Generally we perceive something, and then we look. Looking in this case is the act of imposing names and associations on things. Seeing things means accepting what they are, but looking means unnecessary effort to make sure that you are safe, that nothing is going to confuse your relationship to the world. Contemplative observation is used to distinguish between what we experience and our conceptual responses to that experience. Such thoughts constantly fill our minds, often interrupting whatever direct experience we may have.
Observation is about untangling our experiences.
If we are listening, then we are available to inner and outer resources. If we trust our ears to listen to the sounds of a child talking and shuffling about in his seat, then we are present in that moment. When we attend to the sound, our mind apprehends the meaning, and our body or voice manifests a genuine response. That child is respected and heard. The Buddhist notion of the functioning of intellect seems closer to that of the other senses.