Final answer:
Carla's failure to register her instructor's announcement is an example of a lapse in the stage of attention within the process of perception, demonstrating how selective attention is crucial to our sensory experience.
Step-by-step explanation:
Carla's oversight in not registering what the instructor said about the night's reading assignment, due to being distracted by a text message, reflects a lapse in the stage of attention within the process of perception. Attention is a critical component in perception: it determines what is sensed versus what is consciously perceived. In Carla's case, her attention was diverted by a personal notification, which caused her to miss the verbal announcement made by her instructor. This incident is an example of how external factors can influence our sensory processing and perception, showing the complex interplay of sensation, perception, and attention.
Our attention can be selective, focusing on certain stimuli while ignoring others. This selective attention is necessary as it enables us to concentrate on aspects of our environment that we find most important at any given time, often those related to survival or personal relevance. When our attention is focused so intently on one thing, we often miss other stimuli, which in Carla's situation, led to her not perceiving the important information regarding her class assignment.