Introduction to Psychology 10th Edition by Rod Plotnik,Haig Kouyoumdjian

Exercise 13

Our third question-How are meaningless sensations combined into meaningful perceptions?-can be answered by analyzing our own perceptual experiences. Our first awareness of some outside stimulus is called a (a) _____. This awareness results when some change in energy activates sensory receptors, which produce signals that, in turn, are transformed by the brain into meaningless sensory experiences. When many individual sensations are assembled into a meaningful experience, image, or pattern, it is called a (b) _____. The latter is not an exact replica of the real world but rather a copy that has been changed, biased, or distorted by our unique set of (c) _____. Our brain transforms sensations into perceptions instantaneously, automatically, and without our awareness.