Chapter 4: Interpersonal Perception

First order reality

The physical reality of the moment; the immediate question or situation asked.

Second order reality

How we react to the first reality.

Interpersonal perception

The process of making meaning from the people in our environment and our relationships with them.

Physical construct

A method of organizing perception based on appearance.

Role construct

Organizing perception based on a person's social position or role in life.

Interaction construct

Noticing behaviors in others that relate to social interactions, such as being friendly or aggressive.

Psychological construct

Emphasizing a person's thoughts and feelings, such as anxiety or confidence.

Factors influencing interpretation

Experience, personal knowledge, and the closeness of the relationship with the person.

Physiological states

Temporary physical conditions affecting perception, such as sickness.

Physiological traits

Ongoing characteristics that consistently impact perception.

Culture

A set of values, beliefs, and behaviors that influence communication and perception.

Co-culture

Subgroups within a larger culture that influence perceptions of others.

Stereotyping

A three-part process that involves identifying, generalizing, and applying characteristics to a person based on their group membership.

Selective memory bias

The tendency to remember information that supports our stereotypes while forgetting contradictory information.

Primary effect

The tendency for our first impressions of someone to overshadow later impressions.

Recency effect

The tendency for our most recent impressions to be more influential than previous impressions.

Perceptual set

A predisposition to perceive only what we want or expect to perceive.

Seeing through rose-colored glasses

An idealistic view of someone, often experienced when feeling love or admiration.

Positivity bias

Viewing information in an overly idealistic or positive way.

Negativity bias

Viewing information in an overly pessimistic way.

Egocentrism

The inability to take another person's perspective.

Attributions

Explanations we give for our own and others' behaviors.

Locus in attributions

The location of the cause of behavior, either external or internal.

Stability in attributions

Whether the cause of behavior is stable and permanent or unstable and random.

Controllability in attributions

Whether the cause of behavior is controllable or uncontrollable.

Self-serving bias

Attributing our successes to internal causes and our failures to external causes.

Fundamental attribution error

Attributing others' behaviors more to internal causes than to external causes.

Over attribution

Focusing on one characteristic of a person and attributing various behaviors to that characteristic.