Sensation and Perception

Question 1

What is Sensation?

Answer 1

Sensation refers to the processing of
sensing our environment through
touch, taste, sight, sound and smell.
This information is sent to our brains
in raw form where perception comes
into play.

Question 2

What is Perception?

Answer 2

Perception is the way we interpret
these sensations and therefore make
sense of everything around us.

Question 3

What are the six stages of sensation and perception?

Answer 3

SENSATION - Reception, Transduction, Transmission

PERCEPTION - Selection, Organisation, Interpretation

Question 4

What is Reception?

Answer 4

The very first stage of sensation is reception. Reception is simply the process in which our sense organs first receive information about a stimulus from our internal or external environment. This occurs via the sensory receptors in our sensory organs.

Question 5

What is Transduction?

Answer 5

The process in which this raw sensory data received by receptors is converted into a new form that can be sent to the brain along neural pathways as an electrochemical message.

Question 6

What is Transmission?

Answer 6

The process of sending these messages to the areas of the brain responsible for processing sensory information. Most sensory data sent in this form travels via the thalamus and ends up in an area of the cerebral cortex

Question 7

What is Selection?

Answer 7

The process of attending to certain features of sensory stimuli to the exclusion of others.

Question 8

What is Organisation?

Answer 8

The process of regrouping together the individual components of sensory information that we have selected so that we are presented with meaningful wholes and cohesive information.

Question 9

What is Interpretation?

Answer 9

The process of understanding and assigning meaning to sensory information.