Re: Difference between cognition and perception?

[Chuck Larson <clarson@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Dear All,
I've been following this discussion with interest because it may
relate directly to one of my experimental findings.

Background:  I study how a person's voice F0 responds to pitch
shifted auditory feedback.  In most people, when voice pitch feedback
is shifted up, the voice F0 goes down; and vice versa for a downward
shift in voice pitch feedback.  We call these "compensatory responses"

However, some people, or take the case of a single person when tested
at different times, will produce a change in voice F0 that follows
the direction of the change in pitch feedback.  We call these
"following responses."

In some pilot studies I have found that whether a person produces a
"following" or compensatory response may depend on how they are
focusing their attention.  For example, if they are focusing their
attention on the feeling in their larynx, it may be a "following"
response, and when they focus on the sound of their voice, it may be
a compensatory response.

In the context of the remarks made by Dan Tollin, our observations
appear to relate to reflexive behavior that may be modulated by
cognitive variables.   I think Dan is correct when he says that
reflexes probably don't require cognition.  But our observations
suggest that a cognitive set, or 'state', may influence reflexive
behavior of the audio-vocal system.  For me, an interesting question
is whether the cognitive state influences   either the perception of
the voice feedback or the motor response.


Chuck Larson






> List,
>
>   Some might argue that reflexes are an optimal respose to a given
> situation since they are rapid and have obvious benefit.  Reflexes would
> seem to fit your description of cognition.  For example, touching a hot
> stove results in a quick movement of the hand away from the stove.
> Following your definition, one could interpret this sequence of events
> as a simple 'perception' of heat by the thermoreceptors of the skin
> which is then followed by a simple 'cognition' of this input which is
> comprehended as 'bad' resulting ultimately in the 'decision' to move the
> hand away from the stove in an optimal fashion.
>
> However, I'd wager that most people would not classify reflexes as
> something that requires 'cognition.'  Additionally, once you define
> 'cognition' using terms like 'meaning' and 'comprehending' and
> 'displayed information' then you've got to define what those terms mean.
>
>
> Daniel J Tollin, PhD
>
>
>
>
> >  -----Original Message-----
> >  From: John K. Bates [mailto:jkbates@COMPUTER.NET]
> >  Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 2004 12:59 PM
> >  To: AUDITORY@LISTS.MCGILL.CA
> >  Subject: Re: Difference between cognition and perception?
> >
> >
> >  Dear List,
> >      How about considering the following generalized
> >  definitions of perception and cognition? I think that they
> >  could apply to all systems, biological or manufactured, that
> >  use sensors for the purpose of optimizing performance and/or
> >  preventing failure.
> >
> >  Perception: The process of receiving, separating, and
> >  presenting for interpretation the information contained in an
> >  incoming stream of data.
> >
> >  Cognition: The process of interpreting the meanings of
> >  situations as represented by the displayed information.
> >  Comprehending these meanings enables an optimum response.
> >
> >  These definitions were derived from my operational analysis
> >  of auditory perception available at:
> >       <http://home.computer.net/~jkbates>
> >
> >         Best regards,
> >               John Bates

--
*******************************
Chuck Larson
Dept. of Communication Sciences and Disorders
2240 Campus Dr.
Northwestern University
Evanston, IL 60208
Phone: 847-491-2424
Fax: 847-491-4975
email: clarson@northwestern.edu