How intelligent do we have to be to see?

Kovacs, Ilona

In the age of information we provide, receive, exchange and require information all the time. The speed of information flow has reached a level we have never seen before. According to the prevailing view in psychology, we see the world as a result of the mechanisms dealing with information processing in our brains. Besides supporting the adjustment of postures and the ancient functions of defence, escape and obtaining food, human vision is also an efficient tool for exploring the world around us. As such, it is connected with language and all information gained by the individual - practically all forms of knowledge. Although knowledge certainly plays a role in vision, the effect of the acquisition or the knowledge itself on perception is neither conscious, nor intentional. In the case of the human brain the cortex regions responsible for vision remain able to learn for a long time, thus allowing permanent gathering of knowledge. It also means that there are huge differences between the "perceptual worlds" of different age groups.

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