perception

/pərˈsɛpʃən/

/pəˈsɛpʃən/

Other forms: perceptions

Each generation has a different perception — view, idea or understanding — of what is cool. You wouldn't want to walk around in the paisley patterns of the 1960s or the big hair of the 1980s today!

Based on the Latin root cipere, "to grasp," perception refers to the way you take in the world through your senses. Have you ever thought a stair was bigger than it really was so your step was too heavy? Your depth perception was off. The noun also means the opinions and beliefs you've formed about something. Your perception of your room after you've cleaned it is different than your parents' — you see clean and they probably don't.

Definitions of perception

1. noun

   the process of perceiving
   types:

   constancy, perceptual constancy

   (psychology) the tendency for perceived objects to give rise to very similar perceptual experiences in spite of wide variations in the conditions of observation

   detection, sensing

   the perception that something has occurred or some state exists

   beholding, seeing, visual perception

   perception by means of the eyes

   auditory perception, sound perception

   the perception of sound as a meaningful phenomenon

   aesthesis, esthesis, sensation, sense datum, sense experience, sense impression

   an unelaborated elementary awareness of stimulation

   somaesthesia, somatesthesia, somatic sensation, somesthesia

   the perception of tactual or proprioceptive or gut sensations

   feeling, tactile sensation, tactual sensation, touch, touch sensation

   the sensation produced by pressure receptors in the skin

   brightness constancy

   the tendency for a visual object to be perceived as having the same brightness under widely different conditions of illumination

   color constancy, colour constancy

   the tendency for a color to look the same under widely different viewing conditions

   shape constancy

   the tendency to perceive the shape of a rigid object as constant despite differences in the viewing angle (and consequent differences in the shape of the pattern projected on the retina of the eye)

   size constancy

   the tendency to perceive the veridical size of a familiar object despite differences in their distance (and consequent differences in the size of the pattern projected on the retina of the eye)

   contrast

   the perceptual effect of the juxtaposition of very different colors

   face recognition

   the visual perception of familiar faces

   object recognition

   the visual perception of familiar objects

   visual space

   the visual perception of space

   speech perception

   the auditory perception (and comprehension) of speech

   musical perception

   the auditory perception of musical sounds

   limen, threshold

   the smallest detectable sensation

   masking

   the blocking of one sensation resulting from the presence of another sensation

   vision, visual sensation

   the perceptual experience of seeing

   odor, odour, olfactory perception, olfactory sensation, smell

   the sensation that results when olfactory receptors in the nose are stimulated by particular chemicals in gaseous form

   gustatory perception, gustatory sensation, taste, taste perception, taste sensation

   the sensation that results when taste buds in the tongue and throat convey information about the chemical composition of a soluble stimulus

   auditory sensation, sound

   the subjective sensation of hearing something

   synaesthesia, synesthesia

   a sensation that normally occurs in one sense modality occurs when another modality is stimulated

   feeling

   a physical sensation that you experience

   prickling, tingle, tingling

   a somatic sensation as from many tiny prickles

   creepiness

   an uneasy sensation as of insects creeping on your skin

   cutaneous sensation, haptic sensation, skin sensation

   a sensation localized on the skin

   pressure, pressure sensation

   the somatic sensation that results from applying force to an area of skin

   pain, pain sensation, painful sensation

   a somatic sensation of acute discomfort

   temperature

   the somatic sensation of cold or heat

   fusion, optical fusion

   the combining of images from the two eyes to form a single visual percept

   type of:

   basic cognitive process

   cognitive processes involved in obtaining and storing knowledge
2. noun

   becoming aware of something via the senses
   synonyms: sensing

   types:

   look, looking, looking at

   the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually

   hearing, listening

   the act of hearing attentively

   lipreading

   perceiving what a person is saying by observing the movements of the lips

   taste, tasting

   a kind of sensing; distinguishing substances by means of the taste buds

   smell, smelling

   the act of perceiving the odor of something

   auscultation

   listening to sounds within the body (usually with a stethoscope)

   coup d'oeil, gander, glance, glimpse

   a quick look

   scrutiny

   a prolonged intense look

   peek, peep

   a secret look

   squint

   the act of squinting; looking with the eyes partly closed

   stare

   a fixed look with eyes open wide

   evil eye

   a look that is believed to have the power of inflicting harm

   rubber-necking, sightseeing

   going about to look at places of interest

   observance, observation, watching

   the act of observing; taking a patient look

   lookout, outlook

   the act of looking out

   sight, survey, view

   the act of looking or seeing or observing

   dekko

   British slang for a look

   rehearing, relistening

   the act of hearing again

   sniff, snuff

   sensing an odor by inhaling through the nose

   palate

   the ability to taste, judge, and appreciate food

   type of:

   sensory activity

   activity intended to achieve a particular sensory result
3. noun

   a way of conceiving something
   “Luther had a new perception of the Bible”

   type of:

   conceptualisation, conceptuality, conceptualization

   an elaborated concept
4. noun

   knowledge gained by perceiving
   “a man admired for the depth of his perception”

   types:

   discernment, perceptiveness

   perception of that which is obscure

   insight, penetration

   clear or deep perception of a situation

   cognizance

   range or scope of what is perceived

   type of:

   cognition, knowledge, noesis

   the psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning
5. noun

   the representation of what is perceived; basic component in the formation of a concept
   synonyms: percept, perceptual experience

   types:

   figure

   a unitary percept having structure and coherence that is the object of attention and that stands out against a ground

   ground

   a relatively homogeneous percept extending back of the figure on which attention is focused

   visual image, visual percept

   a percept that arises from the eyes; an image in the visual system

   eye candy

   visual images that are pleasing to see but are intellectually undemanding

   field, field of view

   the area that is visible (as through an optical instrument)

   sight

   an instance of visual perception

   aspect, panorama, prospect, scene, view, vista

   the visual percept of a region

   field of regard, field of vision, visual field

   all of the points of the physical environment that can be perceived by a stable eye at a given moment

   type of:

   internal representation, mental representation, representation

   a presentation to the mind in the form of an idea or image