Perception

Perception is the process by which people select, organize, and interpret information from the outside world. We receive this information from sensations (such as sight, touch, sound, smell, and taste). Perception of a product can either make or break a sale. Take for example food photography. Wouldn't you think that the food that is in the picture is the food that you will be eating? Well, this would only be true if you wanted motor oil on your pancakes or shoe polish on your steak... This substitution of the "real thing" with these tricky items is only because real food melts, wilts, falls apart, cools down, dries out, and in the end, it look unsavory.

Although these tricks do not add to the appeal of the dish, the sight could still cause your mouth to salivate, the smell could in turn make those pictures seem so real. The issues that come about with these photographs are exposure, attention, and interpretation. Exposure is the capability for the senses to respond to the sight or smell or sound. The stimulus will have to have a previous exposer to the sensory receptors. The attention is the extent to which we are aware of this stimulus and the reaction to the sensory receptors. If we were to look at a picture of a hamburger and think cardboard, glue, and toothpicks, this hamburger would not be appealing to us, but if we simply pay attention to the prior stimulus reaction we have had while enjoying a hamburger, this connection with the actual items in the picture will be ignored. The interpretation is the process of understanding the meaning of this connection.