1. in communication theory, a device or process, such as hearing on a radio receiver or the sensory apparatus of vision, that translates a signal into an intelligible message. In psychological applications of information theory, the human being has sometimes been treated as a receiver; this analogy has motivated various aspects of research (e.g., the ability to cope with noise).

2. in telepathy experiments, the participant who attempts to receive information transmitted by the sender. See also percipient.