplinary research in this area.

Any advertisements that appear in the videos within this module are not chosen by, and do not reflect the views of, the Royal College of Psychiatrists.