Final answer:
Sensation is the process of sensory receptors detecting stimuli and sending signals to the brain, while perception is the brain's interpretation of these signals. Sensation provides the necessary data for perception to occur, making them inseparable and interdependent processes.
Step-by-step explanation:
Sensation is the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment. This process occurs as sensory organs like the eyes, ears, skin, nose, and tongue detect external stimuli and convert these stimuli into electrical signals that are transmitted to the brain. For example, when you touch a hot stove, the sensation is the immediate experience of heat detected by your skin's receptors.
Perception, on the other hand, is the process by which the brain organizes and interprets sensory information, transforming these signals into meaningful information. Perception is a psychological process that occurs in the brain, and it is influenced by individual experiences, beliefs, and expectations. In the case of touching a hot stove, the perception could be the understanding that the stove is dangerous and the recognition that you should pull your hand away to avoid injury.
Although sensation and perception are distinct processes, they are also inseparable interdependent. Sensation provides the raw data, which perception then organizes and interprets. Without sensation, there would be no data for perception to interpret, and without perception, the data from sensation would have no meaning.