What is the process by which we receive, transform, and process stimuli called?

The correct answer is sensation, which refers to the initial process of receiving stimuli from the environment through our sensory organs. This includes the detection of physical energies, such as light, sound, and pressure, through our senses of sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. Sensation is about the raw input of sensory information before it is organized and interpreted by the brain.

In contrast, perception involves the brain's response to this sensory input, where it organizes, identifies, and interprets the data to create meaningful experiences. Transduction specifically refers to the conversion of physical energy into neural signals, which is a crucial part of the sensation process but does not encompass the full scope of receiving and processing stimuli. Reduction pertains to the diminishing of sensory response over time and does not directly describe the entire process of receiving and processing sensory stimuli. Thus, sensation is the most comprehensive term that captures the entirety of receiving, transforming, and processing stimuli.