Chapter 3: Perception

Question 1

Perception

Answer 1

the process of interpreting the messages of our senses to provide order and meaning to the environment.

Question 2

Components of Perception

Answer 2

The perceiver, The target and the situation

Question 3

Perceptual defence

Answer 3

= the tendency for the perceptual system to defend the perceiver against unpleasant emotions
- the perceiver’s experience, needs, and emotions can affect their perceptions of a target

Question 4

The Target

Answer 4

• perception involves interpretation and the addition of meaning to the target, and ambiguous targets are especially susceptible to interpretation and addition
• the perceiver does not or cannot always use all the information provided by the target

Question 5

The Situation (situational context)

Answer 5

adds information about the target

Question 6

Fast vs. Slow Thinking…

Answer 6

• Conscious vs. nonconscious (implicit) thought - Type I and Type II thinking

Type II thinking: Happens quickly, outside of our awareness, efficient, Implicit biases (also called unconscious biases, nonconscious biases)

Question 7

Social Identity Theory (Self-Categorization)

Answer 7

a theory that states that people form perceptions of themselves based on their personal characteristics and memberships in social categories.

Question 8

What is our self composed of?

Answer 8

a personal identity (interests, abilities, and traits) and
a social identity (based on our perception that we belong to various social groups, such as our gender, nationality, religion, occupation…)

Question 9

prototypes

Answer 9

a member of a category that embodies the most typical attributes of that category

Question 10

Common Perceptual Biases/Errors…

Answer 10

1. Selective Perception
2. Primacy/Recency Effects
3. Halo/Horn Effect
4. Projection Bias
5. Reliance on central traits
6. Implicit personality theories
7. Stereotyping

Question 11

Implicit personality theories

Answer 11

personal theories that people have about which personality characteristics go together

Example: Expecting hardworking people to also be honest or believing that people with average intelligence tend to be friendly.

Question 12

Stereotyping

Answer 12

the tendency to generalize about people in a certain social category and ignore variations among them (Favorable and Unfavorable)

Question 13

Consequences of Stereotyping

Answer 13

Can result in unfairness for individuals
* fewer opportunities
* unfair allocation of resources (e.g., money)
* can negatively affect how we treat individuals (may lead to self-fulfilling prophecies), etc.

Question 14

Stereotyping can interfere with

Answer 14

• accurate selection/hiring decisions
• accurate assessment of performance
• performance management
• diversity

Question 15

Perceptual Constancy

Answer 15

The tendency to perceive a target the same way over time or across situations

Question 16

Perceptual Consistency

Answer 16

The tendency to select, ignore, and distort cues to create a consistent and homogeneous image of the target, often distorting contradictory cues to fit the existing image.