What is meant by perception (2 marks)

In our everyday lives we experience a lot of HUGE amounts of sensory information that we have to process so we can understand what is going on around us. It's a very substantial task!! The way we see, hear, smell, touch, and taste greatly impacts how we interpret the world around us. In essence, perception is briefly defined as our actual understanding/ interpretation of this sensory information that arrives at our brain. By understanding this sensory information you give it meaning. As a result, when answering what is meant by perception, you should state that perception is the process of interpreting sensory information to give it meaning. Let's use an example to put it into context. Place yourself at a concert. There's usually so much going on that you don't know where to focus your attention to. This makes it easy for us to miss certain details so we rely on our interpretations to fill in the gaps - our perception of events. For example, let's say you look to your left and see a boy walking with food in his hand. you then look to the right to talk to your mate briefly before looking to the left again where you see the boy on the floor, his food next to him. Based off of what you've seen, you would likely think that the boy tripped and may be a clumsy person. You have tried to make sense and give meaning to what you saw and interpreted the situation as the boy tripping over something. He could have been shoved, or fainted - who knows - but you have taken the sensory information you have and perceived it in a way that makes sense to you. By understanding this sensory information you give it meaning. As a result, perception is the process of interpreting sensory information to give it meaning. That's all there is to it!