Sensació

Sensació is the Catalan term for sensation: the subjective experience of sensory stimuli that arises from the stimulation of sensory receptors and the initial processing of that information by the nervous system. In contrast to perception, which involves interpretation and meaning, sensació refers to the raw data and early sensory experience that precede conscious analysis.

Etymology and usage: Sensació derives from Latin sensatio, via Romance languages. In Catalan it is written sensació with an acute accent on the final syllable; its plural is sensacions. In psychology and neuroscience contexts, sensació is used to discuss how sensory input is detected and transformed into experiences such as light, sound, taste, smell, or touch.

Physiology and modalities: Sensations begin with specialized receptors—photoreceptors in the retina, mechanoreceptors and nociceptors in the skin, hair cells in the inner ear, chemoreceptors in taste buds and the olfactory epithelium—that transduce energy or chemicals into neural signals. These signals travel through peripheral nerves to the brain, where they are processed along dedicated pathways and cortical areas corresponding to each modality (vision, audition, gustation, olfaction, somatosensation).

Key distinctions and processes: Sensation is closely linked to, but distinct from, perception—the interpretation and conscious recognition of stimuli. Thresholds such as the absolute threshold and the difference threshold influence what is experienced as a sensació. Sensory adaptation, cross-modal interactions, and context can modulate the strength and character of sensory experiences.

In studies of consciousness, sensació is a foundational concept describing the initial contact with environmental energy, forming the basis for perceptual experience and cognition.