Sensation

Technically, sensation can be defined as the neural synaptic firing of our receptors and our brain's interpretation of these firings. But how about an example to make this a little more clear....when you touch something, receptors send impulses that travel to the spinal cord and then into the brain for interpretation. Without both parts (the signal being sent or the interpretation), there is no sensation. The signals being sent and interpreted are what we call sensation. (Note: nothing is done with the "interpretation" at this stage, but once the interpretation is made use of and taken to the next stage, you have perception.)