PERCEPTION: How a person interprets the sensual inputs received through seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and touching. This process requires the individual to select, organize, and decode the various stimuli surrounding him/her in the environment. The important thing is not what is said by the talker, but what is heard by the listener. This process is critical to understanding consumer buying behavior.

     See also | consumer behavior | senses | communication | consumer decision making process | psychological influences |