Historical and Philosophical Roots of Perception

List of Contributors

Foreword

Preface

Contents of other Volumes

Part I. Philosophical Roots

Chapter 1. Sense Experience

I. The Epistemological Problem of Perception

II. Cartesianism and Its Critics

References

Chapter 2. Some Philosophical Problems of Perception

I. Introduction

II. General Schema of a Common Kind of Philosophical Problem of Perception

III. Preliminary Clarification of the Ordinary Concept of Perception

IV. Inconsistent Sets of Sentences That Constitute Philosophical Problems of Perception

IV. Four Prima Facie Solutions to Problems Constituted by the Inconsistent Sets; Each Solution Rejects One or More of the Three General Presuppositions

References

Chapter 3. Epistemology

I. Radical Skepticism

II. The Appeal to Meaning

III. The Revolt Against Meaning

IV. Psychologism

V. Sense Data and Unconscious Inferences

VI. Knowledge and Inference

References

Chapter 4. Some Questions in the Philosophy of Mind

I. Introduction

II. Some General Consideration About the Mind/Body Distinction

III. Main Sources of Philosophical Problems About Mind

IV. Physicalism

V. Religion and Mind

VI. Free Will

VII. Describing, Reporting, and Expressing One's Thoughts and Feelings

References

Part II. Historical Background of Contemporary Perception

Chapter 5. The Problem of Perceptual Structure

I. Introduction

II. Recognition of the Problem

III. Solving the Problem by Ignoring It

IV. Recognition That Ignoring the Problem Doesn't Make It Go Away

V. A Proposed Solution: A New Element

VI. Another Proposed Solution: Empirism

VII. Turning the Problem Right Side Up

VIII. Beginnings of a Quantitative Solution

IX. Beginnings of a Physiological Solution

X. Summary and Conclusion

References

Chapter 6. Association (and the Nativist-Empiricist Axis)

I. Philosophical Background

II. Empiricism, Association, and Perception

III. Opposition and Alternatives to Empiricism: The Rise of Nativism

IV. Nativism and Empiricism: Data

V. Epilogue: What Is Learned?

References

Chapter 7. Consciousness, Perception, and Action

I. The Concepts of Consciousness, Perception, and Stimulus

II. Judgment Hypotheses

III. Act Hypotheses

IV. The Role of Bodily Activities

References

Chapter 8. Attention

I. The Prebehaviorist Period

II. The Interwar Period

III. The Postwar Period

References

Chapter 9. Cognition and Knowledge: Psychological Epistemology

I. Introduction and Overview

II. Three Ways of Knowing

III. Cognitive Structure

IV. Toward a Psychology and Philosophy of the Weltanschauung

References

Part III. Contemporary Views of Perception

A. Modern Classical Tradition

Chapter 10. Organization and the Gestalt Tradition

I. The Gestalt Approach to the Problem of Organization

II. Other Approaches to Perceptual Organization

III. In Summary and Assessment

References

Chapter 11. The Learning Tradition

I. The Historical Structure of Learning Theory

II. Perceptual Commitments of Learning Theory

III. Learning-Theoretic Acknowledgments of Perception

References

B. Current Psychological Emphases

Chapter 12. The Historical and Philosophical Background of Cognitive Approaches to Psychology

I. History of Philosophical Theories

II. Purposiveness

III. Creativity

IV. Structure

V. Conscious Experience

VI. Epilogue

References

Chapter 13. Choosing a Paradigm for Perception

I. Introduction

II. The Selection of Paradigms by Data

III. Perceptual Facts to Challenge Paradigm Candidates

IV. Summary of the Questions

V. The Paradigm Candidates Challenged by Questions

VI. The Candidates' Scores

VII. Conclusions

References

Chapter 14. The Visual System: Environmental Information

I. Introduction

II. Historical Notes

III. The Eye as a Camera

IV. The Relation of Geometrical Optics to Ecological Optics

V. Contour

VI. Useful Properties of Light

VII. The Dense Network of Rays

VIII. The Stationary Convergence Point

IX. A Magic Cube

X. Point Sources and Point Sinks

XI. The Pickup Device

XII. Summary

References

Chapter 15. A Note on Ecological Optics Text

References

Chapter 16. Information Processing

I. Origins of Information Processing Approaches

II. The Unity of Sensation, Perception, Memory, Retrieval, Cognition, and Knowledge

III. Specification of Stages

IV. Definition of Information

V. Types of Information Processing Models

VI. Conclusion

References

Chapter 17. Automata

I. Introduction

II. Perceptrons

III. Automata and Line Drawings

IV. Picture-Parsing Grammars

V. Learning

References

Chapter 18. The Developmental Emphasis

I. Association or the Gestalt Theory

II. Does the Baby Perceive as Soon as It Is Born?

III. Interaction between Maturation and Exercise

IV. The Role of Action in Perceptual Development

V. Conclusion

References

Chapter 19. Phenomenology

I. A General Survey of Phenomenology

II. The Phenomenological Theory of Perception

References

Supplementary Reading

Chapter 20. Transactional and Probabilistic Functionalism

I. Transaction

II. The Ames Demonstrations

III. Brunswik's "Lens Model" of Perception

IV. Perceptual Learning and Development

V. Perception and Other Knowledge

VI. Probabilism and Representative Design

VII. Persons as Stimulus Objects

VIII. Current Status

References

Author Index

Subject Index