Perception is tightly integrated with our personality type and behaviors, our neurochemical makeup, and the overall nature versus nurture dichotomy.
And then there is the cognitive angle. Namely, the senses are not only the input systems for the brain to process the plethora of visual, auditory, tactile, and olfactory information that we receive daily, but that they ultimately affect our perception as well.
That said, how does the brain translate sensory information into a format that we can perceive or attempt to perceive? It starts with understanding that we humans are highly pattern-seeking creatures. We can split our pattern seeking and sensory processing into two methods: top-down processing and bottom-up processing (Revlin, 2013).
Bottom-up processing involves capturing rather simple information (Revlin, 2013): Say, you see a house; it has a roof, windows, a front door, and a yard. Top down processing then takes that simple information and further fleshes out the details: the house has wood trim, some of the shingles on the roof are loose, the grass in the front yard is half-dead.
Now, what happens when one or more of our sensory organs are damaged in some way? If a person has chronic vision, auditory, and/or speech issues — whether that be from trauma to the areas of the brain that affect sensory loss, decline due to aging, other biological factors, or perhaps using a certain medication over a long period of time — top-down processing is also ultimately affected and can be quite challenging. And that, in turn, can affect both long-term and short-term memory functions (Revlin, 2013).
Neurological disorders/syndromes also can have a negative affect on processing sensory information. For example, an individual with schizophrenia may have severe difficulty recognizing faces. Imaging studies have shown that the fusi-form gyrus, located in the occipital and temporal lobes, is often smaller in schizophrenic individuals. Therefore, the challenges that accompany schizophrenia are even more magnified when the senses weaken in their functions (Revlin, 2013).
Then, how does a person cope with an impaired perception? The good news is there is a range of therapeutic options, depending on which senses are impaired and which approaches may be most effective.
For instance, if a person has impaired hearing and is dealing with emotional or behavioral issues because of if, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can help vet out the individual’s thoughts and feelings and build a much less overwhelming situation. In 2014, a study conducted on 15 hearing impaired individuals showed that an eight-week program of CBT helped the participants significantly reduce their stress and increase their coping skills (Williams et al, 2014).
In addition, problem-focused and emotion-focused coping mechanisms may help supplement a solid CBT regimen. Individuals with perception impairment may be able to create long term goals (problem-focused) to help compensate for the impairment, and also use emotion-focused mechanisms (getting out an enjoying nature, playing/relaxing with a pet, meditating) (McLeod, 2015).
Revlin, R. (2013). Cognition theory and practice (1st ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers
Williams, K., Falkum, E., Martinsen. E. (2014). A cognitive therapy program for hearing-impaired employees suffering from mental distress. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4438347/
McLeod, S. (2015). Stress Management. https://www.simplypsychology.org/stress-management.html