What is the difference between indirect and direct perception?

Answer 1

In perception, when I see a person, what do I see?

A good initial answer is the obvious one: I just see another person. Seeing is an activity that

requires an object. If what I see is the object of my seeing, then since what I see is this other

person, it follows that the object of my seeing is another person. Call this view direct

perception. The object of my seeing is another person.

However, a different view is suggested by the following. As I walk around this person, what I

see changes. My activity of seeing is constant and the object of my seeing, the other person,

does not change. However, clearly what I see does change! The only change that occurs is my

position. But how can a change in my position account for a change in the object of what I see,

if that object is another person and that person does not change?

The implication is that direct perception leaves out a key element: my perceptual state. Call this

view indirect perception. If what I see changes as I walk round this person, it is the perceptual

state (in this case a visual image) I have of this person that changes. If what I see is the object of

my seeing, then this object changes. For indirect perception, the object of my seeing is not the

other person, but rather my perceptual state

Answer 2

Indirect perception involves interpreting information received by the senses, while direct perception involves immediate recognition of sensory input without needing interpretation. In indirect perception, there is processing and analysis of sensory data to make sense of the environment, whereas direct perception involves a more immediate and intuitive awareness of stimuli.