Perception: the active predictive construction of sensory
Perception: the active predictive construction of sensory experience shaped by expectations and constrained (not determined) by sensory input, operating through a hierarchical prediction machine that continuously generates top-down predictions about expected sensory input and propagates only prediction errors upward for model updating
Why This Is a Definition
This definition precisely establishes the semantic boundary of 'perception' within the curriculum by identifying its genus (predictive construction) and differentia (shaped by expectations, constrained by sensory input, operates through hierarchical prediction machine). It distinguishes perception from passive reception and aligns with the predictive processing theory framework presented in the lesson, using language consistent with how the curriculum defines this term.
Source Lessons
Your filters are always active
You never perceive raw reality — your beliefs, expectations, and mood always color perception.
Your perception is not objective
What you perceive is a construction, not a recording. Your brain generates a model of reality shaped by expectation, culture, and attention — and it feels like truth precisely because the construction is invisible to you.