Perception

  • ==what is perception?==
      * the selection, organization, and interpretation of information collected through our senses
  • ==Why is perception of ourselves and others considered a principle in communication?==
      * how we perceive ourselves and others influences our communication (creating meaning)
      * our perception of others can even determine if we attempt communications and the quality of that communication
      * even when our perceptions aren’t accurate, what we perceive often becomes our reality and then our communication reflects that reality
  • ==What information contributes to our understanding of perception?==

  
  1. perception encompasses both objects and people
  2. since there is usually more stimuli to perceive than we can process, we rely on selective attention. Selective attention is processing certain stimuli while filtering out others. Filters impact the sorting involved in our perception
  3. There are ==two types of filters:==

     
     1. ==Physiological filters== are built into humans by their individual limitations and vary greatly (for example, hearing ability , strength of eyesight)
     2. ==Psychological sets== are expectations or predispositions which affect what we perceive and are impacted by culture, life experience, education, race, and other factors

  1. Perception is not a passive process. In perceiving both objects and people we make choices. We actively choose what to attend to, then organize the stimuli, and respond
  2. in general, we are more likely to perceive objects or person that are intense, repetitious, or changing but motivation and personal interests can also affect our choice
  3. we also try to organize what we perceive into complete wholes (a fuller picture) based on our expectations and on our ideas about cause and effect
  4. additionally, we also assign meaning to what we perceive based on past experiences, our moods, and our assumptions (re: psychological sets)
  • ==what factors are specific to person perception?==
      * ^^self-concept^^- a relatively stable impression of yourself
        * develops partly from feedback we get from others
        * affects our communication with others and also impacts how we “talk” to ourselves (==intrapersonal== communication). Our intrapersonal communication is often influenced by feedback from others too
        * age, life experiences, cultural background, are among other factors that can also affect self-concept
      * ^^self-esteem^^- feeling of self-worth, %%a measure of self-concept%%
        * varies more than self-concept
        * concerns our feelings rather than the more stable factors identified as self-concept. these feelings may have little to do with actual success or failure but self-esteem. may be connected to outcomes
        * experiencing high self-esteem is pleasant
        * feedback can directly influence self-esteem, positively or negatively but positive feedback doesn’t insure high self-esteem
  1. your self-esteem may be linked to particular success or failures or to reactions of others

   
   1. ex: self concept- excellent student
   2. ex: self esteem- temporaily lower because you failed a test leading to some negative feelings about yourself but probably not to a change in your self concept

  1. shyness is related to lower self-esteem. most American indicates that they have felt shy at some point but many wouldn’t consider shyness as part of their self-concept

   
   1. one drawback of shyness is self-selecting our of opportunities
   2. research suggests that people do overcome shyness, shyness is treatable and that being shy does not mean someone finds all situation threatening

  1. one response to threatened self-esteem is the %%frog pond effect%%. it may be used in a effort to raise one’s self esteem

   
   1. %%frog pond effect%% is a phenomenon that occurs when people purposely compare themselves to others who will make them “look good”. it can be a way to protect or raise self-esteem especially in areas where comparisons are made

  • ==primacy effect==- suggests the first information we receive about a person is the ==most decisive== in forming our impression of him or her. initial perceptions are often powerful
      * blocks/interferes with new input and feedback
      * we tend to be confident about our initial judgements
      * first impressions are affected by someone’s personal appearance, expressiveness (nonverbal communication linked to dynamism) and charisma (personal magnetism that attracts/infleunce others)
  • ==stereotypes==
  • how you primarily see yourself in terms of characteristics, talents, abilities and physical appearance make up some possible areas of ^^self-perception^^
      * examples: friendly, cautious, determined, attractive, caring (just a few out of so many possibilities)
      * “judgements of what you have been, are, and aspire to be” (from tubbs)
  • The ==looking glass self== is a theory that says we evaluate ourselves based on how we think others see us
  • our attitudes toward gender also influences perception of the self and others (gender refers to biological sex, attitudes about sexes, sexual orientation, and psychological characteristics.) gender is also influenced by culture
  • the ^^self-fulfilling prophecy^^ is also relevant to the self-concept and self-esteem because it claims there is a connection between expectations and outcomes
  • specifically: the self-fulfilling prophecy says that expectations about our own or another’s behavior can influence/lead to the predicted behavior
      * ex: a student believes he can be the lead in the school play interpersonally and interpersonally communicates belief in that result. spends time preparing for tuition and reviews performances by profession actors. receives the role
  • what is the connection between a ==stereotype== and our perception of others?
      * stereotypes- a generalization about a class of people, objects, or events that is widely held by a given culture. ^^Based on limited experience^^ and may be inaccurate
        * held by our culture influence or may even determine our perception of another person. (reminder: perception refers to our selection, organization and interpretation we collect about others through our senses)
        * while stereotypes are not always completely inaccurate, generally they err when it comes to our perception of single individuals.
          * ex: not all military veterans are politically conservative
        * even positive stereotypes can be false and damaging
          * ex: individual Asians are often viewed positively but incorrectly and in ways that are limiting
        * affect how we process information
        * influence our expectations of others
        * impact our communication
  • How can understanding the principle of perception help us to be more effective communicators?

  
  1. our perception of others often determines if we attempt to communicate and the quality of the communication so it can be wise to recognize that your perception may be wrong or incomplete
  2. strive to perceive the other more as an individual, and less as a “type”
  3. listening well and trying to have empathy can improve our perceptions and move us beyond stereotypes. both take effort.
  4. our communication benefits from accurate perception of others in other our short and long term relationships so making the effort to perceive others more accurately can make a difference both personally and professionally

(mateusz slyk)