According to perceptual theories, how are past experiences considered in perception?

Past experiences play a significant role in shaping how individuals perceive the world around them, reinforcing the idea that they influence unconscious assumptions. When engaging in perception, individuals draw upon their previous interactions, knowledge, and experiences to interpret sensory information. This means that those experiences can create expectations or biases that guide how new stimuli are perceived, often without conscious awareness. For instance, if someone has had a previous negative experience with a particular object, their perception of that object in the future may be clouded by those past associations, leading them to perceive it as threatening or undesirable, even if the current context does not warrant such a reaction.

This influence does not suggest that past experiences are the sole determinants of perception, nor does it imply they are irrelevant. Rather, they operate subtly, shaping the interpretation of sensory data, which is why unconscious assumptions are key to understanding the perceptual process. In contrast, the other options fail to accurately convey the dynamic and influential role that past experiences have in shaping one's perceptual framework.