[gnz11]

I think you are correct. My understanding is that the brain uses sense data just to confirm predictions it has already made. The model in which the brain is just reacting to incoming sense data is outdated from what I understand.

[cootsnuck]

Correct. At least that's what current research is pointing to. Makes sense from an efficiency standpoint as well. We forget how "messy" / "noisy" our minds' conceptions of reality are. We use heuristics for a lot of things, we rely on applicable, learnable patterns. And our brains seem to be well suited to this more "artistic" interpretation of reality which biases our perception of sensations.