COMS101 Chapter 2 Perception, Self, & Communication

Definitions of Perception Perception is “the process of becoming aware of objects and events from the senses” (p. 32). Active Perception – “your mind selecting, organizing, and interpreting what you sense” (p. 33). Subjective Perception – “your uniquely constructed meaning attributed to stimuli” (p. 33).

What do you see in this picture?

Noise: Why do perceptions differ? Physiological Factors – your make-up – Hard of hearing, bad eyesight Past Experiences and Roles - learned – Ex. – Bad experience with b/f or g/f Culture/Co-culture – shared beliefs Present feelings/Circumstances – Frustrated, tired, bored

How does the Perception Process Work? SelectionOrganizationInterpretation All happen at the same time

1) Selection Selection – Paying attention to what is important to you. – Selective Attention: Focusing on certain cues and ignoring others. Boys vs. Girls – How many times is the basketball passed by the team in white shirts?

2) Organization Organizing things into “a whole” Figure – focal point Ground – everything else – What was the figure/ground in the video? Closure – fill in if we do not have all of the information. – Misunderstanding an overheard conversation. – Ruler example

3) Interpretation Putting meaning to the stimuli. Select Something, organize it to the surroundings, interpret it based off of everything.

Questions about Selection, Organization, Interpretation??? ?

What about Perceiving Self/Others? Errors in Perception 1) Attribution Errors 2) Perceptual Errors

1) Attribution Errors Making cause/effect references Fundamental Attribution Error: – Others fail because of their personal faults – Others succeed because of luck or the situation Self Serving Bias: – Our successes are due to our qualities – Our failures are due to circumstances

Question What is similar about fundamental attribution errors and a self-serving biases???

2) Perceptual Errors Perceiving others’ “being” Stereotyping – oversimplified and standardized image of a person because of his/her membership to a group. First Impressions – Formed in about 3 seconds. – Clothing, height, weight, attractiveness, interaction skills

Perceiving Ourselves Our self concept is socially constructed by others Self-Image – How you picture yourself – Feedback from Others Confirmation, rejection, disconfirmation Self-Esteem – How you feel about yourself – Based on perceived successes and failures

Self-concept Self-imageSelf-esteem Self-concept = An evaluation of yourself.

Questions??? ?