Sensation and Perception in Memory

Before information can be remembered, it must be detected by the senses and then organised and interpreted by the brain. This lesson covers sensation, perception and the role of attention as the gateway to memory.

1. Sensation vs perception

Sensation refers to the physical detection of raw sensory information from the environment. Perception involves the psychological interpretation and understanding of that information. The two are distinct but work together.

2. The processes of sensation

• Reception — the sensory organs detect the stimulus.
• Transduction — the sensory organs convert the stimulus into neural signals.
• Transmission — the neural signals are relayed to the brain.

3. The processes of perception

• Selection — certain features of the sensory input are attended to.
• Organisation — features of the input are grouped together into a coherent whole.
• Interpretation — the brain gives meaning to the organised input, drawing on knowledge and experience.

4. Attention

Attention determines which sensory information is selected for further processing. Divided attention is focusing on two or more stimuli at the same time. Selective attention is focusing on particular information while filtering out the rest.

Work through these together.

Tracing a stimulus

Trace a single stimulus — the smell of freshly baked bread — through the three processes of sensation, naming each process as you go:

Sensation or perception?

For each, decide as a class whether it is an example of sensation or perception:

• Light hitting the retina of the eye.
• Recognising a friend's face in a crowd.
• Sound waves reaching the eardrum.

Answer independently, using examination-style directive verbs.