Perception Perception is the construction of a description, and reality…. a mere consensus of perception

The process of human perception Perception is the active process of creating meaning by Selecting Organizing Interpreting people, objects, events, situations and other phenomenon. (Woods, 2007)

The process Selection Organization Interpretation

Influences on Perception Age Physiology Culture Social Roles Cognitive abilities We often misperceive the messages sent by others because of one or more of these influences. In order to communicate effectively, we need to “check” our perceptions with others to achieve that shared meaning in the message.

The influence of age on perception What? You said I was fat? No, I said you were “phat”. Slang often interferes with messages being received as intended. Every generation introduces new language, fashions, and other communications that set them apart from generations before them.

The influence of physiology on perception Getting up on the wrong side of the bed often influences how you will perceive things throughout the day. Being tired, a bit under the weather, or dealing with stress can influence how we perceive others.

The influence of culture on perception When the US firm, Gerber, started selling baby food in Africa, they used the same packaging as in the US, i.e. with a picture of a baby on the label. Sales flopped and they soon realized that in Africa companies typically place pictures of contents on their labels. This example is one of many that show how our perceptions are influenced by culture. http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/cultural-services/articles/cultural-sensitivity.html

The influence of social roles on perception Our author states that she perceives classes in terms of how interested students seem to be and whether or not they’ve read the course materials. Students have stated that they perceive classes in terms of the course load; i.e. how many papers there are, difficulty of exams, how much time they will be spending on assignments, etc. (Woods, 2007)

The influence of cognitive abilities on perception Critical reflection A critical thinker may look more closely at issues before forming an opinion. One of the greatest things about being college-educated is that we learn to view things from the dual perspective, and become critical consumers of information.

Influences of gender roles on perception A father and son go for a drive in the country. They are struck head on by a semi truck. The father is pronounced dead at the scene, and the boy is rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery. The surgeon comes into the operating room, takes one look at the boy, and says, I can’t operate on him, he’s my son. What relationship is the surgeon to the little boy?

The answer….. The surgeon was the boy’s mother. Not only do we sometimes perceive that men and women have unique roles, we also recognize that men tend to seek straightforward solutions to problems, and women are more inclined to develop a rapport when communicating. Women are more about feelings whereas men are more about the task at hand.

Perceptions can be deceiving What colors are listed here? Red Yellow Green Blue Purple The answer: Blue, Pink, Green, Yellow, and Purple.

Mind over Matter fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too Cna yuo raed tihs?. i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt.

Guidelines for improving perception Recognize that all perceptions are partial and subjective Avoid mind-reading Check perceptions with others Distinguish between facts and inferences Guard against the self-serving bias Guard against the fundamental attribution error Monitor labels (Woods, 2007, pgs. 90-96)