In the next step of the perception process, we actually perceive the stimulus object in the environment. It is at this point that we become consciously aware of the stimulus.
Let's consider our previous example, in which we imagined that you were out for a morning jog in the park. At the perception stage, you have become aware of that there is something out on the pond to perceive.
Now, it is one thing to be aware of stimuli in the environment, and quite another to actually become fully consciously aware of what we have perceived. In the next stage of the perceptual process, we will sort the perceived information into meaningful categories.
