Introduction
Perception is a complex process of analyzing the information received from senses, and its accurateness influences the person’s thinking abilities. Thus, critical thinking is a specific type of thinking when an individual uses logics and reasoning in order to make certain conclusions related to the world objects or situations. Critical thinking is also necessary for all professionals to improve the quality of their work. The accurate perception based on the information from all five senses is important for critical thinking because the review and evaluation of the received data, as well as the correction of possible mistakes, are more effective in this case.
The Impact of Five Senses on Perception
People receive the information regarding the world around them with the help of such five senses as sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. The deficit in even one sense leads to problems with the perception, and all five senses are crucial for observing and understanding the world. It is important to state that the information provided with only one sense is also limited in its character, and the analysis of the environments is completed basing on the data from all five senses. In this case, a person can accurately perceive and understand the necessary information that can influence the man’s actions (Rubenfeld & Scheffer, 2014, p. 24). An individual needs all senses for the perfect exploration of the world and for the further selection of the most important information for perceiving. The selection of the information made during the perception process for the further interpretation is important to focus the person’s attention on the critical aspects of particular objects or processes.
Significance of Perception for Critical Thinking
Focusing on the role of perception in logical or critical thinking, it is necessary to note that the perceived information is the main source of the data for the further review and evaluation to draw conclusions. Perception is a result of people’s direct experiences the information about which is accurately interpreted and can be used for critical thinking. One of the main qualities of perception that is used for thinking is selectiveness (White, Duncan, & Baumle, 2010, p. 38). People do not perceive everything they can see, taste, or hear.
Additionally, the perception of the familiar data allows a person to evaluate the information quickly when the perception of the new information allows using brain opportunities more effectively for the accurate analysis. The accurate perception increases chances for the successful critical thinking. It is also important to note that the perception impacted by the use of all five senses is most significant for critical thinking because a person can work with the thoroughly organized data in order to complete more challenging operations (Berkow, Virkstis, Stewart, Aronson, & Donohue, 2011, p. 169). From this point, the role of perception in critical thinking cannot be overestimated. If a person has problems with the perception, he or she cannot evaluate the data, correct mistakes, and identify what needs to be changed appropriately.
Conclusion
Effective perception should depend on the information collected with the help of all five senses. If perception is not limited, and all five senses are used, a person can improve critical thinking. It is important to refer to the perception while developing critical thinking abilities, reviewing the data, evaluating facts, and making reasonable conclusions. Thus, perception provides the necessary grounds for critical thinking.
References
Berkow, S., Virkstis, K., Stewart, J., Aronson, S., & Donohue, M. (2011). Assessing individual frontline nurse critical thinking. Journal of Nursing Administration, 41(4), 168-171.
Rubenfeld, M. G., & Scheffer, B. (2014). Critical thinking tactics for nurses. New York, NY: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
White, L., Duncan, G., & Baumle, W. (2010). Foundations of nursing. New York, NY: Cengage Learning.