Sensory Perception & Integral
Learning
This document gets fairly technical. If you're interested in educational philosophy or sensory integration theory, by all means, feel free to read ahead. You can also feel free to skim what follows, or to just close this window or click your browser's "Back" button to keep reading where you left off. That's fine by us.
Where do most perceptions "come from?"
I. Sensation vs. Presence (Paired Ability #1)
A. With any concept, we sense—we take in information from our environment—without necessarily being consciously aware. Though far from 100% of what we sense reaches our consciousness, it’s crucial that our senses still bring in information.
B. Immediately, since there is a limit to how many things we can focus on at once, we shed awareness of aspects we do not deem important. We sacrifice how "present" we are in the moment.
1. As infants, we are consciously aware of many basic perceptions.
2. As we mature, to enable us to function, we shed awareness of some things (since we cannot simultaneously focus on more than several things at once) and focus on others. For instance, we shed our awareness of balance and interconnectedness of movement within ourselves to focus on academics.
3. As long as the motor patterns and habits we've developed serve us well, reduced Presence isn't necessarily good or bad. When a motor pattern or habit we've developed isn't serving us well, however, being present to what we're experiencing becomes crucial for re-learning.
C. Together, these abilities enable us to attend to what is without worrying about what comes next—one of the Seven Attention Factors™ called "Relaxed Attention/Non-Anticipatory Behavior," or RAN.
D. Relaxed Attention (RAN) is the primary ability undergirding the intellectual virtue of Mindfulness—the virtue to effortlessly incorporate new perceptions into one's awareness of self in relation to others. To whatever degree we are weak in Sensation or Presence, it makes sense to seek balance in someone who exhibits the virtue of Mindfulness.
II. Dulling vs. Chunking (Paired Ability #2)
A. With any concept, we dull—we block out information from our environment that we can’t "deal with" in the moment, without necessarily being consciously aware we’re doing so. If more than 5–10% of what we sense reaches consciousness, we’re in trouble: since we can only consciously process a small fraction of what we sense, we’ll quickly feel—and be—overwhelmed. Dulling, despite its negative connotations, is crucial for our survival.
B. Immediately, since there is a limit to how many things we can focus on at once, we group or, "chunk," perceptions together. We stereotype, sacrificing precision so we can get things done. For our brains, if things are similar, that’s close enough: often, we don’t even notice the differences. This is called Chunking.
C. Together, these abilities enable us to block out distractions, steeling our focus on a chosen perception—one of the Seven Attention Factors™ called "Selective Attention/Focus" (SAF).
D. Selective Attention (SAF) is the primary ability undergirding the intellectual virtue of Simplicity—the virtue to live plainly and perceive clearly, preferring closeness with God to the satisfaction of curiosity; the escape of entertainment; or the unchecked acquisition of wealth, power, or fame. To whatever degree we are week in Dulling or Chunking, it makese sense to seek balance in someone who exhibits the virtue of Consecration.
What is the relationship between perception and understanding?
III. Sensation & Presence vs. Dulling & Chunking
A. The Integral Learning™ model draws upon the Structure of Intellect (SOI) Model of human intelligence, for which J. P. Guilford developed tests and Mary and Bob Meeker developed linked tests and training materials. The SOI Model proposed that everyone thinks in six distinguishable "levels" of complexity:
1. Units are interconnected things. In the Integral Learning™ model, intellectually understanding and using Units is related to our autonomic nervous system function and our senses of smell and taste—those aspects of our beings that help us remain present to what we're experiencing, or that cue us to reduce our sensation for our own protection. When learners don't ask many questions—whether they're perceiving or protecting themselves from additional, unwelcome sensory information—they're often thinking about Units.
2. Classes are groups. In the Integral Learning™ model, intellectually understanding and using Classes is related to tactition—our sense of touch, by which we develop an understanding of ourselves as dinstict from our environments, and things in our environment as similar and dissimilar to ourselves and to each other. When learners ask who and what, they're often thinking about Classes.
3. Relations are series or arrangements: In the Integral Learning™ model, intellecutally understanding and using relations is related to vestibular function—our awareness of inertia (when movement starts and stops), which helps effect both physical and psychological balance. When learners ask where and when, they're often thinking about Relations.
4. Systems are connected series or arrangements and the connections among them: In the Integral Learning™ model, intellectually understanding and using systems is related to kinesthesia—our awareness of movement, especially rhythm, sequence, and timing. When learners ask questions about relationships between answers to who, what, where, and when, they're often thinking in Systems.
