Final answer:
True, perception is the interpretation of sensory information based on experience, beliefs, and cultural factors. It involves both the direct sensory experience and the inferences we make about the external world, which can sometimes be subjective and susceptible to errors.
Step-by-step explanation:
True, the way we see something based on our experience is indeed our perception. Perception is not just about the sensory information we receive; it involves how we interpret this information. This interpretation is shaped by various factors including our past experiences, beliefs, expectations, and cultural contexts. What we perceive can be understood as perceptual hypotheses, which are educated guesses we make when interpreting sensory data. These hypotheses form our perceptual set, influencing how we see the world around us.
Perception also encompasses the concept of knowledge by acquaintance, as highlighted by philosopher Bertrand Russell. We may have direct sensory experience, such as seeing a bird outside the window, but extending that to believe there is indeed a bird on the branch is an act of inference. Our previous experiences and the reliability of our senses play a key role in forming beliefs about our perceptions, which can sometimes lead to mistaken conclusions due to illusions or hallucinations.
Moreover, our perceptual experiences can be significantly influenced by the specifics of our neural development and cultural environment. For instance, the ability to perceive depth can be affected by visual experiences in early childhood, and susceptibility to optical illusions can vary across cultures. Despite the seeming directness of our sensory experiences, what we perceive is fundamentally a subjective interpretation of the external world.