Superhuman Perception

## What is Visual Perception?

Visual perception is the process by which the brain interprets and makes sense of the visual information received by the eyes. It involves the reception, processing, and integration of visual stimuli, and allows us to see, recognize, and understand the objects and scenes in our environment.

The process involved:

**Reception**: The eyes receive light from the environment and convert it into electrical signals, which are sent to the brain through the optic nerve. The retina in the eye contains photoreceptor cells (rods and cones) that are sensitive to light and generate electrical signals in response to light stimulation.

**Transduction**: The photoreceptor cells convert the incoming light into electrical signals, which are then processed by the retina and sent to the brain.

**Processing**: The visual information received by the eyes is processed in several stages in the brain. First, it is processed in the primary visual cortex, which is responsible for basic visual processing, such as edge detection and color processing. Then, the information is processed in higher visual areas, such as the visual association cortex, which is responsible for more complex visual processing, such as object recognition and spatial awareness.

**Integration**: The processed visual information is integrated with other sensory information, such as auditory and touch information, to form a coherent perception of the environment.

**Interpretation**: Finally, the brain interprets the integrated visual information to form a meaningful understanding of the objects and scenes in the environment. This interpretation is influenced by prior knowledge, expectations, and context, and can result in perceptual illusions or misunderstandings.

## Intricacies of the Eye

The retina of the eye contains two types of photoreceptor cells, rods and cones, which are responsible for detecting light and generating electrical signals that are sent to the brain.

**Rods**: Rods are the photoreceptor cells that are responsible for sensing light and generating electrical signals for vision in low-light conditions, such as in the dark or in dimly lit environments. Rods are more sensitive to light than cones and are more densely packed in the retina, particularly in the peripheral regions. Rods contain a photopigment called rhodopsin, which is very sensitive to light and quickly regenerates after it is broken down by light.

**Cones**: Cones are the photoreceptor cells that are responsible for color vision and visual acuity in bright light conditions. Cones are less sensitive to light than rods and are more densely packed in the central region of the retina, known as the fovea. There are three types of cones in the retina, each containing a different type of photopigment that is sensitive to different wavelengths of light, enabling us to see different colors.

Both rods and cones work together to provide us with a full and rich visual experience, but they have different roles in visual perception. Rods provide us with the ability to see in low-light conditions, while cones provide us with the ability to see color and fine detail. The combination of these two types of photoreceptor cells allows us to see a wide range of light levels and color intensity, from the dimmest starry night to the brightest sunny day.

## The Study

This entire process that is involved with not only obtaining information but filtering information that is relevant and needed takes varying amounts of times for difference species. Biology among animals will change according to the challenges that they face in the wild. A long-legged fly of the genus Condylostylus has a recorded visual startle reflex of 5 milliseconds or 0.005 seconds. The study tested the following:

*"This response to a visual startle reflex caused by a photographic flash was recorded repeatedly on camera and the synchronized shutter speed made it possible to measure the reflex time. Habituation was also observed in these trials. This newly recorded reflex is 3 times faster than any other previously reported."*

(Source)

## Average Human Perceptions

The study that is currently used for average perceptions would come from an MIT study where random people were put to a test of varying flashed images that would decrease in time shown as they adapted to the test. This study yielded a peak speed of 13 milliseconds which is 0.013 seconds. What was being shown today is the qualifications for "Superhuman Perceptions". The goal of superhuman perceptions is to grant proper reactionary standards for characters that have shown physical dominance over all of the animal kingdom in their respective showings. Previously only using the normal humans adaptive perceptions would not do justice for the majority of these characters that have incredible speed showings that would also apply to their reactions being able to keep up with these speeds. If characters that are capable of moving much faster than sound and even electricity are still not able to keep up with another character it feels disingenuous to only allow them the human "Adaptive average."

*"The visual system is exquisitely adapted to the task of extracting conceptual information from visual input with every new eye fixation, three or four times a second. Here we assess the minimum viewing time needed for visual comprehension, using rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) of a series of six or 12 pictures presented at between 13 and 80 ms per picture with no inter-stimulus interval. Participants were to detec a picture specified by a name (e.g., smiling couple) that was given just before or immediately after the sequence. Detection improved with increasing duration and was better when the name was presented before the sequence, but performance was significantly above chance at all durations, whether the target was named before or only after the sequence."*

(Source)

## Application

This would apply to characters that have consistent speed showings that far exceed that of even "Faster than the Eye" movement. To be able to apply for this tiering of perceptions the character must have combat speed that is equal or greater than the listed speeds below. Characters that can move faster than the speed of sound alone must be able to perceive and adapt to their surroundings to control movements. A simple dash of 5 meters in this timeframe would put you well over the speed of sound requiring advanced perception of movement.

### Requirements

**Speed**: Faster than **1029 m/s** or Mach 3