Interpersonal Interpersonal PerceptionPerception

Module Four

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Interpersonal PerceptionPerception: (insight)• An active process by which you

become aware of what is around you

Interpersonal perception: • A continuous series of processes

that blend into one another

Look at the following picture and write down the first thing you see.

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Now check out the next one and

write down the first thing you see.

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The Stages of PerceptionThe Stages of Perception

Stimulation

Organization

Interpretation–Evaluation

Memory

Recall

Stage 1: StimulationStage 1: Stimulation

Sensory stimulation occursSelective Attention

◦ You attend to those things that you anticipate will fulfill your needs or will prove enjoyable

Selective Exposure◦ You expose yourself to people or

messages that will confirm your existing beliefs, contribute to your objectives, or prove satisfying

Stage 2: OrganizationStage 2: OrganizationSensory stimulation is organized in the

following three ways:◦By rules

Proximity Similarity contrast

◦By mental structures General ideas you have about people,

yourself, social roles◦By scripts

General idea of how an event should unfold

Stage 3: Interpretation-Stage 3: Interpretation-EvaluationEvaluation

Sensory stimulation is interpreted/evaluated

Dependent on your personal frame of reference (Harlowe et al., 2005)

-your experiences, needs, wants, values, beliefs about the way things are, expectations, physical and emotional state

Stage 4: MemoryStage 4: MemoryYour perceptions and their

interpretations – evaluations are stored so you can retrieve them later

Stage 5: RecallStage 5: Recall

Sensory stimulation is held in memory and recalled.

A reconstruction of what you’ve

heard or seen into a whole that is meaningful to you (dependent on your schemata and script).

Perception ModelPerception Model

Everyone uses shortcutsShortcuts may mislead youMemory is influenced by

preconceptionsMemory is especially unreliable when

information is ambiguousJudgments about others are often

ethnocentricStereotypes may distort perception

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The Processes of The Processes of PerceptionPerception

Implicit Personality TheoriesSelf-Fulfilling PropheciesPrimacy–RecencyConsistencyStereotypesAttributions

Implicit Personality TheoryImplicit Personality TheoryHalo Effect

-If you believe that a person has some positive qualities, you’re likely to infer that she/he also has other positive qualities.

Reverse Halo Effect-If you know that a person has some negative qualities, you’re likely to infer that the person has other negative qualities.

Self-Fulfilling ProphecySelf-Fulfilling Prophecy

You make a prediction about a person.

You act as if the prediction is true.

Your behaviour causes the prediction to come true.

What you see then strengthens your belief.

Primacy–RecencyPrimacy–RecencyThere’s a tendency to use early

information to get a general idea about a person and to use later information to make this impression more specific.

The first impression you make on others is likely to be the most important.

ConsistencyConsistencyThe tendency to maintain balance

among perceptions or attitudes.The expectation that certain things

go together and certain things do notFor example: You would expect

someone you like to possess characteristics you like. And you would expect your enemies to not have the characteristics that you like.

Read the next slide fast

A Sensory Test of ExpectationA Sensory Test of Expectation

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A Sensory Test of Expectation A Sensory Test of Expectation (cont)(cont)

Parisin thethe springtime

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StereotypesStereotypes

are a fixed impression of a group of people

may be influenced by nationality, religion, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic that defines a group

distort accurate perceptionsprevent seeing someone as an

individual

Stereotype the following groups:◦Women drivers◦Jocks ◦Blacks◦Gays and lesbians◦Jews◦Francophones

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Stereotype your best friend

Stereotype a relative

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AttributionAttributionThe process by which we try to

explain the motivation for a person’s behaviour.

Self-serving biasOverattributionThe fundamental attribution error

Increasing Accuracy in Increasing Accuracy in PerceptionPerception

Analyze your perceptions.Check your perceptions.Reduce uncertainty.Be culturally sensitive.