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Speaker 1: Chapter four, Consciousness. The fact of consciousness is the great

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mystery of psychology. It is difficult even to define the term,

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although every person of average intelligence understands what is sought

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to be conveyed by it. Webster defines it as knowledge

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of one's own existence, sensations, mental operations, et cetera, immediate

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knowledge or perception of any object, state or sensation, being

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aware being sensible of another. Authority defines the term as

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the state of being aware of one's sensations, the power, faculty,

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or mental image of being aware of one's own existence

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condition at the moment, thoughts, feelings, and actions. Alex definition

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is that indefinable characteristic of mental states which causes us

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to be aware of them. It will be seen that

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the idea of awareness is the essence the idea of consciousness.

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But at the last we are compelled to acknowledge that

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it is impossible to closely define consciousness, for it is

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something so entirely unique and different from anything else that

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we have no other terms at all synonymous to it.

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We can define it only in its own terms, as

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we have seen by reference to the definitions above given,

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And it is equally impossible to clearly account for its

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appearance and being. Huxley has well said, how it is

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that anything so remarkable as a state of consciousness comes

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about by the result of irritating nervous tissue is just

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as unaccountable as the appearance of the genie when Aladdin

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rubbed his lamp. All that we can ever know regarding

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the nature of consciousness must be learned from turning the

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consciousness in ourselves back upon itself, by focusing consciousness upon

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its own mental operations by means of introspection, by turning

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inward the conscious gaze, we may perceive the flow of

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the stream of thought from its rise from the subconscious

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regions of the mind to its final disappearance in the

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same region. It is a common error to suppose that

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we are directly conscious of objects outside of ourselves. This

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is impossible, for there is no direct knowledge of such

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outside objects. We are conscious merely of our sensations of

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or mental images of the outside objects. All that is

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possible for us to be directly conscious of are our

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own mental experiences or states. We cannot be directly conscious

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of anything outside of our own minds. We are not

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directly conscious of the tree which we see, we are

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directly conscious merely of the sensation of the nerves arising

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from the impact of the light waves carrying the image

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of the tree. We are not directly conscious of the

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tree when we touch it and perceive its character. In

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that way, we are directly conscious merely of the sensation

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reported by the nerves in the fingertips which have come

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in contact with the tree. We are directly conscious even

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of our own bodies only in the same way it

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is necessary for the mind to experience that of which

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it may become conscious. We are conscious only of one

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that which our mind is experiencing at this moment, or

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two that which has experienced in the past, and which

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is being re experienced this moment by the process of

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the memory, or which is being recombined or re arranged

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this moment by their imagination subconscious planes. But it must

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not be thought that every mental state or mental fact

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is in the field of consciousness. This error has been

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exploded for many years. The fact is now recognized that

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the field of consciousness is a very narrow, unlimited one,

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and that the great field of mental activity lies outside limit.

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Beyond and outside of the narrow field of consciousness lies

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the great subconscious storehouse of memory, in which are stored

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the experiences of the past, to be drawn again into

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the field of consciousness by an effort of the will

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in the act of recollection, or by association in ordinary remembrance.

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In that great region, also the mind manifests many of

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its activities and performs much of its work. In that

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great region are evolved the emotions and feelings which play

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such an important part in our lives, and which often

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manifest a vague, disturbing unrest long before they rise to

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the plane of consciousness. In that great region are produced

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the ideas, feelings, and conceptions which rise to the plane

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of consciousness and manifest that which men call genius. On

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a subconscious plane, the imagination does much of its work

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and startles its owner by presenting him with the accomplished

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result in the field of consciousness. In the subconscious field

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is performed that peculiar process of mental mastication, digestion, and

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assimilation with which all brain workers are familiar, and which

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absorbs the raw mental material given it separates, digests, and

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assimilates it, and represents it to the conscious faculties. Sometime

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after as a transformed substance. It has been estimated that

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at least eighty five percent of our mental activities are

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performed below or outside of the field of consciousness. The

