Definition of: apperception

(ap′ər·sep′shən) noun
1. Psychol. a That kind of perception in which the mind is conscious of the act of perceiving. b The adding of other mental acts to perception proper, as interpretation, recognition, and classification. c An act of voluntary consciousness accompanied by self-consciousness; also, the coalescence of part of a new idea with an old one by modification.
2. The powers of intellect involved in the acquisition, conservation, and elaboration of knowledge; the understanding. [ <F aperception < apercevoir. See APPERCEIVE.]
—ap′per·cep′tive adjective