The Perception Process

1
The Perception Process
2
Process of Perception

• Selecting
• Organizing
• Interpreting

3
Selection

• We choose to attend to only some stimuli
• Qualities which capture us
• Outstanding, large
• Intensity
• Unusual

4
Organizing Constructivism theory

• Cognitive schemata
• Prototypes
• Personal Constructs
• Stereotypes
• Scripts

5
Prototypes

• Knowledge structures that define the most
  representative example of some category
• A is the ideal friend
• B is the great teacher

6
Personal Constructs

• Mental yardsticks formed as a bi-polar scale of
  judgment
• Smart.dumb
• Attractive.Unattractive
• Interesting.Uninteresting

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Difference between the two

• Prototype - put in broad category
• Personal construct - a detailed assessment

8
Stereotypes

• We predict that a person will behave according to
  the prototype and personal construct weve made.
• Really, a predictive generalization because of
  the category and measurement weve made.

9
Scripts

• The sequence of activities we expect to follow in
  particular situations
• Casual greeting
• Job interview
• At a funeral
• On a first date

10
Interpretation

• The subjective process of creating explanations -
  meaning - for the messages we receive.
• Attributions (the why?)
• Locus INTERNAL -EXTERNAL
• Stability STABLE - UNSTABLE
• Controllability ABLE TO - NOT ABLE TO

11
A took a wallet out of the purse

• Locus INTERNAL -EXTERNAL
• Stability STABLE - UNSTABLE
• Controllability ABLE TO - NOT ABLE TO

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Phenomenon of Self-Serving Bias

• Internal and stable attributions that we control
  WHEN SUCCESSFUL
• External and unstable attributions not under our
  control WHEN NOT SUCCESSFUL

13
Influences on Perception

• Physiological Factors
• Expectations
• Cognitive Abilities
• Social Roles
• Cultural Factors

14
END

• Based on Julia Woods Communication Mosaics,
  Chapter 2 Perceiving and Understanding