knowthyself.uk

Perception

Overview
  • Interpreting what we see, hear, touch, taste, and smell.
  • Perception translates raw sensory data into meaning — sounds become words; shapes become objects.
Everyday examples:
  • Recognizing a friend by voice or gait.
  • Reading facial expressions to gauge emotion.
  • Judging distance when pouring tea or parking a car.
If disrupted:

Objects may seem distorted, voices unclear or faces unfamiliar — as in some visual agnosias or sensory processing disorders.

Perceptual Disorders
  • Main brain systems: Occipital (visual), temporal (auditory), and parietal (somatosensory) cortices.
  • Key neurotransmitters: Glutamate (excitatory) and GABA (inhibitory) shape signal-to-noise precision.
Clinical examples:
  • Agnosia: Inability to recognize objects or faces despite normal vision (Visual agnosia) — “I can see the parts, but I don’t know what I’m looking at.”
  • Prosopagnosia: Face-blindness, due to damage in the fusiform gyrus (temporal lobe).
  • Auditory Processing Disorder: Trouble understanding complex sounds despite normal hearing.
Everyday consequence: 

Misidentifying people, difficulty navigating, or confusion when interpreting sounds or symbols.

Citations:

3. Grill-Spector et al., Nature Reviews Neuroscience 8:880–893 (2007).
4. Isaacson & Scanziani, Neuron 72:231–243 (2011).

Bedside correlate: 

Misidentifies faces or objects, bumping into things on one side (visual neglect), difficulty following speech in noisy rooms.

Rehabilitation strategies:
  • Visual scanning training; sensory integration therapy.
  • Perceptual retraining with graded stimuli (occupational therapy).
  • Environmental adaptation—contrasting colors, clear spatial layouts.
ATTENTION SKILLS QUESTIONNAIRE

Identification Section
Name: ___________________________
Age: _______
Gender: ☐ Male ☐ Female ☐ Other
Date: ___________________________
Completed by: ☐ Parent ☐ Teacher ☐ Clinician ☐ Self

SECTION 1: ATTENTION SPAN AND FOCUS
  1. How long can the person stay focused on a task or activity they enjoy (e.g., drawing, gaming, building)?
    ☐ Less than 2 minutes
    ☐ 2–5 minutes
    ☐ 5–10 minutes
    ☐ More than 10 minutes
  2. How long can the person stay focused on less preferred tasks (e.g., schoolwork, chores)?
    ☐ Less than 1 minute
    ☐ 1–3 minutes
    ☐ 3–10 minutes
    ☐ More than 10 minutes
  3. Does the person often get distracted by noises, people, or objects around them?
    ☐ Rarely
    ☐ Sometimes
    ☐ Often
    ☐ Very often
  4. Does the person need frequent reminders to return to a task?
    ☐ Never
    ☐ Occasionally
    ☐ Frequently
    ☐ Constantly
  5. When reading or listening, does the person lose track of what is being said or read?
    ☐ Never
    ☐ Occasionally
    ☐ Frequently
    ☐ Always
SECTION 2: ATTENTIONAL CONTROL AND SHIFTING
  1. Can the person switch focus easily between two different tasks (e.g., listening to instructions and writing)?
    ☐ Easily
    ☐ With some difficulty
    ☐ Only with prompting
    ☐ Unable to switch without help
  2. Does the person become “stuck” on a particular thought or activity and struggle to move on?
    ☐ Never
    ☐ Occasionally
    ☐ Frequently
    ☐ Always
  3. Does the person ignore important details because their attention is captured by something else?
    ☐ Rarely
    ☐ Sometimes
    ☐ Often
    ☐ Very often
  4. How well does the person recover attention after being interrupted?
    ☐ Instantly
    ☐ With a brief pause
    ☐ With reminders
    ☐ With great difficulty
SECTION 3: SUSTAINED ATTENTION AND MENTAL EFFORT
  1. Does the person tire easily when doing mental tasks (e.g., reading, problem-solving)?
    ☐ Never
    ☐ Occasionally
    ☐ Frequently
    ☐ Always
  2. Does the person rush through tasks or give up before completion?
    ☐ Never
    ☐ Occasionally
    ☐ Frequently
    ☐ Always
  3. When working for longer periods, does performance decline (more mistakes, restlessness)?
    ☐ No decline
    ☐ Slight decline
    ☐ Moderate decline
    ☐ Marked decline
SECTION 4: ORGANIZATION AND ATTENTIVE BEHAVIOUR
  1. Does the person often forget instructions, even if they were recently given?
    ☐ Never
    ☐ Occasionally
    ☐ Frequently
    ☐ Always
  2. Does the person lose or misplace belongings (books, keys, stationery, etc.)?
    ☐ Rarely
    ☐ Sometimes
    ☐ Often
    ☐ Very often
  3. Does the person start tasks without understanding what to do first?
    ☐ Never
    ☐ Occasionally
    ☐ Frequently
    ☐ Always
  4. Does the person appear daydreamy, “in their own world,” or inattentive during lessons or conversations?
    ☐ Never
    ☐ Occasionally
    ☐ Frequently
    ☐ Always
SECTION 5: BEHAVIOURAL SIGNS OF INATTENTION
  1. Does the person appear fidgety, restless, or constantly move while seated?
    ☐ Never
    ☐ Occasionally
    ☐ Frequently
    ☐ Always
  2. Does the person interrupt others or speak before a question is completed?
    ☐ Never
    ☐ Occasionally
    ☐ Frequently
    ☐ Always
  3. Does the person blurt out answers or act without thinking through consequences?
    ☐ Never
    ☐ Occasionally
    ☐ Frequently
    ☐ Always
  4. Does the person seem easily bored or constantly seek new stimulation?
    ☐ Rarely
    ☐ Sometimes
    ☐ Often
    ☐ Very often
SECTION 6: FUNCTIONAL IMPACT
  1. Do attention problems interfere with school or work performance?
    ☐ Not at all
    ☐ Slightly
    ☐ Moderately
    ☐ Severely
  2. Do attention problems affect social interactions (e.g., not listening to peers, missing cues)?
    ☐ Not at all
    ☐ Slightly
    ☐ Moderately
    ☐ Severely
  3. Do attention issues cause frustration, low confidence, or emotional distress?
    ☐ No
    ☐ Occasionally
    ☐ Frequently
    ☐ Always
SCORING / CLINICAL INTERPRETATION (for clinician use)
  • 0 = Rarely/Never
  • 1 = Occasionally/Sometimes
  • 2 = Frequently/Often
  • 3 = Always/Very often

Higher total scores suggest greater attention difficulties. Sectional patterns can guide whether difficulties are in sustained attention, shifting, or executive control.