Perception

5
Contents
Perception
Use
Sensory process and perception
Role of biases in perception
Shortcuts in perception
Intuition vs. perception
 Perception - Meaning

A process by which individuals organize and interpret their

sensory impressions in order to give meaning to their
environment.

It is the process of receiving information about and making

sense of the world around us.

It entails deciding which information to process, how to

categorize it, and how to interpret it within the framework of
our existing knowledge
 Perceptual Process
contd..
Receiving Stimuli
Five senses
(sight, smell, taste, noise and touch)
Selection of stimuli
Selection is NOT random
Internal /External factors
Internal age, interest, values
External size of stimuli, movement, repetition etc.
Selective Perception
Psychological principles.
(a) Figure Ground principle; (b) and Relevancy
Figure - Meaningful bits
Ground - Meaningless ones
Perceptual Process
contd..
Organization of stimuli
Grouping
Closure
Simplification
Interpretation
Halo effect
Attribution
Stereotyping
Personality
Situation
Perceiver
Action
 Person Perception: Making
Judgments about others

Attribution Theory

An attempt to determine whether an individuals

behavior is internally or externally caused.
Internally caused behaviors are those that are
believed to be under the personal control of
the individual.
Externally caused behavior is that the person is
being forced into behavior by the situation.
 Attribution Theory
Observation Interpretation Attribution of causes
High External
Distinctiveness
(Unusual?)
Low Internal

High
External
Individual Consensus
behavior (Compared to others?) Low Internal

High Internal
Consistency
(Over a period of time?) Low
External
Fundamental Attribution Error

The tendency to underestimate the influence of

external factors and overestimate the influence of
internal factors when making judgments about the
behavior of others
 Self-serving bias

The tendency for individuals

to attribute their own
success to internal factors
while putting the blame for
failures on external factors
Frequently used shortcuts in
judging others

Selective Contrast
Halo Effect
Perception Effect

Projection Stereotyping
 Selective Perception

Selectively interpreting what one sees on the

basis of ones interests, background, experience
and attitudes.
We cannot assimilate all that we observe; we take in
bits and pieces.
These bits and pieces are not chosen randomly, but
are selectively chosen according to our interests,
background, experience and attitudes.
This allows us to speed-read others but with the
risk of drawing an inaccurate picture
 Halo effect

When we draw a general impression about an

individual on the basis of a single
characteristic, such as intelligence, sociability,
or appearance, a Halo Effect is operating.
Contrast
Evaluation of a persons
effect: characteristics that are
affected by comparisons
with other people recently
encountered who rank
higher or lower on the
same characteristic
 Projection
Attributing ones own characteristic to other
people.

People who engage in projection tend to

perceive others according to what they
themselves are like rather than according to
what the person being observed is really like.
 Stereotyping
Judging someone on the basis of ones perception of
the group to which that person belongs.
Why stereotyping occurs?
We rely on a natural process called categorical thinking ----
grouping people and objects into preconceived categories
that are stored in our long-term memory.
 Contd..
Stereotypes do not accurately describe every
person in that social category.
It also lays foundation for prejudice and intentional
and unintentional (systematic) discrimination..
Prejudice refers to unfounded negative emotions and
attitudes toward people belonging to a particular
stereotyped group.

First impression video

 Specific Applications of
Shortcuts in Organizations
Employment Interview
Performance Expectations
People attempt to validate their perceptions of reality,
even when those perceptions are faulty.
Self Fulfilling Prophecy (Pygmalion effect) an individuals
behavior is determined by other peoples expectations.
Ethnic Profiling
Performance Evaluation
Intuition vs Perception

INTUITION
TO KNOW SOMETHING INSTINCTIVELY, through the sixth sense, without
necessarily having valid proof about what is observed.

PERCEPTION
To understand, or to observe / see (someone or something), through all
the senses...not only through the eyes, but through the ears, nose, touch,
etc.
 http://
www.understandingprejudice.org/multimedia/raci
sm-now.htm