Perception and attribution Interactive lecture III Dr Jolanta Babiak Winter semester 2017/2018

Perception Ascribing meaning to the environment Sensory impressions Organizing and interpreting Ascribing meaning to the environment

What we perceive can be substantially different from objective reality

Why is perception important to OB? Peoples’ behavior is based on their perception of what reality is, not on reality itself

Factors that influence perception Factors in the situation - Time - Work setting - Social setting Factors in the perceiver - Attitudes - Motives - Interests - Experience - Expectations Perception Factors in the target - Novelty - Motion - Sounds - Size - Background - Proximity - Similarity

Making judgments about others Person Perception Making judgments about others We have beliefs, expectations, or motives that’s why when we observe people we try to explain why they behave in certain ways. Our perceptions and judgments will therefore be heavily influenced by the assumptions we make about that person internal state.

Attribution theory Judgments we make Meanings we attribute Observed behavior of another person 1. Distinctiveness 2. Consensus 3. Consistency Judgments we make Meanings we attribute We determine the source of causation of that behavior Internal vs External causes

Differences between internal vs external causation Internally caused behavior Externally caused behavior Under the control of the individual Employee is late for work: he was partying and then overslept Colleague is gaining weight: he is socializing a lot and overeating Manager is in tensed mood: he wants to evoke fear in us purposefully What the situation forced the individual to do Employee is late for work: must have run into tied up traffic due to some accident on the way Colleague is gaining weight: could have some health issues, maybe thyroid Manager is in tensed mood: he must have been under fire during yesterday’s board meeting

Three determining factors: (1) Distinctiveness Behavior is unusual External attribution Behavior is usual Internal attribution

Three determining factors: (2) Consensus High consensus: others behav(ed) in similar fashion External attribution Low consensus: behavior stands out from among others in a similar situation Internal attribution

Three determining factors: (3) Consistency Does the person responds in the same way over time? If not… External attribution If yes Internal attribution

Attribution theory observation interpretation Attribution of cause

Most important finding: fundamental attribution error While making judgments about the behavior of other people We tend to overestimate the effects of internal factors; e.g. sales dropped recently - my sales agents are just lazy We tend to underestimate the effects of the external factors; sales dropped recently – it cannot be the innovative product introduced by the competitor

Most important finding: fundamental attribution error While making judgments about our own behavior We tend to attribute our own success to internal factors; e.g. ability, effort We tend to blame failure on the external factors; e.g. bad luck, poor performance of others

Fundamental attribution error: cultural differences non-Western managers are less likely to use self-serving bias: tend to assume responsibility for failure Asian cultures: group-based attributions – more likely to blame institutions or whole organizations Western cultures – individuals should get blame or praise

Shortcuts in judging others: selective perception Interests Background Experience Attitudes Other information

Shortcuts in judging others: halo effect We draw a general impression about an individual on the basis of a single characteristic; here: appearance

Shortcuts in judging others: contrast effect Our reaction is influenced by other persons we have recently encountered; attention: job interviews

Shortcuts in judging others: stereotyping Less difficult to deal with unmanageable number of stimuli if we use heuristics Problem occurs when we generalize inaccurately or too much We usually stereotype based on: Gender Age Race Religion Ethnicity Weight Stereotypes operate emotionally and often below the level of conscious awareness

Specific applications of shortcuts in Organizations Employment interview We form impressions of others within tenth of a second: first glance Good applicant: absence of negative characteristics Performance expectations Self-fulfilling prophecy: one’s behavior is determined by others’ expectations Expectations become reality Performance evaluations Depend on the perceptual process: subjective Some are luckily evaluated objectively: sales people

Bibliography Gerrig, R. J., Zimbardo, P. G. (2010). Psychology and life. New Jersey: Person education, Inc. Robbins, S. P., Judge, T. A. (2013). Organizational behavior. New Jersey: Person education, Inc. Whetten, D. A., Cameron K. S. (2011). Developing Management Skills. New Jersey: Person education, Inc