Meta-Senses

Nociception: (Pain Perception)

Nociception refers to the neural process of detecting and processing noxious stimuli, such as tissue injury, extreme temperatures, or harmful chemicals, involving both the peripheral and central nervous systems. Specialized sensory nerve endings called nociceptors, located in tissues like skin, muscles, joints, and viscera, detect mechanical, thermal, or chemical stimuli. These nociceptors transmit signals via the peripheral nervous system to the spinal cord and brain, where the sensation of pain is perceived and interpreted (Kendroud et al., 2017).

Interoception

Interoception refers to the perception of internal bodily states, such as hunger, thirst, heartbeat, and breathing. Interoceptive dimensions have a crucial role to play immune responses, emotional states and selfhood (Critchley & Garfinkel, 2017).

Perceptual Senses

Chronoception: (Time Perception)

Chronoception refers to our ability to sense the passage of time, duration, and order. This is distinct from circadian rhythms, which are biological processes regulating day–night cycles through both internal mechanisms (e.g., adenosine buildup promoting sleepiness) and external cues (e.g., sunlight). While related, subjective time perception (chronoception) and circadian rhythm (biological timing) are studied as separate but interacting systems (Pagliano, 2014).

Sense of Ownership

Sense of Ownership relates to the feeling of (and I quote) "mineness" that relates to our own body parts (Braun et al., 2018). Ownership in this sense allow us to understand the sense of self and thought (i.e. I am the one having this thought (even though research is limited on this part)) and our own body parts (i.e. this is my hand).

Sense of Agency

Sense of agency is the psychological experience of perceived control over our own actions (Braun et al., 2018) - a feeling of authorship. For example, when I flip a light switch, I expect the light to turn on. (…unless, of course, you're lucid dreaming).

Senses in Other Species

Electroception

Some animals, like sharks, can detect electrical fields in their environment to find prey.

Magnetoreception

Bats, birds, and other mammals use this sense to detect the Earth's magnetic field for navigation.

Polarized Light

Certain insects and birds can sense polarized light, which helps them steer their flight.

This finalizes the short introduction into some cognitive and biomechanical functions of perception. We tried to keep it short and sweet.

Illusions related to meta-senses

1. Rubber Hand Illusion
The rubber hand illusion shows how easily our sense of body ownership can be tricked. When a hidden real hand and a visible rubber hand are stroked at the same time, the brain merges what it sees and feels, making people feel the fake hand is their own.

2. Threat expectancy illusion
Participants expecting high-pain stimuli perceived their heartrate increasing whereas it is not, showcasing that illusions intersect also with people's internal states (Parrptta et al., 2024).

References

• Braun, N., Debener, S., Spychala, N., Bongartz, E., Sörös, P., Müller, H. H., & Philipsen, A. (2018). The senses of agency and ownership: a review. Frontiers in psychology, 9, 535.
• Critchley, H. D., & Garfinkel, S. N. (2017). Interoception and emotion. Current opinion in psychology, 17, 7-14.
• Kendroud, S., Fitzgerald, L. A., Murray, I. V., & Hanna, A. (2017). Physiology, nociceptive pathways.
• Pagliano, P. (2014). The Multisensory Environment–Time to sense. Everyday Multisensory Environments, Wellness Technology and Snoezelen, 18.
• Parrotta, E., Bach, P., Perrucci, M. G., Costantini, M., & Ferri, F. (2024). Heart is deceitful above all things: Threat expectancy induces the illusory perception of increased heartrate. Cognition, 245, 105719.