Perception vs. Instinct — What's the Difference?

Perception (from the Latin perceptio, meaning gathering or receiving) is the organization, identification, and interpretation of sensory information in order to represent and understand the presented information or environment.All perception involves signals that go through the nervous system, which in turn result from physical or chemical stimulation of the sensory system. For example, vision involves light striking the retina of the eye; smell is mediated by odor molecules; and hearing involves pressure waves.

Instinct is the inherent inclination of a living organism towards a particular complex behaviour, containing both innate (inborn) and learned elements. The simplest example of an instinctive behavior is a fixed action pattern (FAP), in which a very short to medium length sequence of actions, without variation, are carried out in response to a corresponding clearly defined stimulus.

The process of perceiving something with the senses

An inborn pattern of behavior that is characteristic of a species and is often a response to specific environmental stimuli

An instance of this

A powerful motivation or impulse.

The process or state of being aware of something

An innate capability or aptitude

Insight or knowledge gained by thinking

Deeply filled or imbued

The capacity for such insight or knowledge

(Obsolete) Impelled from within.

An insight or point of knowledge

A natural or inherent impulse or behaviour.

An interpretation or impression; an opinion or belief

An intuitive reaction not based on rational conscious thought.

The organisation, identification and interpretation of sensory information.

(archaic) Imbued, charged (with something).

Conscious understanding of something.

Urged or stimulated from within; naturally moved or impelled; imbued; animated; alive; quick; as, birds instinct with life.

Vision (ability)

Natural inward impulse; unconscious, involuntary, or unreasoning prompting to any mode of action, whether bodily, or mental, without a distinct apprehension of the end or object to be accomplished.

Acuity

Specif., the natural, unreasoning, impulse by which an animal is guided to the performance of any action, without thought of improvement in the method.

(cognition) That which is detected by the five senses; not necessarily understood (imagine looking through fog, trying to understand if you see a small dog or a cat); also that which is detected within consciousness as a thought, intuition, deduction, etc.

A natural aptitude or knack; a predilection; as, an instinct for order; to be modest by instinct.

The act of perceiving; cognizance by the senses or intellect; apperhension by the bodily organs, or by the mind, of what is presented to them; discernment; apperhension; cognition.

To impress, as an animating power, or instinct.

The faculty of perceiving; the faculty, or peculiar part, of man's constitution by which he has knowledge through the medium or instrumentality of the bodily organs; the act of apperhending material objects or qualities through the senses; - distinguished from conception.

Inborn pattern of behavior often responsive to specific stimuli;

The quality, state, or capability, of being affected by something external; sensation; sensibility.

(followed by `with')deeply filled or permeated;

An idea; a notion.

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

A way of conceiving something;

The process of perceiving

Knowledge gained by perceiving;

Becoming aware of something via the senses