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psychology of today's paying much attention to this formally neglected

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great area or areas of the mind. The psychology of

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tomorrow will pay still greater attention to it. The best

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of the modern authorities agree that in the great field

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of subconscious mentation is to be found the explanation of

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much that is unexplainable otherwise. In fact, it is probable

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that before long consciousness will be regarded as a mere

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fae focusing of attention upon mental states, and the objects

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of consciousness merely as that portion of the contents of

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the mind in the field of mental vision created by

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such focusing end of Chapter four, Chapter five. Attention intimately

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connected with the object of consciousness is that process of

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the mind which we call attention. Attention is generally defined

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as the application of the mind to a mental state,

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is often referred to as concentrated consciousness, but others have

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ventured the somewhat daring conjecture that consciousness itself is rather

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the result of attention, instead of the latter being an

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incident of consciousness. We shall not attempt to discuss this

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question here except to state that consciousness depends very materially

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upon the degree of attention bestowed upon its object. The

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authorities place great importance upon the intelligent direction of the attention,

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and hold that without this the higher forms of knowledge

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are impossible. It is the common belief that we feel, see, here, taste,

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and smell whenever objects affecting those senses come in contact

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with the organs of sense governing them. But this is

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only a partial truth. The real truth is that we

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become conscious of the report of these senses only when

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the attention is directed toward the sensation voluntarily or involuntarily.

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That is to say that in many cases, although the

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sense nerves and organs report a disturbance, the mind does

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not become consciously aware of the report unless the attention

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is directed toward it, either by an act of will

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or else by reflex action. For instance, the clock may

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strike loudly, and yet we may not be conscious of

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the fact, for we are concentrating our at tension upon

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a book. Or we may eat the choicest food without

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tasting it intently. The conversation of our charming neighbor, we

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may fail to perceive some startling occurrence happening under our

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very eyes, for we are buried in deep thought concerning

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something far removed from the present scene. There are many

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cases on record showing that one may be so interested

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in speaking, thinking, or acting that he will not experience

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pain that would otherwise be intolerable. Writers have forgotten their

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pain in the concentrated interests bestowed upon their work. Mothers

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have failed to feel pain when their infants require urgent attention.

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Orators have been so carried away by their own eloquence

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that they have failed to feel the pricking of the

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pin by means of which their friends have sought to

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attract their attention. Not only perception and feeling depend largely

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upon attention, but the processes of reasoning, memory, and even

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of will depend upon attention for much of their manifestation.

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Psychologists divide attention into two general classes, that is, one

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voluntary attention and two involuntary attention. Voluntary attention is attention

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directed by the will to some object of our own

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more or less deliberate selection. It requires a distinct effort

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of the will in order to focus the attention in

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this way, and many persons are scarcely aware of its existence,

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so seldom do they manifest it. Voluntary attention is the

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result of training and practice, and marks the man of

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strong will, concentration, and character. Some authorities go so far

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as to say that much of that which is commonly

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called will power is really but a developed form of

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voluntary attention, the man of strong will holding before him

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the one idea which he wishes to realize. Involuntary attention,

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often called reflex attention, is attention called forth by a

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nervous response to some sense stimulus. This is the common

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form attention, and is but the same form which is

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so strongly manifested by children, whose attention is caught by

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every new object, but which cannot be held for any

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length of time by a familiar or uninteresting one. It

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is of the utmost importance that one should cultivate his

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power of voluntary attention. Not only is the will power

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strengthened and developed in this way, but every mental faculty

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is developed by reason thereof the Training of the voluntary

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attention is the first step in mental development. Training the attention.

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That the voluntary attention may be deliberately trained and developed

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is a fact which many of the world's greatest men

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have proved for themselves. There is only one way to

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train and develop any mental power or faculty, and that

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is by practice and use. By practice, interest may be

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given to objects previously uninteresting, and thus the use of

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the attention develops the interest, interest which further holds it.

