Psychology : $b A study of mental lifeWoodworth, Robert Sessions
Science
Psychology : $b A study of mental life
Woodworth, Robert Sessions
Psychology
Following our man through the day's work and recreation, we find a
large share of his mental activity to consist in the perception of
facts. We find that he makes use of the facts, adjusting himself to
them and also shaping them to suit himself. His actions are governed
by the facts perceived, at the same time that they are governed by his
own desires. Ascertaining how the facts stand, he takes a hand and
manipulates them. He is constantly coming to know {421} fresh facts,
and constantly doing something new with them. His life is a voyage of
discovery, and at the same time a career of invention.
Discovery and invention!--high-sounding words, still they are
applicable to everyday life. The facts observed may not be absolutely
new, but at least they have always to be verified afresh, since action
needs always to take account of present reality. The invention may be
very limited in scope, but seldom does an hour pass that does not call
for doing something a little out of the ordinary, so as to escape from
a fresh trap or pluck fruit from a newly discovered bough. All of our
remaining chapters might, with a little forcing, be pigeonholed under
these two great heads. Discovery takes its start with the child's
instinctive exploratory activity, and invention with his manipulation,
and these two tendencies, perhaps at bottom one, remain closely
interlinked throughout.
Some Definitions
_Perception_ is the culmination of the process of discovery. Discovery
usually requires exploration, a search for facts; and it requires
attention, which amounts to finding the facts or getting them
effectively presented; and perception then consists in knowing the
presented facts.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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