Chapter 4 Interpersonal Perception

1. Chapter 4Interpersonal Perception “Once you label me, you negate me.” –Soren Kierkegaard

3. Perception • The ongoing process of making meaning from the things we experience in our environment • Interpersonal Perception • When we apply perception process to people and relationships

5. Perception is a Process • Selection—first step of process • The process in which mind and body help you choose certain stimuli to attend to. • Three Characteristics of Selection • 1. Stimulus is unusual or unexpected—which makes it stand out • 2. Repetition—how frequently we’re exposed to a stimulus • 3. Intensity of stimulus affects how much we notice it

6. Perception is a Process • Organization--second step • Helps us make sense of info by using constructs • Constructs: • Physical—appearance, objective & subjective • Role—social or professional position • Interaction—a person’s behavior • Psychological—a person’s thoughts and feelings

7. Perception is a Process • Interpretation—third step • Three phases of interpretation • 1. Your personal experience with the person • 2. Your knowledge of the person • 3. Your relationship with the person

9. Influences on Perceptual Accuracy • Physiological states and traits • Physiology—mechanical and biochemical ways our bodies work • States—conditions that are temporary • Traits—conditions that are ongoing • Culture and co-culture • Cultural values and norms • Co-culture we belong to (more in Ch. 2)

10. Influences on Perceptual Accuracy • Social roles • Set of behaviors that are expected of a person in a particular social situation

11. Fundamental Force in Perception: Stereotyping • Stereotyping • Generalizations about a group or category of people that can have powerful influences on how we perceive those people

12. Stereotyping • Process of Stereotyping • Identify the group • Recall a generalization about the group • Apply the generalization to that person

14. Fundamental Forces in Perception • The Primacy Effect—first impressions • The Recency Effect—recent impressions • Perceptual Set—predisposition to perceive only what we want or expect • Egocentrism—lack the ability to take another person’s perspective

15. Perceptual Forces • Positivity Bias—we pay the most attention to positive information • Negativity Bias--tendency to weigh negative information more heavily than positive

17. How we Explain What We Perceive Attribution Theory Ways we Attribute (answer “Why?”): • Locus—where the cause of behavior is located—could be inside us or outside • Stability—is the cause stable, unstable, permanent, semi-permanent, or easily changed?

18. Explain What We Perceive • Controllability – 8 attributes of Rudeness • Chart on page 126 • Refers to the concept of stability

19. Attribution Errors • Self-serving Bias • We attribute our successes to internal causes but failures to external causes • Fundamental Attribution Error • We attribute other people’s behavior to internal, not external, causes • Overattribution • We single out a few characteristics about a person and attribute her/his behavior to those characteristics

20. Improving Perceptual Abilities • Be Mindful of Your Perceptions • Know yourself and your biases • Focus on the other person’s characteristics • Consider the context

21. Improving Perceptual Abilities Check your Perceptions Separate interpretations from facts Generate alternative perceptions Engage in perception-checking behaviors Revise your perceptions as needed