Chapter 3 Perception and Communication

Perception in Interpersonal Communication

Perception is the process by which we become aware of objects, events, and people around us.

It is an active process.

If you were blind, how would you describe an Elephant?

Six descriptions of an Elephant!

It is all in your head.

“Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change.”

― Wayne W. Dyer

Perception

Some would argue that there IS no ultimate reality, only the illusion of our perceptions.

Our perceptions are influenced by:

1)physical elements - what information your eye or ear can actually take in. The sensory process (next slide.)

2)2) environmental elements - what information or noise is outside you to receive -- its context.

3) Internal elements – gut feelings, empathy, introvert/extrovert, physiological or physical ailments,

4) learned elements - culture, personality, habit, what filters we use to select what we take in and how we react to it.

Sensation

The neurological process by which we become aware of our environment. Of the human senses, sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch, including pain, temperature, and pressure. (Gordon, 1971).

•For Humans, sensation is a neurological process. You are not directly aware of what is in the physical world but, rather, of your own internal sensations.

•When you report “seeing” a tree, what you are aware of is actually an electrochemical event.

The world appears quite different to other forms of life with different sensory ranges: •A bat, for example, senses the world through ultrasound. •A snake does so through infrared light. •Dogs - The visual acuity of our canine companions is about 20-40% as good as ours. But the average dog's nose is 10,000 times more sensitive to odors than the human nose. •Cats – Have better night vision, but can see the same colors as humans, but less vibrant.

Connect the Dots with three straight lines

Organizing information

Accessing the Rectangle.

It moves!

How Do Optical Illusions Work?

• This Optical Illusion Test is a great example of how sometimes what we see is different then what is real.

• This is because what we see is processed on different levels, both consciously and subconsciously and is also not always just from what we see through our eyes but also from what our mind projects to our eyes and we subsequently consciously become aware of.

Is the man facing you? Or looking forward?

Floating boat?

The Process of Human Perception

What is Perception? The active process of creating meaning by:

1)Selection

1)Organization

1)Interpretation

Perceiving1) Selection Process

The world deluges us with sensory information every second.

Our mind produces interpretations and models and perceptions – at a mile a minute.

To survive, we have to select what information we attend to and what we remember.

1) Selection Process

Notice what is going on around you. (Is the room warm or cold? Messy or clean? Light or dark? Can you smell anything?)

Are you sleepy, hungry

comfortable?

We narrow our attention to what we define as important in that moment.

Flight or fight (Survival main reason.)

1) Selection Process

We select to attend or ignore certain stimuli

based on a number of factors:The qualities of the phenomena

- We notice things that stand out (larger, brighter, louder) or different.

Self-indication

- We deliberately influence what we notice by indicating things to ourselves that we have seen before (Many say this is unconscious or based on education/interest, etc.)

Our motives and needs affect what we see/not see

- People perceive objects they desire/interested in.

Culture

- “Different behavior” standout (Attitudes, mannerisms, clothing, tattoos, body piercings, beliefs, habits.)

Culture and Perception

Assertiveness and competiveness are encouraged and considered good in the western culture.

•To be competitive and question people is normal.

•In Asian cultures to compete and call people out is noticed and judged negatively.

Invisible Gorilla Test

Study by Simons and Chabris (1999)•Participants viewed videotape of a basketball game. •They were told to count the number of passes one team made.•In the video, a woman dressed as a gorilla walks into the game, faces the camera, beats her chest and then leaves. •Only 40% of viewers saw the Gorilla.

What the invisible gorilla study shows is that…

•if we are paying very close attention to one thing, we often fail to notice other things in our field of vision—even very obvious things.

•It’s entertaining to know that our senses can play tricks on us.

•But what if this perceptual quirk has serious implications—even life-threatening implications?

Selection process – How many legs does the Elephant have?

3D Perception

It is impossible to tell.

you look at this flat 2D picture, your brain automatically tries to build a 3D shape in your mind - and it can’t.

Impossible shapes show how our brains automatically try to make us see in 3D. After all, the image on your retina is flat, yet everything you see has depth.

Perception in Communication

‘The Stroop effect’ and was discovered in 1935 by John Ridley Stroop.

• When the name and the ink color are different, most people slow down.

• When you try to say the ink color, you cannot avoid reading the word.

• If the two bits of information conflict, your brain struggles to work out what the correct answer is, and it takes longer.

The test has even been used on Everest expeditions to see how altitudes are affecting different people.

What color is red?

Those with normal vision may physically see "red" similarly, but will interpret it culturally:

•red means "stop" or "anger" or "excitement" or "in debt" (US)

•red meaning "good fortune" or “healthy” (China)

•red meaning your school's colors

What if are Color blind?

2) Step - Organization

Constructivism – Once we have selected what to notice, we need to make sense of it. We apply a cognitive structure called schemata/Schema. All interact with one another.

2nd Step - Organization

As we sense, we organize and interpret experience by applying the four cognitive schemata.