5. Transformations are changes: In the Integral Learning™ model, intellectually understanding and using transformations is related to muscle tone—our readiness of our muscles to respond. When learners ask how, they're often thinking about Transformations.
6. Implications are meanings or results of changes in units, classes, relations, or systems: In the Integral Learning™ model, intellectually understanding and using implications is related to proprioception—our unconscious awareness of body-in-space. When learners ask why, they're often thinking about Implications.
B. To learn a new motor pattern or skill, we must perceive what's involved—we must perceive interrconnected Units of sensory input, linguistic identification, and/or socially construed meanings, though not necessarily at a conscious level.
When we can perceive what's involved in this (called "thinking with Units"), we can more efficiently handle the next instance we encounter something similar. People who perceive what's involved in one scenario naturally look for similarities in subsequent scenarios, then apply strategies that worked before to the new scenario. This strategy-development process of identification, recognition, repetition, integration, modification, and meaning-making begins with identification: it begins with thinking in Units.
C. To respond consistently, we must recognize,
1. Sensorily: Similarities between past experiences and what we're experiencing now, and
2. Cognitively: Similarities between strategies we used in the past and strategies we're considering using now.
When we can recognize similarities (called "thinking with Classes"), we can both
1. More efficiently apply past strategies to current, similar experiences, and can
2. Modify how we work, so we employ more effective strategies.
The strategy-deployment process of identification, recognition, repetition, integration, modification, and meaning-making thus continues with recognition: we become aware (cognizant) again (re-) of aspects of our experience that compare to what we've experienced before: we think in Classes.
D. Sometimes, in a push to meet expectations or demonstrate proficiency, we "skip" simpler levels of complexity when the call to virtue beckons us to be patient.
1. We try to answer "what" without allowing much time for perception and consideration. Then, our assessment of what's going becomes ungrounded.
2. Or, we declare "when" or "where" something will happen before we understand what's involved in the process, and our proclamations become hollow.
3. Or, we ask for help or offer assistance before we understand the details of a project, the skills someone must have to make that project happen, and when and where the steps of that project must be done, leaving our requests unpredictable and our assistance unreliable.
This list isn't exhaustive, but it makes a point: if we don't develop facility with the "simple things" of life, we won't be able to handle the "big things."
E. Other times, we keep working at simpler levels of complexity, even when it's no longer motivating. When we understand why we're doing something, however—when we understand the Implications of training or not training our foundational abilities—it's often much easier to make ourselves keep training.
F. We rarely consciously decide when to sense, to what degree to be present, when to dull, and to what extent to chunk. The homunculus, a region in the brain, helps us balance Sensation, Presence, Dulling, and Chunking automatically. Nevertheless, working to ensure good function in each of these paired abilities—indeed, within each of the 18 Paired Abilities in the Integral Learning™ model—is important. Though we can never fully control these processes, we can influence them.
How do we share our perceptions and understanding?
IV. Participation vs. Discrimination (Paired Ability #13)
A. When we feel safe, secure, and connected with our world, we naturally seek to contribute our perception to a communal understanding. We join in; we share our perceptions. We participate.
B. Immediately, because not knowing boundaries is frightening, we seek to distinguish between things that differ. We seek to distinguish between what’s safe and what’s unsafe—between that which doesn’t endanger our continued well-being and that which may very well endanger our continued well-being. We seek to learn where one thing ends and another begins. This process of drawing distinctions is called Discrimination. Discrimination helps us feel safe and secure.
C. Together, these abilities enable us to take responsibility for others' participation with us—the balanced ability of Experiencing Sharing.
D. Experiencing Sharing is the primary ability undergirding the intellectual virtue of Sojourning—the virtue to maximize mutuality in cultural experience, aware of this moment's passing. To whatever degree we are weak in Participation or Discrimination, it makes sense to seek balance in someone who exhibits the virtue of Sojourning.
V. Categorical Flexibility vs. Labeling (Paired Ability #14)
A. What we mean by terms like "red" is what our culture means by terms like "red." And we can describe any object with many different words. This is called "Labeling."
1. Objects have salient features. Our language empowers us to discriminate in terms of sequence (or "Relations"; e.g., first, second, third, etc.) and set (or "Classes"; i.e., classifications).
a. We learn terms that empower us to do this; e.g., a "red" object may be round, fat, or even have a tinge of a different color (as in "brownish red").
b. We understand that round and fat have nothing to do with that principle of classification called "color," and that shade ("brownish") clarifies red further along a continuum/sequence of "reds."
