Perception

Perception• Perception is the process of becoming aware of

situations, of adding meaningful associations to sensations.

• Perception is the process of receiving information and making sense of world around us.

Perception

Perception can be defined as the process of receiving, selecting, organizing, interpreting, checking and reacting to sensory stimuli or data.

perception Perception involves deciding which information

to notice, how to categorize the information, and how to interpret it with in the framework of our existing knowledge.

Perceptual process

RECEIVING SELECTING ORGANIZING

INTERPRETINGCHECKINGREACTING

PERCEIVER

SITUATION

Receiving stimuli Stimuli is received through sensory organs.

External stimuliEg: light and sound, mechanical pressure, the taste of food and the smell of chemicals.

Internal stimuli Eg: hunger, thirst, pain etc.

Selecting stimuli The process of filtering the information received by

the senses .

External Factors influencing selection Nature Location Colour/intensity Size Movement Repetition Novelty and familiarity Contrast

Contrast principle of perception External stimuli stands out against the

background, which are not what people are expecting, will receive their attention.

Contrast principle of perception Which black circle is bigger?

Contrast principle of perception Eg: white lettering on red background are attention

drawing.

Selecting stimuli Internal factors influencing selection

1. Learning2. Psychological needs3. Age difference4. Interests5. Ambivalence

Learning and perception Learning by itself plays a major role in

developing the perceptual set. It creates expectancy in people.

Eg:M-a-c-h-i-n-a-r-y

HILLYTERRRAIN

AHEAD

BirdIn The

The bush

Psychological needs Unreal things often look real because of

deprived needs.

Eg: a thirsty person in a desert for instance gets the illusion of water when seeing sand from distance

Age difference Different perceptions of the old and the young

are due to their age differences

Older one complain about inability of the new, young ones to take tough decisions in turn young managers complain about the old ones to resist changes

Ambivalence Mixed feelings about a situation.

Eg: a young man may be ambivalent about his fiancée's virtues and shortcomings. she may be having poor self concept. He repress the awareness of negative qualities and selectively perceive only those that are favorable.

Perceptual organisation Ambiguous figures figure background Perceptual grouping

similarity proximity closure continuity Perceptual constancy

Ambiguous figures Perceptual organization becomes a difficult

task when there are confusing and disorganized stimuli in the external environment.

Ambiguous figures

Ambiguous figures

Ambiguous figures

Figure background Relationship of a target to its background

influences perception.

Perceived objects stand out as separable from their general background.

Eg: in a noisy and crowded restaurant one is able to hold a meaningful conversation with a colleague

Figure ground experiment

Perceptual grouping principle of similarity

Objects of similar shape , size, or Colour tends to be grouped together.

Eg: employees who wear tie are regarded as a common group, a company requires visitors to wear white hats while the workers should wear yellow hats.

Perceptual grouping Principle of proximity

Tendency to perceive stimuli which are near one another as belonging together.

Eg: several employees working for an organization may be identified as a single group because of physical proximity.

Perceptual grouping Principle of closure

A person has the tendency to perceive a whole when none exist

Persons perceptual process will close the gaps which are unfilled from sensory organs

Eg: a manager makes a complex decision even though some details are lacking on the basis of experience and imagination.

Principle of closure Eg:

Principle of ContinuityPrinciple of Continuity

Continuity principle states that a person tends to perceive the extension of a stimulus.

It may lead to inflexibility and non-creative thinking in organizational members.

Perceptual Constancy

Our ability to perceive certain characteristics of an object as remaining constant.

The perception of elements like size, shape, color, brightness and location of an object remains constant and does not change from one individual to another.

Eg: photograph of a person, The image of an apple

Process of interpreting Assign meaning to information Factors affecting interpreting stimuli

Perceptual set Attribution Stereotyping Halo effect projection

Perceptual set Previously held beliefs about object It influence an individual’s perception of

similar objects

Eg: a managers attitude towards workers

Stereotyping When a perceiver judges some person based on his

perception about the group to which the person belongs, it is known as stereotyping.

Stereotyping may attribute favorable or unfavorable traits to the person being perceived.

In organizations, stereotypes are based on gender, race, ethnicity.

Eg: Japanese people are very hardworking

Halo effect Drawing general impression about an individual

on the basis of a single characteristic (mainly positive characteristics).

Eg: performance evaluation, a professor giving more marks to a well liked student.

Projection Attributing ones own characteristics to other

people

Eg: if u want challenge and responsibility then you assume that others also want the same.

Process of checking• After the data has been received and

interpreted the perceiver needs to check whether his interpretations are right or wrong.

Process of reacting

Last phase of perceptional process It can be either positive/favorable or

negative/unfavorable

Factors influencing perception

Perceivers characteristics

Situational factors

Individuals perception

Characteristics ofThe

Perceived (Target)

Factors that influence perception

perceptionFactors in situation

TimeWork settingsSocial settings

factors in perceiverAttitudesMotivesInterests

Experienceexpectations

Factors in targetNatureMotionSoundSize

Background

Attribution theory When individuals observe behavior , they

attempt to determine whether it is internally or externally caused.

Internal factors-personality traits of the individual, his motivation or his ability.

External factors-equipment that he may be handling, or the social influence he may be subject to.

It helps determine the manner in which supervisors behave towards their subordinates.

Attribution theory Behaviour of others can be based on

3 factors1. Distinctiveness2. Consistency3. Consensus.

Rules of attribution

DistinctivenessDoes this person

Behave differently in differentsituation

NoLow

ConsensusYes High

consensus

YesHigh

ConsistencyNoLow

consistency

YesLow

DistinctivenessNo

Highdistinctiveness

ConsensusDo other persons

Behave in the Same manner

ConsistencyDoes this person

Behave in the same manner at other times

Internalattribution

Externalattribution

Attribution theory Fundamental attribution error

The tendency to underestimate the influence of external factors and overestimate the influence of internal factors when making judgments about the Behaviour of others.

Example- Fundamental attribution error Eg: a manager is prone to attribute the poor

performance of the sales people because of their laziness rather than to innovative product line introduced by the competitors.

Attribution theory Self serving basis

The tendency of the individuals to attribute their own successes to internal factors while putting blame for failures on external factors

Example-Self serving basis Eg: feed back provided to the employee in the

performance review will be predictably distorted by the recipients depending on whether it is positive or negative.

Attribution theory Selective perception

People selectively interpret what they want to see on the basis of their interest , background, experience, and attitudes.

Examples -Selective perception A plastic surgeon is more likely to notice an

imperfect nose than a plumber.

Perception & OB Job interview Performance Appraisal