• Which prototype (what good friend, person in trouble, student, teacher do they closely resemble.)

• Then we apply the personal constructs to define more detail (are they

upset or calm, open to advice or closed to it.)

• Based on the construct of others, we apply stereotypes (how has this person reacted in the past? How this situation similar to others?) that predict what they will do.

• We then apply the script (how the interaction should proceed, including how we should act.)

What is your prototype of a Professor?

Apply the Schemata – Professor

1) Prototype - Exemplified by person or relationships that is “ideal.” Q: Describe your ideal professor.

2) Applying Personal construct (Additional detailed assessments

of particular qualities) Q: What words or characteristic's would you use to describe them?

3) Stereotype (Personal construct applied will predict what

a person or it will do.) Q: How do they act, dress, talk?

4) Script (Most daily activities' are governed by

our script) Q: How do you act around them?

What happens if your professor does not fit your Schemata?

3rd Step - Interpretation

It is not clear yet!

•Step 1 (We select the

perceived event or phenomena)

•Step 2 (We use the cognitive

•schemata – Prototype, personal construct measurement, stereotype, and, script)

•Step 3 (We then assign meaning to what we have noticed and organized.) Remember: There is no ‘real’ meaning to what we see.

Is this a person with glasses or a word?

Step 1 (We select the perceived event or phenomena) Step 2 (Prototype, personal construct measurement, stereotype, and, script)Step 3 (We then assign meaning to what we have noticed and organized.)

3) Interpretation

Interpretation is an explanation of why something happened or why someone acts a certain way.

Four Attributions Locus Stability Specificity Responsibility

3) Interpretation

1st dimension – Locus attribution

•A person’s actions to internal factors- “ She has no patience with people who are late .”

•A person’s action to external factors- “The traffic jam frustrated him.”

3) Interpretation

2nd dimension – Stability attribution(concerns Time)

•This explains actions as result of stable factors that won’t change over time. - “He is not always aware, since he has lost his hearing.”

•Or, explains unstable factors that may or will different at another time. - “She acted that way, because she had just been fired.”

3rd dimension – Specificity attribution– Are there global implications?

Stable (Time) and specific:“She yelled at Fred (specific) because she is short-tempered (stable).”

Stable (Time) and global:“She yells at everyone (global) because she is short-tempered (stable.)

Unstable (Time) and specific:“She yelled at Fred (specific) because she was in a hurry (unstable.)

Unstable (Time) and global“She yells at everyone (global) when she is in a hurry (unstable.)

3) Interpretation

4th dimension – ResponsibilityHow we account for other’s actions affects our feelings about them and our relationship.

We hold people accountable for their behavior if:-If they have control (less understanding.)-If the don’t have control (more understanding)-If they are talking medicine or have a medical or health issue (external.) -If they have a (unstable) situation.

Attributions

• Attribution is the process of identifying a set of user actions (“events”) that contribute in some manner to a desired outcome, and then assigning a value to each of these events.

• Our attributions influence the meanings we attach to to others and their communication.

Book example: Why does my supervisor shout orders in a rude manner?• Does she have an authoritarian personality?• Is she insecure because she is in a new role as a supervisor? • Is she reacting to medicine?

(Each of the three attributions will lead us to attach a distinct meaning to the shouting.)

Attributions errors

1) Self-serving bias – we tend to construct attributions that serve our self interest.

- We are inclined to make internal, stable, and global attributions for our positive actions and our successes.

- We are likely to claim good results come about because of personal control we exerted.

Example from the class book

Chico:

“When I do badly on a test or paper, I usually say either the professor was unfair or I had too much to do that we and couldn’t study like I wanted to. But when my friends do badly on a test, I tend to think they’re not good in that subject or they aren’t disciplined or whatever.”

Attributions errors

2) Don’t blame me!

The self-serving bias works in another way.

•We tend to avoid taking responsibility for negative actions and failures.

•By attributing them to external, unstable, and specific factors that are beyond our control.

Attributions errors

3) Fundamental attribution error (dimension of the locus (internal/external factors.)

-We tend to overestimate the internal causes.

-And underestimate the external causes.

-We also will underestimate the internal causes of our own misdeeds and failures and overestimate the external causes/

Guidelines for Improving Perception And Communication

• Recognize that all perceptions are partial and subjective

• Avoid mind reading

• Check perceptions with others

• Distinguish between facts and inferences

• Guard against the self-serving bias

• Guard against the fundamental attribution error

• Monitor labels

Guidelines for Improving Perception And Communication

Strive for accuracy and clarity Be aware of levels of abstraction

The Ladder of Abstraction – Monitor Labels

How do we describe Sade the Cat?

Mid-Term

• Please read chapters 1 to 4.

• Slides are posted for Chapters 1 and 2.

• Chapters 3 and 4 are posted at:

• Chapter 4/Mid-Term review April 8 (Study guide and essay questions will be passed out.)

• Mid-Term April 13 (Open book, notes. No computers, phones, etc. Need Scantron for 50 questions.)