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sensation

n.

1. the process or experience of perceiving through the senses. See sensory system.

2. an irreducible unit of experience produced by stimulation of a sensory receptor and the resultant activation of a specific brain center, producing basic awareness of a sound, odor, color, shape, or taste or of temperature, pressure, pain, muscular tension, position of the body, or change in the internal organs associated with such processes as hunger, thirst, nausea, and sexual excitement. Also called sense datum; sense impression; sensum.

3. in the structuralism of Edward Bradford Titchener, one of the three structural elements of mental experience, the other two being images and feelings.

4. in general usage, a thrilling or exciting experience. See sensation seeking. —sensational adj.

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November 23rd 2024