Kara heard the noise, but could not understand what was being said. Perhaps it was simply the humming of the machines that she heard? She was uncertain whether she should move toward or away from the sound. Kara is having difficulty with:

a. sensation.

b. perception.

c. stimulus event memory.

d. focus.

I think it is either a or b.

Perception involves sensation plus interpretation of that sensation, B.

You are correct in narrowing down your options to either sensation or perception. To determine which one is the most suitable answer, let's understand the definitions of both terms.

Sensation refers to the process of receiving information from our environment through our senses, such as hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting, and touching. It is the physical experience of the stimulus that occurs in our sensory receptors.

On the other hand, perception refers to the interpretation and understanding of the sensory information received. It involves organizing, recognizing, and making sense of the sensations to form a meaningful understanding of the world around us.

In the given scenario, Kara hears a noise but cannot understand what is being said. This suggests that her senses have detected the sound stimulus, which corresponds to sensation. However, she is unsure whether it is the machines humming or something else, indicating that she is struggling to interpret the sensory information accurately. This aligns more closely with the concept of perception.

Therefore, the answer that best fits Kara's difficulty in this scenario is b. perception. She is having difficulty in perceiving and making sense of the noise she hears.