2. We act as if the labels we say are attributes of the objects we're describing.
a. This facilitates communication. Stopping to clarify the meaning of every word would impair efficient communication and drive people away. When "arguing semantics," much gets said while, oftentimes, very little gets communicated.
b. When we act as if the labels we say are attributes of the objects we're describing, we also facilitate misunderstanding. Fundamentally, we label how things appear to us, not necessarily how things are. We speak as if we’re describing things as they are, but we rarely know how things really are. Others may label the same object differently—or may use the same label we do for a very different object.
1) When I say, "That’s red," what I really mean is, "I perceive that as red."
2) When I call something "red," I trust that you have sufficient experience of red that you will know what I am talking about, even if you do not perceive a particular red object at this time—and even if you disagree with my description of a particular object as "red."
3) When we act as if we’re describing things as they are…
(a) It’s easy to minimize conflicting perceptions, because we’re already acting as if we’re right.
(b) It’s easy to miss the fact that we might not even be talking about the same thing. If we haven't clarified the meaning of words, it’s easy to assume we’re talking about the same thing… even when we may not be.
B. To facilitate continued relationships, it’s thus essential that our mental categories and labels remain flexible. We must
1. Remember the role our language plays in Labeling.
2. Remain open to others’ perspectives, and
3. Remain willing to change our labels as we listen.
C. Together, Categorical Flexibility and Labeling enable us to recognize categorical constancies and categorical changes whenever contexts shift—the balanced ability of (Re-)Contextualization.
D. (Re-)Contextualization is the primary ability undergirding the intellectual virtue of Honesty—the virtue to speak/act in ways one wants reproduced (vs. trying to effect desired speech or action in others by behaving differently). To whatever degree we are weak in Categorical Flexibility or Labeling, it makes sense to seek balance in someone who exhibits the virtue of Honesty.
VI. Thought Contents: Perception and understanding are also shaped by a person's dominant mode of thinking at any given time. In Structure of Intellect theory, these modes of thinking are called "Thought Contents." There are three general Thought Contents for every ability in the Integral Learning™ model:
A. The Figural Thought Content = Real, Tangible, Haptic (often called “Kinesthetic”). Can I touch it? Can I feel it? Can I move it? Many people in the trades excel at the figural thought content; many people who major in humanities in college struggle with it.
B. The Symbolic Thought Content = Representational, Semiotic, “Standing for.” Can I encode it? Many people in computer programming or language translation excel at the symbolic. Early readers often excel at the symbolic. When learners struggle to read and phonics training hasn't helped, difficulty with symbols is common—but not difficult to work through with a little help.
C. The Semantic Thought Content = Referential, Transactional, Meaningful. Can I express what it means? Journalists, authors, editors, and lawyers need to be good with words—they need to know what words refer to, how words are used in communication, and how words and body language conveys meaning. Students who struggle to get their thoughts out of their heads, to write a descriptive paragraph, or to discern meaning in a poem or painting often have under-developed semantic skills—which can, again, be trained with a little help.
Practically, this means that a learner can sense real things (figures), while struggling to sense letter-sound combinations (symbols) or language (semantics). It means a learner can dull to symbols (whose identity changes with orientation) while remaining aware of real things (figures) and words (semantics). Any combination is possible—effectively expanding the abilities we've considered from eight to 24.
How can I learn more?
VII. In exploring Sensation & Presence, Dulling, & Chunking, Participation & Discrimination, and Categorical Flexibility & Labeling, we've considered how learners perceive and categorize, reasons learners block out information, and ways that stereotypes develop.
A. If you've been considering these topics for the first time here, our presentation may have seemed woefully complex. If you've considered these topics many times before, however, you may have come away with new perspectives and helpful insights.
B. It's worth keeping in mind, in either case, that we've only examined four of the eighteen pairs of abilities in the Integral Learning™ model. We often explore six additional pairs of abilities, which are significantly easier to understand, with clients if they express interest or the need arises. (Otherwise, the Integral Learning™ model largely just empowers our diagnostics behind the scenes.) It's also worth keeping in mind that eighteen ability pairs x 2 in each pair = 36 abilities x three Thought Contents each = 108 distinct foundational skills. It's a lot to consider, but there's a lot of power in such precision, too.
C. To read more about the sensory foundations for these abilities, click here to explore the Integral Learning™ model.