1) Phineas Gage was a railroad construction foreman who suffered a traumatic brain injury in 1848 when an iron rod was driven through his skull. Remarkably, Gage survived the injury, but his personality and behavior were dramatically altered. He became impulsive, aggressive, and unable to hold down a job or maintain relationships.
Gage's case is important to the study of the brain because it was one of the first documented cases of a direct link between brain damage and changes in personality and behavior. Gage's injury helped to establish the field of neuropsychology, which focuses on the relationship between brain function and behavior. His case also helped to dispel the idea that the brain was a single, undifferentiated mass, and instead showed that different regions of the brain are responsible for different functions. Today, Gage's story is still used as a case study in neuroscience and psychology courses around the world.
2) Sensation refers to the process of detecting stimuli from the environment, such as light waves, sound waves, or temperature changes. Perception, on the other hand, refers to the process of interpreting and organizing sensory information to make sense of the world around us.
Our sensations can affect our perceptions because they provide the raw data that our brains use to create our perceptions. For example, if we see a red apple, our eyes detect the wavelengths of light that make up the color red, and this information is sent to the brain for processing. However, our perception of the apple is not just based on the raw sensory information. It is also influenced by our past experiences, expectations, and attention. For example, if we are hungry, we may perceive the apple as more appealing than if we are not hungry. Similarly, if we have had a bad experience with apples in the past, we may perceive the apple as less appealing.
In summary, while sensation refers to the process of detecting stimuli, perception is the process of interpreting and organizing that information to make sense of the world. Our perceptions are influenced not just by the raw sensory information, but also by our past experiences, expectations, and attention.