Perception: Study Guide
PERCEPTION:
Perception
• How people make sense of the world by organizing and interpreting sensory input.
Factors Influencing Perception
• Internal
• External
• Situational
Attribution Theory
• We judge people differently based on the meaning the ATTRIBUTE to their behavior, mainly, if it was internally of externally caused.
• Ways to determine internal vs external: o Distinctness – do they act differently in different situations?
• Yes – external. No - internal o Consensus – do other people behave the same way in this situation?
• Yes – external. No - internal o Consistency – does this person respond the same way over time?
• Yes – internal. No – external o Key: our perceptions of people are based on our judgments about their motive and intention.
Biases that distort whether we attribute behavior externally or internally:
• Fundamental Attribution Error – underestimate external causes and overestimate internal causes of behavior.
• Self-Serving Bias – attribute successes internally and failures externally.
Shortcuts we use in judging and perceiving others:
• Selective Perception – tendency to selectively perceive what we see based on our own interests and experiences.
• Halo Effect – tendency to a general impression of someone based on a single characteristic.
• Contrast Effect – your evaluation of a person is altered because of the person who directly preceded them.
• Stereotyping – judging someone based on your perception of the group they belong to.
Self Fulfilling Prophecy
• when you inaccurately characterize someone, your expectations of them may cause them to behave consistently with your perception.
DECISION MAKING:
Decision Making Biases:
• Overconfidence Bias – being too confident that your answers are correct.
• Anchoring Bias – tendency to anchor on initial information and failing to adjust to subsequent information.
• Confirmation Bias – tendency to seek information that confirms your decision
Perception
• How people make sense of the world by organizing and interpreting sensory input.
Factors Influencing Perception
• Internal
• External
• Situational
Attribution Theory
• We judge people differently based on the meaning the ATTRIBUTE to their behavior, mainly, if it was internally of externally caused.
• Ways to determine internal vs external: o Distinctness – do they act differently in different situations?
• Yes – external. No - internal o Consensus – do other people behave the same way in this situation?
• Yes – external. No - internal o Consistency – does this person respond the same way over time?
• Yes – internal. No – external o Key: our perceptions of people are based on our judgments about their motive and intention.
Biases that distort whether we attribute behavior externally or internally:
• Fundamental Attribution Error – underestimate external causes and overestimate internal causes of behavior.
• Self-Serving Bias – attribute successes internally and failures externally.
Shortcuts we use in judging and perceiving others:
• Selective Perception – tendency to selectively perceive what we see based on our own interests and experiences.
• Halo Effect – tendency to a general impression of someone based on a single characteristic.
• Contrast Effect – your evaluation of a person is altered because of the person who directly preceded them.
• Stereotyping – judging someone based on your perception of the group they belong to.
Self Fulfilling Prophecy
• when you inaccurately characterize someone, your expectations of them may cause them to behave consistently with your perception.
DECISION MAKING:
Decision Making Biases:
• Overconfidence Bias – being too confident that your answers are correct.
• Anchoring Bias – tendency to anchor on initial information and failing to adjust to subsequent information.
• Confirmation Bias – tendency to seek information that confirms your decision