Perception

Representing the basic component in the mechanism of forming new concepts, perception is the process of becoming aware of something by use of the senses.

Conscious experience that results from stimulation of the senses.

[Goldstein, 2005]

[…] since the purpose of perception is to rapidly understand our surroundings. Once this is done, if the scene is not perceived to have changed, features of the scene should not need to be re-encoded.

[Healey, 2004]

In spite of their similarity, sensation and perception must not be confused: While sensations are simple sensory experiences, percepts are complex constructions of simple elements joined through association. Perception therefore doesn't only describe a kind of recognition, but necessarily includes interpretation and understanding — to the extend possible due to specific contextual knowledge — of sensory experiences.

References

• [Goldstein, 2005] Goldstein, Bruce. Cognitive Psychology, Thomson Wadsworth, 2005.
• [Healey, 2004]: Christopher G. Healey, Perception in Visualization, 2004. http://www.csc.ncsu.edu/faculty/healey/PP/index.html
• [Encyclopedia Britannica, 2004] Encyclopedia Britannica, Retrieved at: 2004.