What are the three components that shape a perception?
- The Perceiver (you)
- The Context (situation)
- The Target (what you’re judging, person/thing)
What is Selective Perception?
We notice what fits our expectations and ignore the rest
What is the Primacy Effect?
Giving extra weight to the first thing you see or hear, so it sticks more than later info.
What is the Recency Effect?
Giving extra weight to the most recent stuff, so the last thing you see or hear can dominate your judgment or memory
EXAMPLE : Employees recent performance outweighs any previous performance
What is the Halo/Horn Effect?
One strong impression on a single trait spills over and skews how you rate everything else
What is Projection Bias?
Belief that others are thinking and feeling the same as you are
EXAMPLE : You prefer blunt feedback from your boss and assume your co-workers do as well
What is Type 1 vs Type 2 Thinking?
Type 1 = Fast Thinking ; everyday tasks, does not require much thought
Type 2 = Slow thinking ; Effortful & Logical tasks
EX : When you get pulled over or when the stakes are high in general
2 Consequences of Stereotyping :
1: Can result in unfairness for individuals
2: Can result in decreased organizational performance
What is the Social Identity Theory?
We don’t see ourselves as unique individuals, but rather members of groups.
We see ourselves and others through group memberships (e.g., student, manager, engineer, brother)
What is the Attribution Theory?
We have a fundamental need to understand why things happen
What is Dispositional vs Situational Attributions in regards to the Attribution Theory?
Dispositional (internal) : About the persons traits, abilities, effort, mod or intentions
Situational (external) : About the context/factors to consider
What are the three attribution cues?
-Distinctiveness: Does the individual act the same as others in said situation?
No → High distinctiveness
Yes → Low distinctiveness
-Consensus : Does the individual act the same as others in the SAME situation?
NO→ low consensus
YES → High consensus
-Consistency: Does the individual act the same way over time?
Example Scenario of 3 cues to better understand why someone did something:
EXAMPLE : Jim was late to a meeting
Distinctiveness : Does Jim act like this in other situations
YES→ Low distinctiveness (Dispositional)
NO → High distinctiveness (situational)
Consensus : Are others late to this same meeting?
YES→High Consensus (Situational)
NO → Low Consensus (Dispositional)
Consistency : Is Jim consistently late?
YES→High Consistency (Dispositional
NO → Low Consistency (Situational)
What are the two types of attributional biases/errors?
- Fundamental Attribution Error (About others): The tendency to blame the person too much and ignore the situation (external factors)
- Self-Serving Bias: The tendency to attribute your success to internal actions and blame external factors for failures
Methods to Avoid Perception & Attribution Bias/Errors :
- Knowledge/Awareness
- Use rational thought
- Check assumptions
- Consider situational influences
- Use objective and valid measures
What is Confirmation Bias?
Once we have a belief we look for evidence that proves we’re right and ignore evidence supporting we’re wrong
What is Unconscious (implicit) bias?
Associations your brain uses when it’s on “autopilot,” which can nudge your judgments and actions without you realizing it.
Type 1 thinking
What does DEI stand for, and why is it important?
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion → ensures fairness, respect, and belonging for all employees, improving satisfaction and performance.
What is the self-serving bias?
Attributing successes to oneself (dispositional) and failures to external factors (situational).
What is stereotyping?
Generalizing about a group while ignoring individual differences.
