Perception Flashcards
Reception
comes to us through our senses (begins with biological processes)
Analysis
focusing, organizing, and interpreting
Factors influencing perception within the object/stimuli (4)
RICE
- Repetition (ex: slogans)
- Intensity (ex: a shout, a siren, vibrant colors, behaviors)
- Contrast (very present in advertising)
- Easy/obvious (ex: in line of sight)
Factors influencing perception within ourselves (9)
- Past learning experiences
- Culture
- Language
- Motivation
- Stereotypes
- Roles
- Mood
- Attitude
- Psychologic Tendencies
Past Learning Experiences
- can sensitize you to certain behaviors
- includes phobias
Culture
-where one grows up and what is popular there
-East Asian cultures are more likely to have a dialectical approach to perceptions (point out faults on both sides whereas Americans may pick a side)
-subcultures also impact perception (ex: white vs African American reactions to the initial not guilty verdict of OJ Simpson trial)
Language
-language predisposes us to make certain interpretations of reality
-Sapir-Wharf Hypothesis
-languages have different grammatical structures (ex: the Navajo don’t have active verbs so they may view the world as a place of ongoing dynamic things)
-not having a word for something doesn’t mean you can’t perceive it
-sensory perception is influenced by language
Sapir-Wharf Hypothesis
your language determines your perception of reality
-true but this hypothesis goes too far
-Ex: natives of the far north have multiple words for “snow”, so they will be able to make greater distinctions and perceptions of snow
-Ex: different words for colors
Motivation
-we select for what our goals are
-more likely to see what we are motivated to see
-Ex: more likely to see restaurant signs on a road trip if you are hungry
-religious motivations influence perception
Stereotypes
-influences the inferences that we make
-if a behavior matches our stereotypes, we tend to jump on that
- a way of organizing and classifying the world
-can be problematic: contain errors and half-truths
-can get stereotypes from mass media (particularly true for people who haven’t met an ethnic group)
-not always negative, there can be positive stereotypes
-positive stereotypes can have a negative twist (this is done to maintain a sense of self-respect)
-when we find someone who breaks a stereotype, we make an exception
Roles
-based on our roles we may perceive what is more significant
- Ex: student, parent, kid, occupation
- Ex: At a park, a botanist will perceive plants, a meteorologist will perceive the sky and weather
Mood
-emotional state affects perception
-can perceive the same scene differently
Attitude
-how we feel about something affects perception
-Ex: during a basketball game the referees seem unfair to the other team
-Ex: in a presidential debate, you believe the person you favor is more likely to win
Psychologic Tendencies
-selective exposure
-selective attention
-selective retention
Selective attention
when listening to a message/conversation, you’re more likely to listen to the parts that you agree with and tune out what you disagree with
