Today we begin the new topic "perception and the unit of thought." It might just as well have been entitled "perception, categorization, and the unit of thought" as the goal will be to show that these concepts are one and the same. The big question for todays reading is what the relationship is between sensation, perception, and thinking.
Psychology the Briefer Course Chapter 11: Perception
This chapter deals with perception and sensation and the influence that experience has on the interpretation of sensation. What does this have to do with a "unit of thought?" Notice the description of perception as probable and definite. James explanations of illusion, genius, old-fogeyism and hallucination are particularly interesting in terms of this description. What roles might definite and probable play in illusions?
An experimental study of imagination
The experiment in this report shows the fine line between imagination and perception. Why might this distinction be so fuzzy in the human cognitive architecture? What are the consequences?
Understanding Comics Chapter 2: The Vocabulary of Comics
McCloud examines many of the same issues as James and Perky in the context of comic art. He uses the form to drive home the distinction between what we see and what we perceive. What sort of properties must the unit of thought have to account for this?