Insight Perceptions  Factions Which Affect Perception Motivation 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. 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. There are several factors that affect an individual’s ability  to perceive. Some are internal to each person and some are  external. 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  10-8 •  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.  •  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.  •  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. •  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. •  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. •  Physical organism—provides individuals with the  perceptual sensors for perceiving the world around  them. 