![]() ![]() Sensation refers to the registering of a physical stimulus on our sensory receptors. Perception is how that sensory information is filtered, organized and interpreted, based on past experience, to create a conscious experience about the stimulus.Īnd here’s a similar but slightly more detailed distinction from a 2017 textbook called Sensation and Perception by Schwartz and Krantz: Sensation is defined as the process of detecting a stimulus and converting it to neural activity. Here’s a near identical definition from another online textbook : Perception involves the organization, interpretation, and conscious experience of those sensations. Sensation occurs when sensory receptors detect sensory stimuli. The page provides a broad overview of the physiological processes governing sight, hearing, smell, taste, proprioception, touch and …. Definitions of sensation and perceptionīelow is a quote from an online course in Intro Psych with a page titled “Sensation and Perception. Did you know that there are at least eight textbooks literally called Sensation and Perception ? I have included some relevant quotes from at least three below. Read on if you’d like a review of the extensive evidence supporting these points. In any event, it doesn’t matter that much how we use these words in practice, because they are inherently fuzzy and often used interchangeably. These textbooks make clear that it is completely appropriate to refer to pain as a perception, and it doesn't make much sense to say that pain is a sensation but not a perception. The debate is easily resolved by simply looking at textbooks that describe how the terms sensation and perception are conventionally defined and used. It does not involve disagreements about pain physiology, what causes pain, or how pain should be treated. The debate is not substantive or of practical import. This post is written mostly for the third group and argues that: In this case, perception happens when the brain interprets the sensory information and sends corresponding signals to sensory organs for response to the physical stimuli.For several years, there has been an intermittent debate happening on social media about whether pain is a “sensation” or a “perception.” Here are the different sides as I see them:Ī very small number of people have argued that pain is a sensation and not a perception.Ī much large number have responded that this is basically the reverse of how these terms are defined in the relevant literature.Īn even larger group has watched the debate from afar and wondered whether it has any substance or practical implications. On the other hand, perception is a part of top-down processing. This means that sensation occurs when the sensory organs transmit information towards the brain. Most psychologists believe that sensation is an important part of bottom-up processing. Also, hearing a sound is different from perceiving the music being played. Another example is that feeling the coldness of the environment is different from perceiving that winter is coming. For instance, seeing the light (sensation) is different from determining its color (perception). Once perception is finished, a person is able to "make sense" out of the sensations. In the brain, the nerve impulses go through a series of organization, translation and interpretation. The line of difference between sensation and perception is now drawn perception follows sensation. These signals are transmitted to the sensory cortices of the brain. Then, the organs decode this information, and transform them into neural impulses or signals. In sensation, the physical stimulus, together with its physical properties, is registered by sensory organs. Sensation and perception are two completely different elements in terms of how they process information. ![]() And without perception, our sensations would remain to be "unknown" to us since there is no mental processing of what we sense. Without sensation, perception will not be possible, except for people who believe in extrasensory perception or ESP. They work together for us to be able to identify and create meaning from stimuli-related information. ![]() ![]() Sensation and perception are elements that balance and complement one another. Perception occurs when the brain processes information to give meaning to it, by means of emotions, memories, etc. It is a vital process that helps us rationalize or make sense of the information related to the physical stimulus. Perception refers to the occurrence when the brain performs organization of information it obtains from the neural impulses, and then begins the process of translation and interpretation. ![]()
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