system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Is there a standard hierarchy for sensory inputs?

Is there a well defined “pecking order” for sensory inputs? For me, it seems like visual input overrides other passive inputs but not deliberate thought.

Two examples:

1. With a VR headset, I know I’m safe in conference room with a level floor but it still churns my stomach and takes deliberate commands from my brain to my feet (and a deep breath) to walk through a virtual balcony or upper floor window into apparent void below.

2. When our house was being painted, the stair landings had a strip of tape holding the masking paper in place. The tape was pretty much one tread’s distance from the previous step. I stumbled a dozen times on this phantom step when I saw it from the corner of my eye, even though my muscle memory should recognize the 1,000+ times I’ve gone up/down. 

Maybe related: recoiling/arc reflex from cold surface that “feels” hot, power through terrible smell of durian to eat the rather sweet fruit, etc. 

Is there a general rule like “cognition trumps vision, visions trumps smell, etc”?
gpt
I would not go as far as calling it a strict hierarchy, but in terms of brain activity, the vast majority of our processed information is visual. The visual cortex is huge and the amount of information is incomparable to a tactile sensation or smell.   


Additionally, our eyes are much less prone to false readings. One nerve pinched and we think our leg is somewhere else. Having an optical illusion on both eyes is very unlikely in a natural environment. No wonder we rely on eyes the most and even validate other senses, like tactile sensations through seeing.