Colorado POST Practice Exam

Sensory distortion occurs when the perception of sensory input is altered, leading to experiences that do not accurately reflect reality. In the case of hallucinating that someone has attacked you, this represents a significant alteration in perception, which is a primary characteristic of sensory distortion. This type of experience typically results from various factors, such as psychological conditions, substance use, or severe stress, which can result in the brain creating perceptions that are not based on external stimuli. The other examples do involve perceptual misunderstandings but do not reach the level of distortion seen in hallucinations. For instance, believing a friend has betrayed you is more about cognitive distortion or misinterpretation of events rather than a direct alteration in sensory experience. Seeing shadows in low light could be a visual phenomenon but does not equate to a complete misperception like hallucinations do. Misinterpreting loud sounds as gunfire may involve an exaggerated response to an actual sound, but again, it does not involve the creation of a perception that is entirely disconnected from reality like a hallucination.