Final answer:
The brain's linking of a receptor's activation to the perception of a sensation is referred to as perceptual processing. It involves sensory activation through transduction, interpretation of signals by higher brain functions, and pathways leading to perception.
Step-by-step explanation:
The brain's association of activation of a receptor with the perception of a particular sensation is called perceptual processing. Sensory activation occurs through the process of sensory transduction, where a physical or chemical stimulus is converted into a neural signal by sensory receptors.
Perception is how the brain interprets these signals, and while it relies on the activation of sensory receptors, the act of perceiving happens in higher levels in the nervous system, particularly within the brain. The brain distinguishes sensory stimuli through a dedicated sensory pathway, where action potentials travel along neurons that synapse with specific neurons in the brain or spinal cord.
Receptors such as transmembrane protein receptors, which are sensitive to various stimuli like chemicals, mechanical, or thermal changes, play a significant role in how our senses operate. Finally, sensory receptors in the peripheral nervous system are activated by stimuli, and the intensity of a stimulus is encoded in both the rate of action potentials produced and the number of receptors activated.