Final answer:
Perception is the interpretation of sensory information collected by our receptors and interpreted by our brain, essential for interacting with our environment. It involves bottom-up and top-down processing, helping us navigate and maintain homeostasis.
Step-by-step explanation:
Perception is our way of making contact with our environment, of discovering what's happening outside our body and our brain. It is a significant biological and psychological process, where our sensory receptors collect information and our brain interprets it.
Perception enables us to make inferences about the world through sensory systems, which are vital to navigate and interact effectively with our surroundings. The interpretation of these sensations is what forms our perception, which is influenced by both the environment and the knowledge and expectations we possess.
Perception involves bottom-up processing, where sensory input from the environment influences our understanding, and top-down processing, where our brain's prior knowledge impacts how sensory information is interpreted. This intricate process is deeply ingrained and mostly unconscious, helping us to maintain homeostasis and navigate through a world filled with numerous and varied stimuli.