Perception

Perception • Is the process people see, think and attach meaning to the happenings around (observation – selection – organizing – interpretation – response) • Is the process by which all people limit their views of the world • Is a complex process, persons make interpretations of the stimulus or situation they are faced with • Externally, selectivity is affected by intensity, size, contrast, repetition, motion, novelty, familiarity • Internally, perceptual sensitivity is 10/17/08 05:10 PM Dr Ashutosh N Misal influenced by the individual’s motivation, 1

Motives

Expectations

Aspirations Goals/ Purposes/ Reasons

Needs

Past Experiences

Wants

Personality

Culture

Capabilities

Social factors

Environments

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Economic factors

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Perceptual Sensitivity –

Internal and External Factors

• Intensity – loud noise, strong odour, bright light, loud speaking e.g. advertisements • Size – more maintenance for smaller machine (?), 6’ 3”, full page ads • Contrast – stimuli that stands out against background, familiarity of place for training, harsh sound of machines for experienced worker • Repetition – advertisements repeatedly released, he is bad 10 times • Motion – more attention to moving objects than stationary • Personality and Perception – senior-cool, juniorhot 05:10 tempered, woman-top (gender), old 10/17/08 PM Dr Ashutosh N Misal official 3

• Perceptual Defense – a psychological process that involves subconsciously screening out large blocks of information that threaten the person’s beliefs and values • Perceptual grouping – the perceptual organization process of placing people and objects into recognizable and manageable patterns or categories • Mental models – the broad world views or “theories-in-use” that people rely on to guide their perceptions and behaviours. E. g. attending a lecture/ seminar, assumptions, expectations etc

• Social Identity Theory – explains self perception and social perception in terms of our unique characteristics (personal identity) as well as membership in various social groups (social identity) e.g. association with a particular group, graduation from a 10/17/08 05:10 PM Dr Ashutosh N Misal 4 university etc

Perceptual Errors • Stereotyping

(Pigeonholing/

is the process of using a few observable characteristics to assign people to a preconceived social category, and then assigning less observable traits to those people based on their membership in the group. • E.g. Professors are absent-minded, • This person is a professor, • This person is absent minded compartmentalization)

• Female 10/17/08 05:10 PM

police

officers,

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golf

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Perceptual Errors • Prejudice – unfounded negative emotions toward people belonging to a particular stereotyped group e.g. fat people too lazy etc • Sexual harassment – unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that detrimentally affects the work environment or leads to adverse jobrelated consequences for its victims • Attribution Theory – a perceptual process whereby we interpret the causes of behaviour in terms of the person (internal attributions) or the 10/17/08 05:10 PM

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Perceptual Errors • Fundamental attribution error – the tendency to incorrectly attribute the behaviour of other people to internal more than to external factors. Some problem with him, we have given all facilities

• Self-serving bias – a perceptual error whereby people tend to attribute their own success to internal factors and their failures to external factors • Self-fulfilling prophecy – a phenomenon in which an observer’s expectations of someone causes that person to act in a way that is consistent with the observer’s expectation. Eg not writing name in papers • Primacy effect – a perceptual error in which we quickly form an opinion of people based on the first information we receive about them • Recency effect – a perceptual error in which the most recent information dominates our perception about the person • Halo error – a perceptual error whereby our general impression of a person, usually based on one prominent characteristic, biases our perception of other 10/17/08 05:10 PM Dr Ashutosh N Misal 7 characteristics of that person.

Remedies to avoid perceptual errors • Understand the limitations of personal knowledge and perception • Gather full and right information. Insure exchange and availability of good quality information • Avoid instant judgments about people , organizations, service • Build expectations on knowledge and understanding that halo effects, stereotyping etc • Ensure open relationship encouraging discussions, debate, exchange of thoughts • Develop self awareness and understanding about 10/17/08 05:10 PM Dr Ashutosh others N Misal 8

People

• • • • • • • •

design colour weight shape size materials purpose, usage price, value, cost 10/17/08 05:10 PM

• • • • • • • • •

friendliness effectiveness speed quality confidence value respect ambience appearance

First Impressions

• appearance, dress, hair, handshake • voice, eye contact • scent, smell • disposition (positive, negative, smiling, frowning) • establishing common interest/ failure to do so • courtesy, manner •Object age

Service

Organization • • • • • • • • •

ambience welcome appearance image and impression technology care respect for others confidence trust

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Summarily Factors affecting Perception • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Closure Proximity Intensity Attribution Situational factors Confidence Past history Trapping and furnishings The messenger Language Fashions and fads Social regard Human response

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• • • • •

Selective focus Distortion Repetition Familiarity Authority, responsibility and position • Emotions • Levels of recognition • Visibility • Comparison • first impressions Dr Ashutosh N Misal • Expectations

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Impression Management • Impression management is the deliberate 'bending' of the truth in order to make a favorable impression. Managing impression includes deliberate use of any or all of: Dress, make-up, hairstyle and other management of visual appearance, Manner and general behavior, such as being pleasant, assertive, and so on • Managing body language to conceal anxieties or untruths and show openness, Being economic with the truth, not telling lies but also not revealing the whole truth, Exaggeration or complete fabrication of things that make you look good, Downplaying or denial of negative factors that make you look bad 10/17/08 05:10 PM

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• Impression management not only happens, it is expected to happen. This can cause a dilemma where the interviewer either marks you down for not managing impression sufficiently (for example not being smart enough or not being assertive enough) or managing it too much (low-cut dresses, boasting, exaggeration). 10/17/08 05:10 PM

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• Do manage the impression you make, but do not over-do it (and do not under-do it either). • Dress tidily (eg. suit and tie) but not overdoing it (eg. bow tie, frock coat). • Show respect, but show neither aggression nor timidity. • Do not offer any outright lies. • Notice your body language, but do not overcontrol it. • Show your experiences in a positive light, but do not over-exaggerate. 10/17/08 05:10 PM

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Body language comes in clusters of signals and postures, depending on the internal emotions and mental states. Recognizing a whole cluster is thus far more reliable than trying to interpret individual elements. • Aggressive body language: Showing physical threat • Bored body language: Just not being interested • Closed body language: Many reasons are closed • Deceptive body language: Seeking to cover up lying or other deception • Defensive body language: Protecting self from attack • Emotional body language: Identifying feelings • Evaluating body language: Judging and deciding about something • Open body language: Many reasons for being open • Power body language: Demonstrating one's power • Ready body language: Wanting to act and waiting for the trigger • Relaxed body language: Comfortable and unstressed • Romantic body language: Showing attraction to others • Submissive body language: Showing you are prepared to give in 10/17/08 05:10 PM

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