Common sense organs are used by human beings to understand what is happening around them through smell, touch, taste, vision and hearing. Information and data from sensory organs are used by brains to respond and behave accordingly. According to Kirby and Goodpaster (2007), brain cannot process anything unless it is sensed.
People rely on senses to make vital decisions. The level of accuracy of data gathered affects decision making. Our ability to use senses to obtain information which is analyzed by brain is a good reason to believe accuracy of the sensory information. Senses are vital in establishing a relationship between the brain and emotions. This is a reason for believing too. The senses also give the mind the potential to analyze and determine what is and what is not real basing on the information gathered (Kirby & Goodpaster, 2007).
The level of agreement between sensory information acquired by sensory organs and the environment determines the level of accuracy. If some people are blindfolded and then each of them is given a piece of brick to touch and identify it, not all participants will identify the object positively. It is easy for a brick worker to identify the brick compared to his manager. This is because the brick worker is used to handling bricks than the manager.
When one person shouts to warn another of an impending danger, the one in danger respond within the shortest time possible. A small child cries or cheers up when it hears mother‘s voice. Both these situations signify the accuracy of sensory information. When people grow older, their hearing ability goes down. Most of them appreciate that their hearing is hampered by old age.
Reliability of facts obtained by sensory organs contributes to accuracy or inaccuracy of the sensory data. If data received through sensory organs are solid and have been obtained through accurate observation, it is likely to have a high level of accuracy.
Source of data and cognitive ability of an individual contribute to accuracy of sensory data. For the data to be accurate, it must be obtained through senses. The sense can be enhanced using lenses, amplifiers and particle detectors.
The brain and interpretation of data received contribute to accuracy or inaccuracy of sensory data. The state of a brain determines its ability to analyze the data. A healthy brain analyses data much better. The type of data received from sensory organs determines the accuracy too. If inaccurate information is obtained, the brain will interpret inaccurately.
There has been an intense debate whether development is a product of heredity or environment. Is it nature or nurtured? Some people argue that development is determined by genes. Others argue that it is a product of the environment in which a person grows in. Others believe that development is a product of both. I think development is a product of both environment and genetics.
Genes are vital equipment which determines child’s physical and cognitive development (Plomin et al. 2001). Genes are passed from parents to children a process which continues for generations. Those who argue that genetics is meaningless in development are missing the point. According to Plomin, Defries, McClearn, and McGuffin (2001), the environment which a child grows in, plays an important role in growth. The nature and amount of food which a child consumes affects development. Nurturing also helps child’s physical, cognitive and psychological development. Therefore, abilities of an individual to interpret sensory data are determined by both nature and nurture.
References
Kirby, G.R., & Goodpaster, J.R. (2007). Thinking: An interdisciplinary approach to critical and creative thought (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall.
Plomin, R., DeFries J.C., McClearn, G.E. & McGuffin, P. (2001). Behavioral Genetics (4th ed.). New York: Freeman.