Perception Flashcards
What is perception?
The process through which an individual gives meaning to his/her environment.
Why is perception important?
Perception is important to people for survival since they must continuously react to dangers and threats from the environment.
In the work situation, most accidents occur because the worker failed to observe certain dangers and consequently could not react to these.
What are the way in which information is received, processed and interpreted?
Each person experiences their surroundings through different inputs, such as sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and touch.
The senses are specialised organs (the mouth, ear, eyes, skin and nose) that react to a specific type of impulse or stimulus. A stimulus is any form of energy to which a person reacts. People pay attention to certain stimuli
This selective realisation of specific stimuli is called sensation. A sensation is the feeling one has in reaction to the information gained through the senses. Only once this sensation has been interpreted by the brain is it called perception
What is the different ways of focusing attention?
Marginal Attention:
People are unaware of the events around them but their perception will warn them if anything important might affect them.
Selective Attention:
Concentrate or focus on one object and can be voluntary or involuntary.
Internal Motivation:
This causes people to deliberately focus their attention on something and not let any external factors affect them.
What are the factors that influence attention focus
Internal and external focus
They encourage the focus of attention
What is meant by internal focus?
Each individual has a unique way of reacting to his/her environment. Internal factors are the factors that are inherent to the individual him-/herself (personality, emotions, beliefs, genetics, or past experiences). These internal aspects shape how a person perceives and reacts to external situations or stimuli in their environment.
Learning:
Past experience leads to the development of expectations.
Motivation:
People’s motives serve as a drying force not only for behaviour but also for the way in which we perceive a situation.
Interests:
This makes people more susceptible to certain perceptions and less to others; focus of attention is influenced by their interest.
Personality:
Some people are more observant than others and others deliberately choose not to notice things that upset them.
Attitudes and expectations
People are inclined to notice the events and objects that reinforce their prior expectations and not those that contradict their prior expectations.
What is meant by external focus?
Refers to external characteristics of perceived objects or situations ( visible features).
Intensity:
The more intense the external factors, the higher the probability of these factors being perceived.
Size:
The bigger the object, the higher it is perceived.
Contrast:
External stimuli that stand out against the background will draw a person’s attention more than stimuli that do not stand out.
Repetition:
Stimuli that are repeated will be more noticeable than a single stimulus.
Movement
Moving objects are noticed more easily than stationary ones.
Familiarity and Novelty
A familiar object in a new situation or a new object in familiar situations draws attention.
