WHY PERCEPTIONS DIFFER? n BECAUSE OUR CULTURAL, PERSONAL, AND EDUCATIONAL CONDITIONING DIFFERS n BECAUSE WE FOCUS ON DIFFERENT STIMULI FOR OBSERVATION n BECAUSE WE WEIGH STIMULI DIFFERENTLY

n BECAUSE WE DESCRIBE OUR PERCEPTIONS WITH DIFFERENT LANGUAGE n BECAUSE WE SOMETIMES SEE WHAT WE WANT TO SEE n BECAUSE OF THE PRESENCE OF OTHERS

STIMULI USED IN OUR PERCEPTIONS STIMULI USED IN OUR PERCEPTIONS n NONINTERACTIVE –Information from others –Information from the situation –Observations of other n INTERACTIVE –Reactions to direct questions –Reactions to your disclosures –Reactions to planned “tests” or provocations

PERCEPTUAL PROCESSES AND THEORIES PERCEPTUAL PROCESSES AND THEORIES n THEORIES OF COGNITIVE ASSOCIATIONS –Central traits –Implicit personality –Stereotyping –Inferential schemas

n ATTRIBUTION THEORY n SELF-FULLING PROPHECY n OPTIMISTIC BIAS n FIRST/LAST IMPRESSIONS