1. Chapter 3 Perception: What You See Is What You Get
PowerPoint Presentation to accompany Looking Out, Looking In, Tenth Edition
Chapter 3 Perception: What You See Is What You Get
Presentation prepared by Dr. Michael Pearson, Gretchen Gill, and Tim Scanlon of West Chester University
Copyright © 2002 Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning™ is a trademark used herein under license.
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Copyright © 2002 Thomson Learning, Inc. 1

2. Perception: What You See Is What You Get
CHAPTER 3
Perception: What You See Is What You Get 2

3. Perception: What You See Is What You Get
The Perception Process
Influences on Perception
The Accuracy—and Inaccuracy—of Perception
Perception Checking to Prevent Misunderstandings
Empathy and Communication 3

4. The Perception Process
Selection
Selection - first stage in perception process in which some data are chosen to attend to and others are ignored.
Organization
Organization - stage in the perception process that involves arranging data in a meaningful way. 4

5. The Perception Process
Organization
Perceptual schema - cognitive frameworks that allow us to organize the raw data we have selected
according to:
Appearance
Social roles
Interaction style
Psychological traits
Membership 5

6. The Perception Process
Organization
Stereotyping – exaggerated generalizations
associated with a categorizing system
Punctuation - describes the determination of
causes and effects in a series of interactions 6

7. The Perception Process
Interpretation
Interpretation - process of attaching meaning to
make sense of data
Several Factors of Interpretation:
Degree of involvement
Self-concept
Past Experience
Relational Satisfaction
Assumptions about human behavior
Expectations
Knowledge 7

8. Influences On Perception
Physiological Influences
The Senses
Age
Health
Fatigue
Hunger
Biological Cycles 8

9. Influences On Perception
Cultural Differences
Every culture has its own worldview, its own way
of looking at the world.
Nonverbal behaviors also differ from one part of
the world to another.
Even beliefs about the very value of talk differ from
one culture to another. 9

10. Influences On Perception
Social Roles
Gender Roles
Androgynous - combining masculine and
feminine traits
Occupational Roles
Self-Concept
Shared Narratives
Narrative - perception of the world shared
by a collection of people 10

11. The Accuracy—And Inaccuracy— Of Perception
We Often Judge Ourselves More Charitably Than Others
Self-serving bias – tendency to judge
ourselves in the most generous terms possible
We Tend to Favor Negative Impressions of Others Over Positive Ones
We tend to more influenced by less desirable
characteristics 11

12. The Accuracy—And Inaccuracy— Of Perception
We Are Influenced by What Is Most Obvious
We select stimuli from our environment that are noticeable: intense, repetitious, or otherwise attention grabbing.
We Cling to First Impressions
Labels are a way of making interpretations.
We Tend to Assume Others Are
Similar to Us
Others don’t always think or feel the way we do, and
assuming similarities exist can lead to problems. 12

13. Perception Checking To Prevent Misunderstandings
Perception Checking - a tool for helping you understand others accurately instead of assuming that your first interpretation is correct.
Elements of Perception Checking
A description of the behavior you noticed
At least two possible interpretations of behavior
A request for clarification about how to interpret
the behavior 13

14. Perception Checking To Prevent Misunderstandings
Perception-Checking Considerations
Completeness
Nonverbal Congruency
Cultural Rules 14

15. Empathy And Communication
Empathy Defined
Empathy - ability to re-create another person’s
perspective; experience the world from the other’s
point of view
Three Dimensions of Empathy:
Perspective taking
Emotional dimension
Genuine concern
Sympathy - compassion for another’s situation 15

16. Empathy And Communication
The “Pillow Method”:
A Tool for Building Empathy
Pillow Method - method for understanding an
issue from several perspectives rather than with an
egocentric attitude
Position 1: I’m Right, You’re Wrong
Position 2: You’re Right, I’m Wrong
Position 3: Both Right, Both Wrong
Position 4: The Issue Isn’t As Important As It Seems
Conclusion: There Is Truth In All Perspectives 16