Perception Flashcards
What is perception?
A process of interpreting messages from our senses to provide meaning to our environment.
Why is understanding of perception important?
People act on how the perceive reality, not based on what reality truly is.
Perception can be biased
What are the 3 components of perception? Describe them and the ways they can influence perception.
Perceiver- Infuenced by:
- Past experiences - Needs/motives - Personalty - Values/attitudes ex: a person whos lonely or desperate might find ugly people attractive
Situation
-physical context
-social context
-Organizational
context
ex. Ugly guy rated hotter when beside expensive car
Target
-Contrast
-Intensity
-Figure-ground
separation
-Size
-Motion
-Repetition or
novelty
Ex. "beuaty is good" -> beautiful people are typically *assumed* to be happier, live fuller lives etc
What does Social Identity Theory Look Into?
The individual’s
knowledge that he belongs to certain social
groups together with some emotional and value significance
to him of this group membership
How does relational comparison play into Social Identity?
Because groups only exist in relation to other
groups, they derive their descriptive and evaluative
properties, and thus their social meaning, in relation to
these other groups
What is Attribution?
Making judgements about others behaviours.
-> Assigning causes or motives to behaviour
“He offered to share the textbook with me… must be trying to get my digits”
What are the 2 categories of explanation when “Attributing”
- Dispositional vs 2.Situational
1- Assuming someone did something bc of their feelings
2-Assuming someone acted a certain way because theyre circumstances forced them too
EG: Throwing oneself overboard
1- Mutinous feelings bc the captains a dick
2- Hypnotized by Sirens
What are the 3 cues of attribution
Consistency
-Is behaviour the same
across TIME?
Distinctiveness
- Is behaviour the
same across different
SITUATIONS?
Consensus
-Is behaviour similar
to other peoples in
comparable
situations?How do the cues of Attribution relate to attributing actions to disposition vs situation?
Consistency:
High-> Dispositional
Distinctiveness:
High-> Situational
Think: "The
behaviour was
distinctly different
for x compared to y"
Consensus:
High-> Situational
Think:”If they act like everyone else, their true self isnt coming out.”
Name 3 types of biases?
2 Broad categories (Cognitive, Social) many options:
- Fundamental attribution bias:”what people do reflects who they are” to put it simply, assignign Dispositional causes to all actions
- Self serving bias: Base choices on what is best for oneself
- Ingroup/outgroup bias: Treat people with whom one feels a group bond with better. “us vs them”
- Backfire effect: Evidence against ones belief only makes them more set in it
- Cheerleader effect: People are generally considered more attractive in a group
- Confirmation Bias: Selectively picking out and paying attention to evidence that reinforces ones own beliefs
- Courtesy Bias: Sharing views you dont necessarily believe in because theyre more socially acceptable
- Outcome Bias: Judging a choice by the outcome instead its value at the time of making it “Spending my life savings on lottery tickets was a great idea bc i won”
What is “Stereotyping”
Judging someone on the basis of ones perception of the group to which that person belongs.
-> A generalization of individuals within a group as having a certain trait or characteristic
Describe the phenomenon of the ‘Stereotyped Threat’
People are observed to perform worse when they belong to a group that is stereotyped as such.
-> Occurs through anxiety
Examples:
Black people//intelligence tests
women//math tests
What is the Stereotype Content Model?
The model represents all interpersonal impressions forming along 2 dimensions, Warmth and Competence
Warmth: Is someone more likely to help or harm? If you identify as part of the same group as someone (any group.. race, age, class, gender, etc) you may perceive them warmly
Competence: Is someone capable of carrying out that help or harm? A person who is successful/ high social status is viewed as very competent.
You admire people who are warm and competent, have contempt for people low warmth and low competence
Why do people use biases, stereotypes?
Limited processing capacity of brain. Heuristics make for fast decision making and perception of the world. These are cognitive shortcuts
