Chapter 4

Interpersonal PerceptionChapter 4

PerceptionYou and I have different perceptionsbut what does that mean exactly?The process of making meaning from things we experience in the environment. Kanye West example.What was he thinking during that time?

Interpersonal PerceptionWe take perception and then apply it to people and relationships.The process of making meaning from the people in our environment and our relationships with them.You notice what your friends, colleagues, relatives, and co-workers do and say, and their words and actions have meaning to you based on the way you interpret them.

ContinuedYour mind usually selects, organizes, and interprets information SO QUICKLY and so subconsciously that you may think your perceptions are objective, factual reflections of the world.But are they?There are THREE basic stages of perception.

Back to Kayne West exampleYou might say you perceived West was being rude to Swift because he was being rude to her.In fact, you created that perception on the basis of the information you selected for attention (he interrupted her speech), the way you organized that information (interruption is an inconsiderate behavior), and the way you interrupted it (hes being rude).Selection, organization, and interpretation are the three basic stages of the perception process.

SelectionWe are surrounded by stimuli It is impossible to feel everything at once.Think all of your senses. Do you really notice them all within a given moment?When we dont pay attention to all the stimuli we engage in SELECTION.Selection: process of attending to stimulus.

Lets think about thisYou notice your classmate smiling at you but no one else in the classroom.You notice your husband did not bring dinner home but you ignore the fact that he washed the car.Clearly the information you attend to influences the perceptions you form.

Lets get deepAre we just the byproducts of what we chose to pay attention to? Can we change our realities by being mindful?By changing our perceptions can we change who we are?

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What do we pay attention to?1. Unusual or unexpected things (Dont the best stories start out with So, this crazy thing happened to me the other day.)2. Repetition (or how frequently we are exposed to a stimulus) makes something stand out.What advertising jingles/slogans are popular right now?3. IntensityYou notice strong odors over weak ones, and bright flashy colors more than dull muted ones.

OrganizationOnce you have noticed a particular stimulus, the next step in the perception process is to classify it.This is called organization: the process of categorizing information that has been selected for attention.Is this similar or different from other things I have been exposed to?Is it similar or different to other things I know about?

Perceptual SchemaTo classify a stimulus, your mind applies a perceptual schema.Perceptual schema: Mental framework for organizing information.There are four types of schema.Sowhat do we notice???

1. Physical ConstructsEmphasize peoples appearance, causing us to notice objective characteristics..Height, weight, age, ethnicity, body shape, etc.As well as subjective characteristicsPhysical attractiveness

2. Role ConstructsEmphasize peoples social or professional position, so we notice a person is a teacher, an accountant, a father, a community leader, and so on.

3. Interaction ConstructsEmphasize peoples behavior, so we notice that a person outgoing, aggressive, shy sarcastic, or considerate, etc.

4. Psychological ConstructsEmphasize peoples thought and feelings, causing us to perceive that a person is angry, self-assured, insecure, envious, or worried.

Think about when you met meWhat sensory information did you notice?What schema did you apply?Physical constructsRole constructsInteraction constructsPsychological constructsPerhaps you paid attention to my ethnicity, biological sex, gender, clothing, age, and physical appearance.You used these items to form a perception about me.

Physical constructsPerhaps you paid attention to my ethnicity, biological sex, gender, clothing, age, and general physical appearance.

Interaction constructsDid you pay attention to how friendly or how demanding I am?You were able to recognize how I communicate.

Role constructWere you paying attention to how effective I am in the classroom? (Will mean different things to different people)Professional?Casual?

Psychological constructDid you look at my confidence level?We generate our perceptions by paying attention to peoples moods or dispositions.

Interpretation After noticing and classifying a stimulus, you have to assign an interpretation to figure out what it means to you.Interpretation: The process of assigning meaning to information that has been selected for attention and organization.

Example of Interpreting You have a coworker who is being very especially friendly toward you for the last week.They smile at you all the time.They bring you gifts.They offer to run errands for you during their lunch break.This behavior is very noticeable (unusual).But what does it mean?

Possible PerceptionsBeing nice because he/she wants to ask for a big favor.They want to look good in front of the boss.Maybe they like you.But do they like you as a friend or a potential partner?We form perceptions all the time we like having answers.

How did you determine a possible scenario?Maybe you thought about your personal experience with this person.Maybe you reflected on the knowledge you have of them.Perhaps you thought about the closeness of your relationship.

Lets break this downYour experience helps you assign meaning to behavior.If co-workers have been nice to you in the past just to get favors from you later, then you might be suspicious of this co-workers behavior.On the other hand, your knowledge of the person helps you interpret their actions.If you know they are friendly/nice to everyone, you might interpret the behavior differently than if they are only being nice to you.

ContinuedFinally, the closeness of your relationship influences how you interpret a persons behavior.When your best friend/spouse does you an unexpected favor, you probably interpret it as a sincere sign of friendship.In contrast, when a co-worker does you a favor, you are more likely to wonder whether he or she has an ulterior motive.

At a GlanceSelection: We select certain sensory information for attention.Organization: We categorize each piece of information to determine how it is similar to, and different from, other pieces of information.Interpretation: We assign meaning to each piece of information.