Chapter 5: The Role of Perception in Human Relations

What Is Perception? The word perception comes from the Latin capere, meaning "to take," the prefix per meaning "completely.” So…what do you think perception means in this course?

Is Reality Subjective? Different people have different perceptions of the truth in any given situation.

Filters Are for More Than Coffee! Interpretations of events and situations are filtered through personal belief situations, interests, values, expectations, and experiences.

How Do Humans Perceive? Humans have an innate need for order. Human brains have evolved to aid in this endeavor. In addition to quick processing, humans also make perceptual errors.

How Does This Affect Human Relations? These errors contribute to judgments and conclusions drawn about people and events. In turn, this affects our relationships with others.

Cognitive Biases See Table 5.1 (Cognitive Biases That May Lead to Misperceptions) (p. 151) for a list of perceptual errors that are outgrowths of the need to understand the world and its inhabitants.

First Impressions Matter! First impressions are typically the strongest. This may be related to the human need to understand things. First impressions are very difficult to overcome. Can you think of an example from your own life?

What Is the Primacy Effect? THE PRIMACY EFFECT (p. 151) occurs when people pay more attention to initial information they receive about a person or situation than they do to later information. See Asch’s (1946) seminal list of characteristics study on p. 151.

A Bit About Bias FALSE CONSENSUS BIAS (p. 152) is our mistaken assumption that others see things the same way we do. FALSE UNIQUENESS BIAS (p. 153) occurs when we are considering our talents, abilities, or positive qualities, we tend to see ourselves as more unique than we actually are. This is the exception to the false consensus bias.

What is Confirmation Bias? THE CONFIRMATION BIAS (p. 153) occurs when our tendency to seek out and pay attention to information that supports our preexisting notions, and also to ignore or discount contradictory information. It is a perceptual error made in an attempt to determine the “right answer” to a problem or situation.

What is the Fundamental Attribution Error? THE FUNDAMENTAL ATTRIBUTION ERROR (p. 155) is our human tendency to assume that other people’s behavior is due to something about their personality, while at the same time failing to consider possible situational influence. This mistake occurs because of focus of attention.

How Do Internal and External Attributions Differ? INTERNAL ATTRIBUTION (p. 156) occurs when we attribute a person’s behavior to something about the person, his character, or his personality. EXTERNAL ATTRIBUTION (p. 156) occurs when we attribute behavior to an external or situational factor.

Overcoming the Fundamental Attribution Error The fundamental attribution error is a threat to good relations with others. Kelley (1974) developed a three-question formula to determine the correctness of an attribution. See Figure 5.2 on page 158 (Avoiding the Fundamental Attribution Error).

Is This Behavior Consistent? CONSISTENCY (p. 157) is related to whether a particular behavior typically occurs in that situation. How can you tell when your behavior is consistent?

Is This Behavior Distinctive? DISTINCTIVENESS (p. 157) is related to whether a particular behavior typically occurs in other situations. How can you tell?

Do Others Exhibit This Behavior in the Same Situations? CONSENSUS (p. 158) is related to whether other people typically exhibit this behavior in this situation.

Fundamental Attribution Error See Activity 5.1 (Overcoming the Fundamental Attribution Error) (pp. 159, ) to test an understanding of personal fundamental attribution error. What did you discover about this type of error ?

What Physiological Factors Influence Perception? Several physiological factors (biological factors) influence our perception of events: physical senses physical state physical attributes

What About Physical Senses? Perceptual differences in senses can contribute to misunderstandings in relationships.

What About Physical State? Physical state at any given time can influence the way a person perceives and is perceived by others.

What Are Physical Attributes? Physical appearance influences the way people are perceived by others. Research suggests people respond more favorably to physically attractive others. Do you agree? Can you think of an example to substantiate this?

When Physiology Interferes with Perception See Activity 5.2 (When Physiology Interferes With Perception) (pp. 163, ) to explore the ways in which biological factors have played a role in personal and other perceptions.

Beauty and Body Image Special Topic/ Beauty and Body Image: A Cultural Obsession (See p ). How is this related to the current trend toward unhealthy (if not dangerous) thinness in young women in the United States and Hong Kong? Whiten, Get fit (slim), figure Is this unique to the HK/U.S.?

Cultural Influences on Perception Personal space Eye contact Talking rule Assignment 8