Why Dominant Scientific Community Focuses on the Traditional Five Senses ?

It's possible that there are more senses beyond the traditional five, and some of these senses may indeed originate from within us. Some examples of such internal senses include proprioception, Interception, equilibrioception, and nociception. Proprioception allows us to perceive the position and movement of our body parts without relying on external stimuli. It's how you know where your limbs are in space even when your eyes are closed. Interception involves perceiving internal bodily sensations like hunger, thirst, and the need for air. It informs us about our internal physiological state. Equilibrioception helps us maintain balance and an awareness of our body's orientation in space. Nociception is the perception of pain, which can be considered a sense because it provides information about potential harm to the body.

Why Dominant Scientific Community Focuses on the Traditional Five Senses ?

There are several reasons why the scientific community has traditionally focused on the five senses:

1. Historical Precedent: The concept of the five senses has a long history in philosophy and science, dating back to ancient Greece. This historical precedent has led to a strong cultural and scientific bias in favor of these five senses.
2. Tangible External Stimuli: The traditional senses are closely tied to our perception of the external world, making them easier to study and quantify. This has led to a greater emphasis on these senses in scientific research.
3. Clear Functions: The traditional senses serve clear and well-defined functions that are essential for survival and daily functioning.
4. Lack of Awareness: Many internal senses like proprioception and interoception are less consciously perceived, and people may not be as aware of them, leading to their omission from the traditional list of senses.

The Role of Definitions

Definitions are both helpful and limiting. They provide a common framework for understanding concepts, which can facilitate communication and scientific inquiry. However, they can also be limiting when they rigidly define a concept and discourage exploration beyond those boundaries. Definitions provide clarity and a starting point for understanding complex concepts. In the case of the five senses, a clear definition helps organize scientific research and education. However, definitions can limit our understanding by excluding nuances and variations. In the case of sensation, a narrow definition may exclude important aspects of perception, such as internal sensations.

Expanding the Definition of Sensation

Yes, expanding the definition of sensation to include both external and internal perceptions is valuable. This expanded view acknowledges that our awareness and interaction with the world go beyond the traditional five senses. It can lead to a deeper understanding of how our bodies and minds function and how we perceive and interact with our environment.

Operant conditioning plays a significant role in the development of reading skills and the formation of automaticity in these skills:

Operant Conditioning in Reading Development

Operant conditioning involves learning through consequences, where behaviors are strengthened or weakened based on their outcomes. In the context of reading:

1. Positive Reinforcement: When a child successfully reads a word or sentence, they often receive praise or a sense of accomplishment. This positive reinforcement encourages them to continue reading and reinforces their reading skills.
2. Negative Reinforcement: Avoiding the discomfort of not understanding or struggling with reading can also reinforce reading behavior. When children read and comprehend, they avoid the negative feelings associated with confusion.
3. Punishment (Weakens Behavior): Reading difficulties may lead to frustration or negative feedback, which can weaken reading behavior if not addressed properly.

Development of Automaticity

Reading skills become more automatic through repeated practice and reinforcement:

1. Practice: Initially, reading is a conscious, effortful process. As individuals practice reading, they become more proficient at recognizing words and comprehending text, requiring less conscious effort.
2. Repetition: Repeated exposure to words and text patterns strengthens neural pathways associated with reading, making it more automatic.
3. Fluency Development: Automaticity in reading is often associated with reading fluency, where words are recognized effortlessly, allowing more cognitive resources to be dedicated to comprehension.

Generalization to Other Skills

Many skills follow a similar path of development through operant conditioning, especially those that involve learning and repetition. Whether it's learning a musical instrument, a sport, or a language, repeated practice and reinforcement contribute to skill development and automaticity.

To summarize, operant conditioning plays a crucial role in the development of reading skills, and the principles of reinforcement and practice can be applied to various other skills as well. The development of automaticity in skills is a common process, driven by repeated practice and reinforcement.

Reference

Clarifying differences between reading skills and reading ... - JSTOR. (n.d.-a). https://www.jstor.org/stable/20204600 

Kendra Cherry, Mse. (2023, March 2). Positive reinforcement can help favorable behaviors. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-positive-reinforcement-2795412 

Miendlarzewska, E. A., & Trost, W. J. (2014, January 20). How musical training affects cognitive development: Rhythm, reward and other modulating variables. Frontiers in neuroscience. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3957486/ 

Nickles, T. (2017, June 14). Historicist theories of scientific rationality. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/rationality-historicist/ 

SC;, P. U. (n.d.). The proprioceptive senses: Their roles in signaling body shape, body position and movement, and Muscle Force. Physiological reviews. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23073629/ 

Therapeutic communication - statpearls - NCBI bookshelf. (n.d.-b). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK567775/