Christa P. answered • 04/15/20
Psychology Major- Bachelors, 2 Master’s, and Doctoral Candidate
Sensation plays a role in perception. We sense something or someone in our environment through our senses - hear, smell, see, feel, taste - which then sends a signal to the brain-- this is where perception comes in. An understanding, or perception, is formed about what is being sensed. For example, the smell of chocolate chip cookies in the oven reminds you of being at grandma's house as a kid and learning how to bake. The sensation was the smell of the cookies and the memory of grandma was how you perceived the sensation. Another example is smelling a burning odor and perceiving it as a fire.
A simple way to put it is-- sensation is the physical, biological process and perception is the psychological process. Sensation leads to a perception.
