How do sensations and perceptions differ?
From a processing point of view, sensations correspond roughly to gathering information and perception corresponds to interpreting this information. From an experimental point of view, sensation corresponds to detecting something without knowing what it is. Perception corresponds to recognizing a specific object. What is the relationship between the nature of a physical stimulus and the kinds of responses that result from it? One major area of pyschophysics is the study of the absolute threshold, the smallest amount of physical intensity by which a stimulus can be detected. Although under ideal conditions absolute thresholds are extraordinarily sensitive, the presence of noise (background stimuli that interfere with other stimuli) reduces detection capabilities. Factors such as an individual s expectation and motivations affect success in detecting stimuli.