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Interest is the natural road over which attention travels easily.

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But interest itself may be induced by concentrated attention. By

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studying and examining an object, the attention brings to light

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many new and novel features regarding the thing, and needs

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produce a new interest, which in turn attracts further and

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continued attention. There is no royal road to the development

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of voluntary attention. The only true method is work, practice,

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and use. You must practice on uninteresting things, the primary

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interest being your desire to develop the power of voluntary attention.

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But as you begin to attend to the uninteresting thing,

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you will become interested in the task for its own sake.

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Take some object and place your mind upon it. Think

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of its nature, where it came from, its use, its associations,

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its probable future of things related to it, et cetera,

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et cetera. Keep the attention firmly upon it and shut

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out all outside ideas. Then, after a little practice of

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this kind, lay aside the object for the time being,

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and take it up again the next day, endeavoring to

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discover new points of interest in it. The main thing

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to be sought is to hold the thing in your mind,

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and this can be done only by discovering features of

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interest in it. The interest loving attention may rebel at

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this task at first, and will seek to wander from

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the path into the green pastures which are found on

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either side thereof. But you must bring your mind back

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to the task again and again. After a time, the

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mind will become accustomed to the drill, and will even

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begin to enjoy it. Give it some variety by occasionally

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changing the objects of examination. The object need not always

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be something to be looked at. Instead, select some subject

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in history or literature and run it down, endeavoring to

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bring to light all the facts relating to it that

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are possible to you. Anything may be used as the

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subject or object of your inquiry, but what is chosen

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must be held in the field of conscious attention firmly

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and fixedly. The habit once acquired, you'll find the practice

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most fascinating you will invent new subjects or objects of inquiry, investigation,

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and thought, which in themselves will well repay you for

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your work and time. But never lose sight of the

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main point, the development of the power of voluntary attention.

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In studying the methods of developing and training the voluntary attention,

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the student should remember that any exercise which develops the

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will will result in developing the attention, and likewise, any

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exercise which develops the voluntary attention will tend to strengthen

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the will. The will and attention are so closely bound

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together that what affects one also influences the other. This

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fact should be borne in mind, and the exercises and

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practices based upon it. In practicing concentration of voluntary attention,

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it should be remembered that concentration consists not only of

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focusing the attention upon a given object or subject, but

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also of the shutting out of impressions from other objects

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or subjects. Some authorities advise that the student endeavor to

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listen to one voice among many, or one instrument among

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the many of a band or orchestra. Others advise a

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practice of concentrating on the reading of a book in

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a room filled by persons engaged in conversation and similar exercises.

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Whatever aids in narrowing the circle of attention at a

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given moment tends to develop the power of voluntary attention.

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The study of mathematics and logic is also held to

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be an excellent practice in a concentration of voluntary attention,

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inasmuch as these studies require close pers concentration and attention.

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Attention is also developed by any study or practice which

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demands analysis of a whole into its parts, and then

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the synthesis or building up of a whole from its

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scattered parts. Each of the sensors should play a part

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in the exercises, and in addition to this, the mind

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should be trained to concentrate upon some one idea held

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within itself, some mental image or abstract idea existing independently

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of any objective immediate sense report. End of Chapter five,

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Chapter six Perception. It is a common mistake that we

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perceive everything that is reported to the mind by the senses.

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As a matter of fact, we perceive but a very

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small portion of the reports of the senses. There are

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thousands of sites reported by our eyes, sounds reported by

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our ears, smells reported by our nostril and contacts reported

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by our nerves of touch every day of our lives,

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but which are not perceived or observed by the mind.

