HDFS 142 - Chapter #5

First-order realities

physically observable qualities of a thing or situation

Second-order realities

attaching meaning to first- order things or situations

Steps in Perception Process

1. Selection

2. Organization

3. Interpretation

4. Negotiation

Selection

data we will attend to

Stimuli That Attracts our Attention

- Intensity

- Repetition

- Contrast or change

Organization

arranging information in a meaningful way

Four Types of Schema

- physical

- role-based

- interaction-based

- psychological

Punctuation

determination of causes and effects in a series of interactions

Interpretation

attach meaning to data

Factors that Affect Interpretation

- Relational satisfaction

- Personal experience

- Personality

- Assumptions about human behavior

- Online vs. in-person communication

Negotiation

- process in which communicators influence each other's perceptions through communication

- exchange of stories or narratives we tell to describe our world

Narratives

The stories people use to describe their personal world

Physiological Influences on Perceptions

- The senses

- Age

- Health and fatigue

- Biological cycles

- Hunger

- Neurobehavioral challenges

Standpoint theory

a person's position in society shapes their view of society in general, and of specific individuals

Social Influences on Perception

- Sex and gender roles

- Occupational roles

- Relational roles

Common Tendencies in Perception

- Attribution

- Snap judgments

- Stereotyping

Stereotyping

Exaggerated beliefs associated with a categorizing system.

- Categorizing

- Ascribing

- Applying

First impressions

- Primacy effect

- Halo effect

- Horns effect

- Confirmation bias

Perception Checking

A better way to review your assumptions and to share your interpretations.

- A description of the behavior you noticed

- Two possible interpretations of the behavior

- A request for clarification about how to interpret the behavior

Empathy

The ability to recreate another person's perspective to experience the world from his or her point of view.

- Perspective-taking

- Emotional contagion

- Genuine concern

Judging Ourselves Charitably

- Fundamental attribution error

- Self-serving bias

Attribution

Describes the process of attaching meaning to behavior.

Androgynous

A person with relatively equal masculine and feminine characteristics.

Primary Effect

Our tendency to pay more attention to, and to better recall, things that happen first in a sequence.

Halo Effect

Describes the tendency to form an overall positive impression of a person on the basis of one positive characteristic.

Horns Effect

Occurs when a negative appraisal adversely influences perceptions that follow.

Confirmation Bias

Once we form a first impression, positive or negative, we tend to seek out and organize our impressions to support this opinion.

Fundamental Attribution Error

The tendency to give more weight to personal qualities than to the situation when making attributions.

Self-Serving Bias

Means that when we perform poorly, we usually blame external forces, and we credit ourselves rather than the situation when we behave well.