Research Design Connection: Current Perceptions and Prior Learning

by Sally Augustin, Ph.D. | July 27th, 2015

Anyone who’s conducted design-related research won’t be surprised by new research findings, published in Nature Neuroscience, linking current perceptions to prior experiences. Scientists have learned that, “From the smell of flowers to the taste of wine, our perception is strongly influenced by prior knowledge and expectations, a cognitive process known as top-down control…results support the long-standing theory that the brain does not faithfully represent the environment but rather attempts to predict it based upon prior information.” “Learning Impacts How the Brain Processes What We See.” 2015. Press release, University of California, San Diego, http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/pressrelease/learning_impacts_how_the_brain_processes_what_we_see. Sally Augustin, PhD, a cognitive scientist, is the editor of Research Design Connections (www.researchdesignconnections.com), a monthly subscription newsletter and free daily blog, where recent and classic research in the social, design, and physical sciences that can inform designers’ work are presented in straightforward language. Readers learn about the latest research findings immediately, before they’re available elsewhere. …