GCSEPsychologyAQARevision NotesPerceptionSensation & PerceptionThe Difference Between Sensation & Perception

The Difference Between Sensation & Perception (AQA GCSE Psychology)

Revision Note

Claire Neeson

Expertise

Psychology Content Creator

What is sensation?

  • Sensation refers to the activation of any of the five senses: sight, sound, smell, touch, taste
  • Sense receptors process external stimuli as follows:
    • The eyes process visual information e.g. the sight of a burger
    • The ears process auditory information e.g. the sound of the burger sizzling on the hot-plate
    • The nose processes olfactory information e.g. the smell of the burger
    • The mouth and tongue process taste-based information e.g. the flavour of the burger
    • The skin and mouth process touch-based information e.g. the texture of the burger in the hands or in the mouth
  • Sensation refers to anything that a human being can physically feel, therefore humans are sensate beings
  • Human beings can detect a stimulus in their environment - as are other animals but to a much larger extent than humans due to their reliance on being able to detect [popover id="gKwN5lP88ucUhHx1" label="predators"]

Sensation Example Diagram

1-the-difference-between-sensation-and-perception-01 - AQA GCSE Psychology

All five senses will be activated by this burger (does anyone else suddenly feel hungry?...)

Exam Tip

Remember to give examples in exam questions. Rather than simply describing what sensation means, you should give an example to illustrate your point e.g. ‘Smelling a flower is an example of sensation’.

What is perception?

  • Perception refers to the meaning that human beings give to the sensations that they experience
  • Human beings use perception to process and organise sensory information, giving them the ability to identify and respond to environmental stimuli
  • Perception is the meeting point between the sense receptors (e.g. the eyes) and the brain: without the brain doing its work then sensations would be meaningless e.g. the sight of a beautiful sunset would not be interpreted as ‘beautiful sunset’ but would simply be viewed as a set of shapes and colours
  • Perception takes place using information built up via past experience e.g. ‘This is a burger, I am meant to eat it’; ‘This is a bed, I am meant to lie in it’
  • Perception involves the cognitive process of thinking - although some types of perception do not require much thought at all e.g. smelling milk that has gone off

Perception in Humans Diagram

1-the-difference-between-sensation-and-perception-02 - AQA GCSE Psychology

Sensations are interpreted into perceptions.

Worked example

Here are some examples of questions you might be asked on this topic - for AO1 and AO2.

AO1: You need to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of key concepts, ideas, theories and research.

AO2: You need to apply your knowledge and understanding, usually referring to the ‘stem’ in order to do so (the stem is the example given before the question).

AO3: You need to analyse and evaluate key concepts, ideas, theories and research.

After each featured question there is a ‘model’ answer i.e. one which would achieve top marks in the exam.

AO1: 

Question: Give one example of perception. [1]

Model answer:

  • An example of perception could be hearing a bell at school and understanding that this means it is time to go to the next lesson;

AO2: 

Jack fell down the hill and cut his head which hurt rather a lot; Jill saw the blood and realised that Jack needed to see a doctor.

Question: Outline what is meant by sensation and what is meant by perception, referring to both Jack and Jill in your answer. [4]

Model answer:

  • Jack is an example of sensation;
  • As he felt pain when he cut his head after falling down the hill; 
  • Jill is an example of perception; 
  • As she saw Jack’s blood and interpreted it as dangerous and a sign that Jack needed medical help; 

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    Claire Neeson

    Author: Claire Neeson

    Claire has been teaching for 34 years, in the UK and overseas. She has taught GCSE, A-level and IB Psychology which has been a lot of fun and extremely exhausting! Claire is now a freelance Psychology teacher and content creator, producing textbooks, revision notes and (hopefully) exciting and interactive teaching materials for use in the classroom and for exam prep. Her passion (apart from Psychology of course) is roller skating and when she is not working (or watching 'Coronation Street') she can be found busting some impressive moves on her local roller rink.