What type of perception is mistakenly interpreting rustling leaves as voices?

The correct response pertains to an illusion, which occurs when there is a misperception of an external stimulus. In this case, the sound of rustling leaves is accurately perceived by the senses, but the interpretation is incorrect, leading the individual to believe they are hearing voices instead. This reflects a genuine sensory experience being misinterpreted rather than an experience that originates solely in the mind, which would be indicative of a hallucination.

Hallucinations involve perceiving something that isn’t there at all, like hearing voices when no actual sound is present. Delusions, on the other hand, are firmly held false beliefs that are resistant to reason or confrontation with actual facts, and sensation simply refers to the physical process of sensing stimuli without any interpretation. Thus, the scenario described—where a real sound is misconstrued as something else—exemplifies an illusion, making it the accurate choice.