The fourth and final stage of the cognitive process. Recognition involves categorization (assigning an object to a certain category of previously perceived objects) and extracting the corresponding criterion from memory. Perceptual and cognitive procedures are often confused. which largely explains why it is difficult to take into account the previous experiences of the subjects. The fundamental difference between these two processes is that perception is the process of creating an image. or criterion while recognition is the process of comparing the available stimulus to criteria that have already been created and recorded in memory. with the stimulus being assigned to a particular category