Conscious or dreaming people are aware of seemingly stationary infinite three-dimensional space {perceptual space} {theater of the mind} {subjective space} {sensory field} {visual field} in and around body, bounded by surfaces near and far. Conscious or dreaming people having below-threshold stimuli are still aware of space. Unconscious people have no awareness of space. Smallest space interval is one millisecond of arc.
properties
Sensations always are at three-dimensional-space locations, with directions and distances. Three planes define space outside head: horizontal at ground, vertical pointing straight-ahead, and vertical and parallel to face one meter away. People are aware only of three-dimensional space, not zero-dimensional, one-dimensional, two-dimensional, four-dimensional, or higher-dimensional space. Space is about distance intervals appropriate to body actions, microns to centimeters, not about electrochemical and physical processes taking place at molecular distances. Space does not seem to stretch evenly but can compact and expand. Objects can seem to have longer or shorter extensions depending on nearby-object sizes and orientations. Space does not change, flicker, or fade. Space seems continuous, not discrete. Space has no intensity, density, energy, or mass.
field
People experience sense qualities at different distances. People feel that scenes extend to regions with no sense qualities, such as behind head.
meaning
Space is necessary for meaning, because it provides reference locations.
processing
To construct space, brain processing first constructs body-centered two-dimensional space, then body-centered two-and-a-half dimensional space, which transform during body motions and do not have symbol grounding or sensations.
Three-dimensional space is stationary. Body, head, and eye movements change observer perspective, making different viewpoints. Body, head, and eye movements transform egocentric space coordinates, using mostly translational and vibrational transformations. Sense processing transforms egocentric space coordinates to maintain stationary allocentric space, using mostly rotation transformations. Geometric coordinate transformations maintain spatial relations during eye, head, or body movements. Egocentric-space transformations maintain stationary allocentric space. Sense-processing tensors compensate for body movements that change egocentric space, and coordinate transformations create and maintain allocentric stationary space [Olson et al., 1999] [Pouget and Sejnowski, 1997].
Space uses absolute or relative body-centric and environment-centric coordinates, which are transformed during body movements.
multisensory
All senses seem to share same perceptual space. Cortical vision processing makes three-dimensional perceptual space. Temporal-and-parietal-lobe sound processing makes three-dimensional perceptual space. Hippocampus memory processing makes three-dimensional memory space. Cerebellum sensory-motor processing makes three-dimensional sensory-motor space. Frontal lobe and association cortex merge sensory, memory, and motor spaces to make unified perceptual space.
observer
People feel that they are behind sensory apparatus, observing outward. Observer or self seems to be at three-dimensional-space center.
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Date Modified: 2022.0224