## Perceptions 

Perceiving involves more than the reception of stimuli from the five senses. Perceptions result when a person gives meaning to sensations. People base their actions on the way they believe things to be. 

Real meaning comes only from within a person, even though the perceptions which evoke these meanings result from external stimuli. The meanings which are derived from perceptions are influenced not only by the individual’s experience, but also by many other factors. Knowledge of the factors which affect the perceptual process is very important to the flight instructor because perceptions are the basis of all learning. 

## Factions Which Affect Perception 

There are several factors that affect an individual’s ability to perceive. Some are internal to each person and some are external. 

• Physical organism—provides individuals with the perceptual sensors for perceiving the world around them. 

• Basic need—a person’s basic need is to maintain and enhance the organized self. A person’s most pressing need is to preserve and perpetuate the self. To that end, an instructor must remember that anything asked of the student that may be interpreted by the student as endangering the self is resisted or denied. 

• Goals and values—perceptions depend on one’s goals and values. The precise kinds of commitments and philosophical outlooks which the student holds are important for the instructor to know, since this knowledge assists in predicting how the student interprets experiences and instructions. 

• Self-concept—a powerful determinant in learning. If a student’s experiences tend to support a favorable self-image, the student tends to remain receptive to subsequent experiences. A negative self-concept inhibits the perceptual processes which tend to keep the student from perceiving, effectively blocking the learning process. 

• Time and opportunity—it takes time and opportunity to perceive. Learning some things depends on other perceptions which have preceded these learnings, and on the availability of time to sense and relate these new things to the earlier perceptions. Thus, sequence and time are necessary. 

• Element of threat—does not promote effective learning. When confronted with a perceived threat, students tent to limit their attention to the threatening object or condition. 

## Insight 

Insight involves the grouping of perceptions into meaningful groups of understanding. Creating insight is one of the instructor’s major responsibilities. To ensure that this does occur, it is essential to keep each student constantly receptive to new experiences and to help the student realize the way each piece relates to all other pieces of the total pattern of the task to be learned. 

As perceptions increase in number and are assembled by the student into larger blocks of learning, they develop insight. As a result, learning becomes more meaningful and more permanent. Forgetting is less of a problem when there are more anchor points for tying insights together. It is a major responsibility of the instructor to organize demonstrations and explanations, and to direct practice, so that the student has better opportunities to understand the interrelationship of the many kinds of experiences that have been perceived. Pointing out the relationships as they occur, providing a secure and nonthreatening environment in which to learn, and helping the student acquire and maintain a favorable self-concept are key steps in fostering the development of insight. 

## Motivation 

Motivation is probably the dominant force governing the student’s progress and ability to learn. Motivation may be positive or negative, tangible or intangible, subtle and difficult to identify, or it may be obvious. 

Positive motivation is provided by the promise or achievement of rewards. These rewards may be personal or social; they may involve financial gain, satisfaction of the self-concept, or public recognition. Motivation which can be used to advantage by the instructor includes the desire for personal gain, the desire for personal comfort or security, the desire for group approval, and the achievement of a favorable self-image. 

Negative motivation may engender fear, and be perceived by the student as a threat. While negative motivation may be useful in certain situations, characteristically it is not as effective in promoting efficient learning as positive motivation. 

Positive motivation is essential to true learning. Negative motivation in the form of reproofs or threats should be avoided with all but the most overconfident and impulsive students. Slumps in learning are often due to declining motivation. Motivation does not remain at a uniformly high level. It may be affected by outside influences, such as physical or mental disturbances or inadequate instruction. The instructor should strive to maintain motivation at the 

