In this course we question the traditional assumption that perception is divided into separate domains of vision, hearing, touch, taste, and smell.
We review implications of this assumption for theories of perception, and for our understanding of ambient energy arrays (e.g., the optic and acoustic arrays) that are available to perceptual systems.
We analyze the classical hypotheses about relations between ambient arrays and physical reality; (1) that there is an ambiguous relation between ambient energy arrays and physical reality; (2) that there is a unique relation between individual energy arrays and physical reality; (3) that there is a redundant but unambiguous relation, within or across arrays, between energy arrays and physical reality.
We review the physics of motion, focusing on the existence and status of referents for physical motion. This review indicates that it is not possible, in principle, for there to be a unique relation between physical motion and the structure of individual energy arrays.
We argue that physical motion relative to different referents is specified only in the global array, which consists of higher-order relations across different forms of energy.
We provide neurophysiological and behavioral data illustrating that perception and control of movement are based on informational quantities that exist across (not within) perceptual systems.