1. Perception

2. Sub-topics 1.What do we mean by ‘perception’? 2.The process of perception 3.Inconsistencies in perception 4.How can we avoid them? 5.Attribution theory 6.Summary

3. 1. What do we mean by ‘perception’? Subjective (multiple realities / views) vs objective (one reality / truth) understanding of the world A process by which people organise and interpret their impressions, with the ultimate scope of giving some meaning to the environment

4. 1. What do we mean by ‘perception’? The perception of a person about a specific incident, might be completely different from the one that another person may have The perception of a person might be completely different from the reality (objective truth – can we talk about a single reality / single way of perceiving life?)

5. 2. The process of perception CAUSE ATTENTION ORGANISING IN MEANINGFUL CATEGORIES EXISTING PERSONSNEW CATEGORIES E.G.

6. 3. Inconsistencies in perception Selective perception - The perception of a situation in relation to our own beliefs and the eventual action, which may have nothing to do with the (objective) reality Projection - The creation of ‘a world’ to which we ascribe our own forbidden desires / suppressed thoughts

7. 3. Inconsistencies in perception - e.g. a child shows her Barbie doll as the ‘person’ responsible for her own actions Stereotyping - A thinking process which organises, simplifies our thoughts and beliefs for a specific group of people - e.g. he is Cypriot therefore … e.g. he is working in the public sector therefore …

8. 3. Inconsistencies in perception The Halo Effect phenomenon - When we judge a person as being good or bad in one category, we tend to judge him in the same manner in another category The Horn Effect phenomenon - When we judge a person as being good or bad based on a specific characteristic (physical, behavioural)

9. 3. Inconsistencies in perception Contrast Effects - The effect on our judgment from immediately previous, related experiences Self-Fulfilling Prophecy - Our forecast about a certain incident that will happen at any point in the future will actually determine our actions towards the materialisation of the forecast - e.g. if we say that we are going to have a good day, then our actions will be guided towards making this happen!

10. 4. How can we avoid them? Collect as much information as possible about an event / incident / situation Separate facts from assumptions Be as specific as possible (vs generalising) Evaluate our conclusions Determine our real motives and feelings about the situation

11. 5. Attribution Theory Student’sBehaviour Results of behaviour Success Failure Success Failure StudentStudent’s actions Tutor’s actions (Α) (Β) (Α) TutorStudent’s actions Tutor’s actions (Β) (Α) (Β)

12. 5. Attribution Theory The process of attributing causes to situations BehaviourObservationEvaluation Attribution of causes Intentional or unintentional Due to the person (Α) Due to the (Β) circumstances

13. 5. Attribution Theory Student has exams He gets an ¨Α¨He gets an ¨Ε¨ The student attributes his success to personal characteristics (Α)-smartness The tutor attributes the student’s success to conditional factors (Β)-luck The student attributes his failure to conditional factors (Β)-bad teaching The tutor attributes the student’s failure to personal characteristics (Α)-laziness

14. 6. Summary The attribution of causes … is based on our attitude … which ‘forces’ us to behave … in particular ways and which are expressed through 1. Values 2. Feelings 3. Behaviours