PERCEPTION

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does perception mean? 

• PERCEPTION (noun)
  The noun PERCEPTION has 5 senses:

1. the representation of what is perceived; basic component in the formation of a concept

2. a way of conceiving something

3. the process of perceiving

4. knowledge gained by perceiving

5. becoming aware of something via the senses

  Familiarity information: PERCEPTION used as a noun is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PERCEPTION (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The representation of what is perceived; basic component in the formation of a concept

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

percept; perception; perceptual experience

Hypernyms ("perception" is a kind of...):

internal representation; mental representation; representation (a presentation to the mind in the form of an idea or image)

Meronyms (parts of "perception"):

form; pattern; shape (a perceptual structure)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "perception"):

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)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A way of conceiving something

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Context example:

Luther had a new perception of the Bible

Hypernyms ("perception" is a kind of...):

conceptualisation; conceptuality; conceptualization (an elaborated concept)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The process of perceiving

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("perception" is a kind of...):

basic cognitive process (cognitive processes involved in obtaining and storing knowledge)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "perception"):

aesthesis; esthesis; sensation; sense datum; sense experience; sense impression (an unelaborated elementary awareness of stimulation)

feeling; tactile sensation; tactual sensation; touch; touch sensation (the sensation produced by pressure receptors in the skin)

somaesthesia; somatesthesia; somatic sensation; somesthesia (the perception of tactual or proprioceptive or gut sensations)

auditory perception; sound perception (the perception of sound as a meaningful phenomenon)

beholding; seeing; visual perception (perception by means of the eyes)

detection; sensing (the perception that something has occurred or some state exists)

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)

Derivation:

perceive (become conscious of)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Knowledge gained by perceiving

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Context example:

a man admired for the depth of his perception

Hypernyms ("perception" is a kind of...):

cognition; knowledge; noesis (the psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "perception"):

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)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Becoming aware of something via the senses

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

perception; sensing

Hypernyms ("perception" is a kind of...):

sensory activity (activity intended to achieve a particular sensory result)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "perception"):

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)

look; looking; looking at (the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually)

Derivation:

perceive (to become aware of through the senses)

perceptual (of or relating to the act of perceiving)

 Context examples 

The absence of or defect in the perception of colors.

(Color Blindness, NCI Thesaurus)

Inhibition of the NGF pathway may prevent the perception of pain and may induce analgesia.

(Fulranumab, NCI Thesaurus)

The findings underscore the complexity of color perception.

(Rosy health and sickly green: color associations play robust role in reading faces, National Institutes of Health)

This ability, known as "abstract rule learning," is a signature of human perception and cognition.

(Infants Are Able to Learn Abstract Rules Visually, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Because of the involvement of spinal NMDA receptors in the process of central sensitization, this agent may reduce pain perception and induce sedation.

(Ketamine, NCI Thesaurus)

A disorder characterized by a false sensory perception in the absence of an external stimulus.

(Hallucination, NCI Thesaurus/CTCAE)

In humans, a subjective feeling of well-being coming from somatic and cognitive perceptions is considered an essential component of health.

(Health, NCI Thesaurus)

Test names of questionnaire questions associated with the urgency perception scale questionnaire for the Clinical Data Interchange Standards Consortium (CDISC) Standard Data Tabulation Model (SDTM).

(CDISC Questionnaire UPS Test Name Terminology, NCI Thesaurus)

Test codes of questionnaire questions associated with the urgency perception scale questionnaire for the Clinical Data Interchange Standards Consortium (CDISC) Standard Data Tabulation Model (SDTM).

(CDISC Questionnaire UPS Test Code Terminology, NCI Thesaurus)

The perception of sudden or brief bursts (flashes) of light.

(Flasher, NCI Thesaurus)