1. Interpersonal Perception
Chapter 4

2. Improving Your Perceptual Abilities
Chapter 4 Interpersonal Perception
Perception is a Process
Fundamental Forces in Interpersonal Perception
How We Explain What We Perceive
Improving Your Perceptual Abilities
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3. Interpersonal Perception
Perception is the ongoing process of making meaning from what we experience in our environment.
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4. How Aware are you? Who Dunn It?: Focus: Ted- Misdirection:
Focus:
Ted- Misdirection:
How Aware are you?

5. Perception is a Process
The process of perception occurs in three stages:
Selection
Organization
Interpretation
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6. Perception is a Process
Factors affecting selection:
How unusual or unexpected the stimulus is
Frequency of exposure to stimulus
Intensity of stimulus
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7. Perception is a Process
Factors of organization:
Physical constructs
Role constructs
Interaction constructs
Psychological constructs
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12. Perception is a Process
Factors of interpretation:
Personal knowledge
Knowledge of other communicator
Closeness of relationship with other communicator
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13. Perception
A work of art: modern-day-renaissance-masterpiece/

14. Perception is a Process
Several influences affect the accuracy of interpersonal perceptions:
Physiological states and traits
Culture and co-culture
Social roles
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15. Forces in Perception
Interpersonal perception is affected by several fundamental forces:
Stereotyping (generalization)
Primacy (first impression)
Recency (most recent)
Egocentrism (judgement/ value of own over others)
Perceptual set (predisposition on what we want/ expect)
Positivity (idealistic)
Negativity (pessimistic)
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16. The Real Self/ Perception
USMakeup:
AsianMakeup:
Attraction:
The Real Self/ Perception

17. How We Explain What We Percieve
Attributions are answers to “why” questions: why did something occur?
Attributions have three elements:
Locus: is the cause internal or external?
Stability: is the cause stable?
Controllability: is the cause controllable?
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18. How We Explain What We Perceive
Three attribution errors are common:
Self-serving bias
Fundamental attribution error (situational)
Over-attribution (traits- overweight)
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19. Improving Your Perceptual Abilities
Be mindful of your perceptions
Know yourself and your biases
Focus on other people’s characteristics
Consider the context of the communication
Check your perceptions
Separate interpretations from facts
Generate alternative perceptions
Engage in perception-checking
Revise your perceptions as needed
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