The Secret Behind Our Powers of Perception

When you’re an eye doctor, and I’ve spent my entire career as one, you learn a lot about how people use, and misuse, the sense of sight to perceive the world around them. As humans, we’re constantly interpreting and occasionally manipulating our experiences to distinguish fantasy from reality. Some people are better at this than others. Some, for example, are consistently taken in by conspiracy theories or fake news stories, whereas others can quickly sniff them out as bogus. A few years ago, I asked myself-what’s the difference between people with keen powers of perception and those with weaker powers? Is it education? Experience? Genetics? I began researching the topic and discovered there isn’t even a term to classify our power of perception, so I adopted one. I call it perceptual intelligence, and it’s the title of my new book (in bookstores this month). “Perceptual Intelligence,” (or PI), is our ability to interpret sensory data and arrive at a decision. Just as with other forms of intelligence, some people have higher PI than others. Good decision-makers exhibit a high level of Perceptual Intelligence, whereas bad decision-makers demonstrate weaker PI. PI, I learned, is an acquired skill. We can improve our PI, in fact, through awareness and practice. You may, for instance, find yourself overreacting to certain situations or circumstances. But with proper knowledge and a different perspective, you can train yourself to arrive at a more appropriate react...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Brain Blogger Memory and Perception Publishers Fantasy perceptual intelligence reality Source Type: blogs