M.C. Escher, Day and Night
M.C. Escher, Relativity
Salvador Dali, Metamorphosis
Salvador Dali, Melting Clocks
Chapter Three
Perception:
What You See
Is What You Get
The Perception Process
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1.) Selection
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We ignore some things and notice others
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Intensity, Repetitive, Different, Our motives
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2.) Organization
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Perceptual Schema: how we classify stimuli
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Stereotyping: generalizations & predictions
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Punctuation: differing views of the same event
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How we determine and convey cause & effect
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3.) Interpretation
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We make sense of the stimulus based on:
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Degree of involvement with the person
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Our past experiences
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Our assumptions about human behavior
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Our attitudes, expectations & knowledge
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Our own self-concept
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Our degree of relational satisfaction
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4.) Negotiation
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Meaning is created by self and influenced by others in order to
create a shared perspective
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Narratives: stories we use to describe our personal worlds
(each person’s will differ)
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Shared narratives provide the best chance for smooth, productive
communication
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These can be inaccurate, but to those who believe them, they might
as well be true
Perception Process Activity
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Look at the image provided and explain how you performed each of
the four steps of the perception process. Your paper should list the four steps
and describe how your perception of the image was formed.
Influences on Perception
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Physiological Influences
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Sensory information: we all differ on how we see, smell,
taste, feel, & hear a stimulus
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Age, Health, Fatigue, Hunger
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Biological Cycles: morning people, night owls
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Cultural Differences
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We must account for the other person’s background, language &
style
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Social Roles
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Gender Roles
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Occupational Roles
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Try role reversal exercises
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Self-Concept
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High self-esteem people often have better opinion of others than
those with low self-esteem
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We tend to project our feelings onto others
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Practice giving others the “benefit of the doubt”
Common Tendencies
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We judge selves more favorably
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Egocentric: putting the self first/foremost
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Attribution: attaching meaning to actions
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Self-serving bias: we blame others for their problems and
outside forces for our own
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We focus on negative qualities of others
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1 negative quality can cancel 3 - 4 positives
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We are more influenced by a person’s flaws
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We are influenced by the obvious
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Usually ‘select’ & attend to this information
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Not always true but is easier to interpret
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We cling to first impressions
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We label others within 2 to 5 minutes
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Halo Effect: Good 1st impression carries over
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We assume that others are similar to us
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High-self esteem people assume others will accept them, while low
self-esteem assume they will not be accepted
Perception Checking
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Elements
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1.) Description of the action or behavior
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2.) At least 2 possible interpretations
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3.) Request for clarification on meaning
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Things to Consider
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Completeness, may need only 1 or 2 parts
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Nonverbal Congruency, tone matches intent
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Cultural Rules, social values & norms
Empathy & Communication
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Empathy
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The ability to re-create another person’s perspective and point of
view
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Not sympathy, which is still from your own point of view, empathy
removes the self
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Pillow Method
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Can provide a means to build empathy and gain valuable insight
about an issue