Is there a difference between sensation and perception? It is a somewhat complicated matter, because the distinction between sensation and perception is not so immediate, to the point that some authors have come to consider them as part of a single complex psychic function that they called sense-perception, as if it were a kind of continuum that goes from simple sensory perception to the assumption of meanings.
Although these concepts are often used interchangeably, however, they are substantially different, and with this Psychology-Online article we will see together what the differences between sensation and perception, with some examples.
What is the sensation?
The sensation is the subjective experience associated with a physical stimulus and involves the registration and coding of information contained in the stimulus by parts of the sense organs and neuronal pathways. This information, encoded in nervous messages, is sent to the brain that decodes and analyzes it until a meaningful interpretation is extracted: perception refers to these processes and can be considered the ultimate goal of sensation.
The sensation corresponds to the simple awareness of the stimulation of a sense organ, and all senses depend on the transduction process that occurs when body sensors convert chemical signals into neuronal signals that will be sent to the central nervous system. We can thus summarize the process that gives rise to the sensation:
- physical stimulus: matter or form of energy that affects the sense organs (e.g. light).
- physiological response: complex of electrical activities at the level of the sense organs, nerves and brain triggered by the stimulus.
- sensory experience: subjective and individual psychological experience (e.g. sound, taste, smell, etc.).
But sensations differ qualitatively and quantitatively: qualitatively we distinguish sensations in relation to the different sense organs and we speak of visual, acoustic, gustatory, olfactory, tactile sensations, pain, etc. Each sense organ, when stimulated, produces a particular type of sensation that does not also vary by varying the physical quality of the stimulus. Therefore, we have different types of sensations.
- By example, the retina produces visual sensations both when it is stimulated by the stimulus (light waves), and when it is stimulated electrically or by pressure stimuli. From a quantitative point of view, instead, sensations differ in intensity. In this article you can see the.
What is perception?
According to common sense, the perception it is a faithful sensory record and sense organs provide objective information about reality (“naïve realism”). On the other hand, in scientific psychology, perception is a complex interpretation of realitya process of construction of meaning that consists of relating isolated stimuli and attributing meaning through processes of elaboration of sensory clues, classification, and “adjustment” with respect to the image of objects provided by the senses.
By perception it is understood, therefore, what the individual experiences as reality, or, in other words, the interpretations processed by the brain of raw sensory information; Such interpretations are determined by the interaction of three factors: past experience, current knowledge, and innate processes.
The study of this psychological function has always had a leading role in psychology, precisely because the performance of an individual’s perceptual apparatus determines the image of the world that is constructed and, at the same time, the immediate limits of its knowledge. Since ancient times, the problem of how the mind knows, perceives and processes the world has been widely discussed, giving life to reflection on the relationship between perception and perceived reality, that is, between what can be defined objective or subjective.
We can group studies on perception into three major directions: the science of vision, cognitive approaches and studies on the very genesis of perception.
Differences between sensation and perception
Once we have seen the definition of sensation and the explanation of perception, we are going to compare both concepts. We find 4 main differences between sensation and perception.
- Sensation is a reaction and perception is an elaboration.. Sensory experience (visual, auditory, etc.) is the reaction to internal and external stimuli (physical and biological) captured by the sense organs; Perceptual experience is the subjective elaboration (based on interests, habits, etc.) of the data offered by the sense organs, and such elaboration acquires its objective validity if it finds confirmation in scientific tests. In order for sensations to be transformed into perceptions, they must be completed with mnemonic data from past experiences, based on predominant interests, with a view to an action to be carried out.
- Sensation is receiving and perception is grasping.. While sensation consists of receiving stimuli such as sounds, images, etc., perception lies in capturing the relationships between them or between the characteristics of each one, giving it meaning.
- The sensation is more basic and the perception is more complex. The term “sensation” expresses an elementary psychic phenomenon caused by external stimuli that act on the receiving organs; “Perception”, on the other hand, defines a quite complex phenomenon that also considers the processing of sensory data and psychic integration. The concept of perception expresses, therefore, the mind-sense relationship and, despite the different nuances that the study of perception assumes in the various orientations, it is agreed to recognize aspects of the perceptive psychic function that are considerably more complex than simple sensation.
- The sensation is more immediate and the perception is not. The characteristics of sensation are that they arise immediately from the stimulation of a sensory receptor, from being present to consciousness in a more or less clear way, from being passively aroused without being sought or desired. Perception, on the other hand, is a sensation enriched by “asensory” elements (reflection, memory, etc.), which force us to add an interpretation to sensory data, and is sought and loved with active interest.
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