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We perceive and observe only when the attention, reflex or

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voluntary is directed to the report of the senses, and

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when the mind interprets the report. While perception depends upon

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the reports of the senses for its raw material, it

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depends entirely upon the application of the mind for its

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complete manifestation. The student usually experiences great difficulty in distinguishing

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between sensation and perception. A sensation is a simple report

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of the senses which is received in consciousness. Perception is

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the thought arising from the feeling of the sensation. Perception

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usually combines several sensations into one thought or percept. By sensation,

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the mind feels. By perception, it knows that it feels

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and recognizes the object causing the sensation. Sensation merely brings

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the report from outside objects, while perception identifies the report

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with the object which caused it. Perception interprets the reports

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of sensation. Sensation reports a flash of light from above,

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Perception interprets the light as starlight or moonlight or sunlight,

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or as the flash of a meteor. Sensation reports a sharp, pricking,

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painful contact, perception interprets it as the prick of a pin.

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Sensation reports a red spot on a green background, perception

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interprets it as a berry on a bush. Moreover, while

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we may perceive a simple single sensation, our perceptions are

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usually of a group of sensations. Perception is usually employed

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in grouping sensations and identifying them with the object or

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objects causing them. In its identification, it draws upon whatever

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memory of past experiences the mind may possess. Memory, imagination, feeling,

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and thought are called into play to some extent. In

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every clear perception, the infant has but feeble perception, but

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as it gains experience, it begins to manifest perceptions and

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form percepts. Sensations resemble the letters of the alphabet a

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perception the forming of words and sentences from the letters. Thus, C, A,

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and T symbolize sensations, while a word cat formed from

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them symbolizes the perception of the object. It is held

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that all knowledge begins with sensation, that the mental history

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the race or individual begins with its first sensation. But

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while this is admitted, it must be remembered that sensation

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simply provides the simple, elementary raw material of thought. The

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first process of actual thought or knowledge begins with perception.

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From our percept, all of our high concepts and ideas

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are formed. Perception depends upon the association of the sensation

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with other sensations previously experienced. It is based upon experience.

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The greater the experience, the greater is the possibility of perception,

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all else being equal. When perception begins, the mind loses

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sight of the sensation in itself, for it identifies it

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as a quality of the thing producing it. The sensation

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of light is thought of as a quality of the star.

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The pricking sensation is thought of as a quality of

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the pin or chestnut burr. The sensation of odour is

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thought of as a quality of the rose. In the

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case of the rose, the several sensations of sight, touch,

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and smell, in their impression of the qualities of colour, shape, softness,

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and perfume are grouped together in the percept of The

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complete object of the flower. Accept is that which is perceived,

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the object of the active perception. The percept, of course,

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is a mental state corresponding with its outside object. It

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is a combination of several sensations which are regarded as

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the qualities of the outside object, to which are combined

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the memories of past experiences ideas, feelings and thoughts. A percept, then,

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while a simplest form of thought is seen to be

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a mental state. The formation of a percept consists of

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three gradual stages. That is, one, the attention forms definite

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conscious sensations from indefinite nervous reports sc Two, the mind

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interprets these definite conscious sensations and attributes them to the

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outside object, causing them. Three, the related sensations are grouped together.

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They unity perceived and are regarded as qualities of the

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outside object. The plain distinction between the sensation and a

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percept may be fixed in the mind by remembering the following.

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A sensation is a feeling. A percept is a simple

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thought identifying one or more sensations. A sensation is merely

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the conscious recognition of an excitation of a nerve end

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A percept results from a distinct mental process regarding the

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sensation developing perception. It is of the utmost importance that

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we develop and train our powers of perception for our

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education depends very materially upon our perceptive power. What matters

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it to us if the outside world be filled with

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manifold objects, if we do not perceive them to exist

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upon perception depends the material of our mental world. Many

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persons go through the world without perceiving even the most

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obvious facts. Their eyes and ears are perfect instruments, their

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nerves convey accurate reports, But the perceptive faculties of the

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mind fail to observe and interpret the report of the senses.

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They see and hear distinctly, But the reports of the

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senses are not observed or noted by them. They mean

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nothing to them. One may see many things, and yet

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observe but few. It is not upon what we see

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or hear that our stock of knowledge depends so much

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as it does upon what we perceive, notice, or observe.

