Though sensation and perception are all the same to us, many psychologists differentiate them. The act of sensation occurs when information from your baby’s environment interacts with sensory receptors – eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin. For example, the sensation of vision happens when rays of light make contact with the eyes, then zero in on the retina, and are finally transmitted by optic nerves to certain parts of the brain. The sensation of hearing occurs when sound waves converge on the outer ear and are transmitted through the inner ear to the auditory nerve and finally, to a certain part of the brain. The sensations of smell, touch, and taste follow similar processes.

How about perception? It is simply the interpretation of sensations. For instance, your baby may perceive the light transmitted to the retina to be a particular shape, pattern, or color. Or he may perceive the waves transmitted to the ears to be his father’s voice, a lullaby, or the bark of a dog.

Sensation and perception interact with each other, producing an incredible array of learning experiences. As information from the environment is processed, it undergoes internal representations and manipulations inside your baby’s brain to help him make sense of and adapt to his world. These amazing activities are what experts call Sensory Perceptual Development (SPD).

How can SPD be promoted?

Shortly after birth, your baby’s brain produces trillions more connections among neurons than it can possibly utilize. What does the brain do with these excess connections? Simple – the brain eliminates connections which are seldom or never used, and this elimination continues for around 10 more years. That’s why it’s important to promote more interconnections. The best way to do this is through repeated experiences.

Each time a baby gazes into his parents’ faces, grasps a brightly colored rattle, or listens to a favorite rhyme, tiny bursts of electrical impulses shoot through his brain, creating nerve circuits. With new and repeated experiences, new circuits are created and old pathways reinforced. Present learning is enhanced, setting the foundation for the future.

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