2: Perception

2.1: Perception Process

Interpretation: The third part of the perception process in which we assign meaning to our experiences using mental structures known as schemata

Organizing: The second part of the perception process in which we sort and categorize information that we perceive based on innate and learned cognitive patterns; proximity, similarity, and difference are the three ways we sort things

Perception: The process of selecting, organizing, and interpreting information

Punctuation: The structuring of information in to a timeline to determine the cause (stimulus) and effect (response) of our communication interactions

Salience: The degree to which something attracts our attention in a particular context

Schemata: Units of information, like a stored database, that we use to interpret new experiences

Selecting: The first part of the perception process in which we focus our attention on certain incoming sensory information

2.2: Perceiving Others

Agreeableness: A personality trait that refers to a person’s level of trustworthiness and friendliness

Assumed similarity: The tendency to perceive others as similar to us

Attributions: Explanations we create for the meaning of another’s behavior

Conscientiousness: A personality trait that refers to a person’s level of self-organization and motivation

External attributions: Explanations of behavior that occur by connecting the cause of behaviors to situational factors

Extraversion: A personality trait that refers to a person’s interest in interacting with others; high extraversion suggests that a person is very interested in interaction with others

First impressions: The perception we have of another person when we first meet them; includes perceptions of their personality, likeability, attractiveness, etc.

Fundamental attribution error: The tendency to explain others’ behaviors using internal rather than external attributions

Halo effect: A perception that occurs when initial positive perception leads us to view later interactions as positive

Horn effect: A perception that occurs when initial negative perceptions lead us to view later interactions as negative

Implicit Personality Theory: A theory that suggests we generalize a person’s overall personality from the traits we can perceive

Internal attributions: Explanations of behavior that occur by connecting the cause of behaviors to personal aspects such as personality traits

Neuroticism: A personality trait that refers to a person’s level of negative thoughts regarding him/her/themselves

Openness: A personality trait that refers to a person’s willingness to consider new ideas and perspectives

Personality: A person’s general way of thinking, feeling, and behaving based on underlying motivations and impulses

Physical influences on perception: Making impressions based on physical characteristics such as style, dress, body features, material objects, etc.

Primacy effect: Placing more value on the first information we receive about a person; leads to enduring first impressions

Recency effect: Placing more value on the most recent impression we have of a person’s communication over earlier impressions

Self-serving bias: A perceptual error through which we attribute the cause of our successes to internal personal factors while attributing our failures to external factors beyond our control

2.3: Perceiving and Presenting Self

Actual self:  Attributes that you or someone else believes you actually possess

Actual vs. other’s ought:  An overall feeling that we are not meeting what others see as our duties and obligations which leads to feelings of agitation including fear of potential punishment

Actual vs. others’ ideals:  An overall feeling that we are not obtaining significant others’ desires and hopes for us, which leads to feelings of shame and embarrassment

Actual vs. own ideals:  An overall feeling that we are not obtaining our desires and hopes, which leads to feelings of disappointment, dissatisfaction, and frustration

Actual vs. own ought:  An overall feeling that we are not meeting our duties and obligations, which can lead to a feeling that we have fallen short of our own moral standards

Collectivistic culture: A society that values collective achievements more than individual successes

Cultural Influences on perception:  Views of self that are influenced by cultural experience, including ethnicity, race, gender, etc.

Ideal self:  Attributes that you or someone else would like you to possess

Individualistic culture: A society that values competition and individual achievement more than collective accomplishments

Looking glass self:  The view of self which is formed based on how we believe other people see us; a reflective process of perceiving self; forming self-concept through our interactions with others and their reactions to us

Media influences on perception:  Representations of self we see in the media; usually include idealized representation of attractiveness

Ought self:  Attributes that you or someone else believes you should possess

Prosocial self-presentation:  Behaviors that present a person as a role model and make a person more likeable and attractive

Self-concept:  The overall idea of who a person thinks they are.

Self-discrepancy theory:  A theory that states that people have beliefs about and expectations for their actual and potential selves that do not always match up with what they actually experience.

Self-efficacy:  Judgments people make about their ability to perform a task within a specific context

Self-enhancement bias: Tendency to emphasize our desirable qualities relative to other people

Self-esteem:  Judgments and evaluations we make about our self-concept; can be positive or negative

Self-presentation:  The process of strategically concealing or revealing personal information in order to influence others’ perceptions

Self-serving self-presentation:  Behaviors that present a person in a positive light; for example, as highly skilled, willing to challenge others, and someone not to be messed with

Social & family influences on perception:  Forces that socialize us into our respective social and cultural groups and play a role in presenting us with options about who we can be; for example, parents, siblings, peers, etc.

Social Comparison Theory:  Developing a sense of self through comparing ourselves to other people.

2.4: Improving Perception

Perception Checking: A strategy to help us monitor our reactions to and perceptions about people and communication; a skill that helps avoid jumping to conclusions; helps verify the meaning of others’ ambiguous behaviors; includes 3 steps: 1) Description of behavior; 2) Two possible interpretations; and 3) A request for feedback

Prejudice: Negative feelings or attitudes toward people based on their identity or identities

Rigid schema: Sets of information that become so familiar that we use them as scripts, which prompts mindless communication

Self-fulfilling prophecy: Thought and action patterns in which a person’s false belief triggers a behavior that makes the initial false belief actually or seemingly come true

Self-reflection: Being aware of, and able to recount your thoughts and actions

Social forces: Forces that influence our thinking and perception, such as family, friends, sociocultural norms and the media

Stereotypes: Set beliefs that we develop about groups that are applied to individuals from that group