Prepared by Darrell G. Mullins Salisbury University Copyright © 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. This multimedia product and its contents are protected under copyright law. The following are prohibited by law: Any public performance or display, including transmission of any image over a network; Preparation of any derivative work, including the extraction, in whole or in part, of any images; Any rental, lease or lending of the program.

Copyright © 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc.

Overview of Themes  The Importance of Perception  What is Perception?  The Individual and Perception  The Individual, Society, and Perception  Ethics and Perception  Improving Perception Skills

The Importance of Perception “When you communicate, you don’t just respond to others’ words; you respond to your perceptions of the way they look, sound, smell, and, on occasion, feel.” Copyright © 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc.

The Influential Nature of Perception  How We Understand and Organize the World Around Us  How We Respond to the World  How We Develop and Form Identities  How We Choose and Develop Relationships

What is Perception? “Perception refers to the processes of selection, organization, and interpretation of the information we collect through our senses: what we see, hear, taste, smell, and touch. The sensory data we select, the ways we organize it, and the interpretations we assign to it affect the ways we communicate.” Copyright © 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. Marc Romanelli/Getty

Copyright © 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. The Perception Process  A process by which we take information in and seek to understand it.  Three separate but interrelated processes:  Selection  Organization  Interpretation

Copyright © 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. Selection DDeciding what to select from the available stimuli. FFactors affecting selection: IIntensity SSize CContrast RRepetition, Repetition MMovement

Copyright © 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. Organization  Make Stimuli Recognizable  Use Schemas  Four Ways We Develop Schemas:  Cognitive Representation  Planning  Interpersonal Scripts  Categorization

Copyright © 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. Interpretation  Assigning Meaning to Stimuli  Frame  Attribution Theory  Attributional Bias  Self-Serving Bias  Fundamental Attribution Error  How Attribution Impacts Communication

Perception and the Individual “…a variety of individual factors influence your perceptual processes and affect your selection, organization, and interpretation of sensory input.” Copyright © 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. Image 100/Alamy Royatly Free

Copyright © 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. Factors Influencing Individual Perceptions  Physical Differences  Taste, Sight, Hearing, Etc.  Cognitive Differences  Cognitive Complexity Test  Constructs  Interpersonal Constructs  Personality Differences  Emotions  Outlook  Knowledge

The Individual, Perception, and Society “…the position you hold in society and the cultures in which you live affect what you perceive and how you interpret these perceptions.” Copyright © 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. AP Images/Chen xiaogen-maginechina

Copyright © 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. How Societal Factors Affect Perception  The Role of Power  The Role of Culture  The Role of Social Comparison  Ethnocentrism  Stereotypes  Prejudice  Ego-Defense  Value Expression  The Role of Historical Time Period  Social Roles

Ethics and Perception “…if you perceive that someone is old and your stereotype of old people is that they are infirm, you may treat that person as if she were a child—a response that we regard as unethical because it stems from stereotypical thinking.” Copyright © 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. Photodisc/Getty Images Royalty Free

Copyright © 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. Ethical Obligations Related to Perception  Mindfulness  Distinguish between facts and inferences  Perception checking

Improving Your Perception Skills “…certain cognitive and communication behaviors can improve your ability to perceive and understand the world.” Copyright © 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. ID: Level: 2

Copyright © 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. Work Toward Improving Perception Skills Ask yourself:  What might I have failed to notice?  Have I engaged in faulty thinking?  Has my physical condition impacted my perceptions?  Has my cultural background influenced my perceptions?  Has my social role influenced my perceptions?