8. Define and describe the relationship between sensation and perception. Explain the
relationship between smell and taste, and describe how they are sensed and perceived.
The sensation is the conscious or subconscious
...
8. Define and describe the relationship between sensation and perception. Explain the
relationship between smell and taste, and describe how they are sensed and perceived.
The sensation is the conscious or subconscious awareness of changes in the external or internal
environment. √The nature of the sensation and the type of reaction generated vary
according to the ultimate destination of nerve impulses that convey sensory information to
the Central Nervous System. Sensory impulses that reach the spinal cord may serve as input
for spinal reflexes, such as the stretch reflex, sensory impulses that reach the lower brain
stem elicit more complex reflexes, such as changes in heart rate or breathing rate. When
sensory impulses reach the cerebral cortex, we become consciously aware of the sensory
stimuli and can precisely locate and identify specific sensations such as touch, pain, hearing,
or taste.
On the other hand, perception is the conscious interpretation of sensations √and is primarily
a function of the cerebral cortex. √We have no perception of some sensory information
because it never reaches the cerebral cortex. For example, certain sensory receptors
constantly monitor the pressure of blood in blood vessels. Because the nerve impulses
conveying blood pressure information propagate to the cardiovascular center in the medulla
oblongata rather than to the cerebral cortex, blood pressure is not consciously perceived.
From the definition above, we can conclude that the major relationship between sensation
and perception is that, perception is the conscious interpretation of sensation from the
external or internal environment. Together, they are able to take stimuli information, identify
it, and create meaning out of it. Despite the fact that the two are directly related, perception is not possible without sensation, and sensation would not be possible without
perception. Without perception, the sensations we feel would not be the same as there
would be no processing in the brain. Although our perceptions are built from sensations, not
all sensations result in perception. In fact, we often don’t perceive stimuli that remain
relatively constant over prolonged periods of time. This is known as sensory adaptation. This
is why we don’t feel the weight of our clothing, hear the hum of a projector in a lecture hall,
or see all the tiny scratches on the lenses of our glasses.[ CITATION Ada19 \l 4105 ].
Sensation occurs once the organs transmit some information to the brain while perception
occurs when the brain interprets sensory info and sends signals to organs for a response.
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