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Not only is one's stock of practical knowledge largely based

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upon developed perception, but one's success also depends materially upon

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the same faculties. In business and professional life, the successful

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man is usually he who has developed perceptive powers, he

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who has learned to perceive, observe, and note. The man

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who perceives and takes mental notes of what occurs in

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his world is a man who is apt to know

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things when such knowledge is needed. In this age of

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book education, we find that the young people are not

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nearly so observant as are those children who had to

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depend upon the powers of perception for their knowledge. The

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young Arab or Indian will observe more in an hour

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than the civilized child will in a day. To live

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in a world of books tends in many cases to

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weaken the powers of observation and perception. Perception may be

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developed by practice. Begin by taking notice of the things

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seen and heard in your usual walks. Keep wide open

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the eyes of the mind, notice the faces of the

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people their walk, their characteristics. Look for interesting and odd things,

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and you will see them. Do not go through life

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in a day dream, but keep a sharp lookout for

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things of interest and value. The most familiar things will

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repay you for the time and work of examining them

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in detail, and the practice gained by such tasks will

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prove valuable in your development of perception. An authority remarks

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that very few persons, even those to be in the country,

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know whether a cow's ears are above, below, behind, or

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in front of her horns, nor whether cats descend from

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trees head first or tail first. Very few persons can

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distinguish between the leaves of the various kinds of familiar

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trees in their neighborhood. Comparatively, few persons are able to

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describe the house in which they live, at least beyond

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the most general features. The details are unknown. Who dart?

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The French conjurer was able to pass by a shop

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window and perceive every article in it, and then repeat

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what he had seen. But he acquired this skill only

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by constant and gradual practice. He himself decry at his

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skill and claimed that it was as nothing compared to

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that of the fashionable women, who can pass another woman

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on the street and take in her entire attire from

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head to foot at one glance, and be able to

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describe not only the fashion and quality of the stuffs,

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but also say if the lace be real or only

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machine made. A former president of Yale is said to

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have been able to glance at a book and read

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a quarter of a page at one time. Any study

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or occupation which requires analysis will develop the power of perception. Consequently,

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if we will analyze the things we see, resolving them

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into their parts or elements, we will likewise develop the

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perceptive faculties. It is a good exercise to examine some

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small object and endeavor to discover as many different points

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of perception as possible, noting them on a sheet of paper.

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The most familiar object, if carefully examined, will yield rich returns.

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If two persons will enter into a contest of this kind,

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the spirit of rivalry and competition will quicken the powers

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of observation. Those who have had the patience and perseverance

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to systematically practice exercises of this kind report that they

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notice the steady improvement from the very start. But even

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if one does not feel inclined to practice in this way,

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it will be found possible to begin to take notice

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of the details of things one sees, the expressions of

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person's faces, the details of their dress, their tone of voice,

391
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the quality of goods we handle, and the little things

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especially Perception like attention follows interest, but likewise interests may

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be created in things by observing their details, peculiarities, and characteristics.

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The best knowledge gained by one is that, resulting from

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his own personal perception, there is a nearness and trueness

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about that which is lacking in that he merely believes

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because he is read or heard it. One can make

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such knowledge a part of himself. Not only is one's

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knowledge dependent upon what he perceives, but his very character

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also results from the character of his percepts. The influence

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of environment is great, and what is environment but things

402
00:27:02,200 --> 00:27:05,480
perceived about one. It is not so much what lies

403
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outside of one as what part of it gets inside

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of one by perception. By directing his attention to desirable

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objects and perceiving as much of them as is possible,

406
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one really builds his own character at will. The world

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needs good perceivers in all the walks of life. It

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finds a shortage of them, and is demanding them loudly,

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being willing to pay a good price for their services.

410
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The person who can voluntarily perceive and observe the details

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of any profession, business, or trade will go far in

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that vocation. The education of children should take the faculty

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of perception into active consideration. The kindergarten has taken some

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steps in this direction, but there is much more to

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be done.