MEPX
Chapter 9 of 10All chapters
  1. 1Perception is constructed
  2. 2From light to signal
  3. 3What illusions show
  4. 4Attention
  5. 5The senses together
  6. 6Colour
  7. 7Depth and space
  8. 8Grouping
  9. 9Hearing, touch and the rest
  10. 10Why this matters

Chapter 9 of 10

Hearing, touch and the rest

Same principles, different channels.

Hearing

The ear converts pressure waves into signals, and the brain locates sources by comparing timing and intensity between the ears. It also fills in interrupted sounds, as vision fills the blind spot.

  • The cocktail party effect: attending to one voice among many.
  • Hearing damage from loud sound is cumulative and permanent.

Touch and proprioception

Skin senses pressure, temperature and pain with uneven density. Proprioception tracks where your limbs are without looking, and losing it is profoundly disabling.