the perceptual context categorizing and stereotyping

The Perceptual ContextThe Perceptual ContextCategorizing and StereotypingCategorizing and Stereotyping

Agenda

• Perception and Culture• Categorizing• Stereotyping• Ethnocentrism

ModelModel of Communicationof Communication

What is Perception?• The “I” behind the senses• Interpretation of events vs. actual events• Perception is the process of

– Selecting– Organizing– selectively interpreting sensory data – enables us to make sense of our world

Perceiving Stimuli: “Eye” and “I”Perceiving Stimuli: “Eye” and “I”

The “Eye” 5 million bits of data/second The “I” (the brain) –500 bits of data/second Selective Perception

focusing on particular stimuli limited /coherent and meaningful picture of our world

Conforms to our Beliefs Expectations Convictions.

What do you see?

The Perceptual ContextThe Perceptual ContextCategorizingCategorizing

• Organization of information– Categories needed– Help process information– You are evaluated in the first 60 seconds

• Reduction of uncertainty• Attribution of behavior – meaning

The Perceptual ContextThe Perceptual ContextCultureCulture

• People from different cultures – think differently – about different things

• Impacted by – Education

• Use of brain different– Educated use different memorization strategies

• Literacy• Oral vs. written

– Age


• Obvious differences– Gender– Age– Race– Ethnicity– Beauty– ?

• Subtle differences– Extrovert vs. Introvert– Liberal vs. Conservative– Socioeconomic– ?

Perceptual ConstancyPerceptual Constancy

Perceptual Constancy The desire to see selectively Perception in concert with experiences Dissimilar life experiences=wider the gap between us and

others Cultural habits/norms

Cultural nearsightedness – the failure to understand meanings to similar behavioral clues can be different

Barriers to PerceptionBarriers to Perception Perceptual Sets: Is your past following you? Selective Exposure: Are you open or closed? Selective Perception and Closure: Are you a distorter? First Impressions: Do you freeze your perceptions of

others? Stereotypes: Do you squeeze others into niches? Inferences: Do you confuse what you infer and what you

observe?

The Perceptual ContextThe Perceptual ContextStereotypingStereotyping

Obvious/Illegal• Racial• Color• Gender• Ethnicity• National origin• Age• Socioeconomic• Religious• Physical or mental

disability• Veteran Status

Subtle/Legal• Beauty• Odor• Size (www.phataphobia.com)

• Socioeconomic

http://www.phataphobia.com/


Without thinking about it for more than a few seconds, write down the first three things that come to mind when you hear:

• Jew• African-American• Native American• White/Caucasian• Catholic• Protestant• Atheist• Super Model

• Rock star• Grandma• Male Athlete• Computer engineer• Hostess• Female waitress• Liberal• Conservative

Stereotypes: Automatic/Reactive response Information processing

Important in diverse societies Overgeneralization can harm

The Perceptual ContextThe Perceptual ContextCategorizing Categorizing

Stereotypes: Automatic/Reactive response Arise out of real conditions Self-fulfilling prophecies Constructed obstacles

Dominant group uses barriers socially and legally

Conformity forced


Stereotypes: Categories with an attitude The basis of judgment One group attributing characteristics, traits,

behaviors to members of another group


The Self-fulfilling ProphecyThe Self-fulfilling Prophecy Self-fulfilling Prophecy – a prediction or

expectation that comes true simply because one acts as if it were true

fixed/practiced beliefs define roles

resistance to challenges/changes to fixed beliefs

Stereotypes: Automatic/Reactive response Asian: “He must be good at computers”

Inference: “I wonder how many Americans are unemployed because of all the immigrants from Asia”


Race/Ethnicity/National OriginRace/Ethnicity/National Origin

Ethnocentrism: All cultures the view that one’s group is the center of

everything. Judgments of others measured/rated by group

The Perceptual ContextThe Perceptual ContextEthnocentrism: MBFGW Ethnocentrism: MBFGW

Indifference Communicated in speech patterns

“Jew them down” “The blind leading the blind” “You’re so dumb” “The pot calling the kettle black”

Avoidance Purposeful use of language/jargon/slang to minimize

contact with other groups Disparagement

Openly expressed contempt “nigger” / “chink”


Values=beliefs=behavior How did Tula’s culture view other cultures? Which character was most ethnocentric?

What behavior makes that visible What was evident:

Indifference Avoidance Disparagement


Values=beliefs=behavior How do genders verbally express:

Indifference Avoidance Disparagement

The Perceptual ContextThe Perceptual ContextEthnocentrism vs. Gender Ethnocentrism vs. Gender

Men and women perceive different realities have different expectations set for them exhibit different communication styles

The Perceptual ContextThe Perceptual ContextCategorizing GendersCategorizing Genders


Perceived differences in male/female behavior develop as a result of The expectations of others The behavior exhibited by role models The traditional educational institutions that promote

stereotypes Cultural expectations Religious expectations


Prevalent conceptions of masculinity and femininity are reinforced by: Television Films Books Toys Websites


• Consequences– Missed interaction

• Diversity• Socioeconomic

– Reduced information– Ignoring of individual differences


Obvious/Illegal• Racial• Color• Gender• Ethnicity• National origin• Age• Socioeconomic• Religious• Physical or mental

disability• Veteran Status

Subtle/Legal• Beauty• Odor• Size (www.phataphobia.com)

• Socioeconomic

http://www.phataphobia.com/


Subtle/Legal• Beauty

– Job interviews– Attention

• Odor• Size (www.phatophobia.com)

Stereotyping Stereotyping

Group discussion:• Where do our stereotypical ideas originate?• How are they perpetuated?

– Why do we perpetuate the behaviors we dislike?

• What stereotypes do you deal with?• What stereotypes do you have of other groups?• Why do we hate to be categorized/stereotyped,

but we in turn do the same to others?

Next session: The Color of Fear

The Color of Fear is an insightful, groundbreaking film about the state of race relations in America as seen through the eyes of eight North American men of Asian, European, Latino and African descent. In a series of intelligent, emotional and dramatic confrontations the men reveal the pain and scars that racism has caused them. What emerges is a deeper sense of understanding and trust. This is the dialogue most of us fear, but hope will happen sometime in our lifetime. (running time: 90 minutes)

The End

The Perceptual ContextThe Perceptual ContextCategorizing and StereotypingCategorizing and Stereotyping

The Color of Fear

The Color of Fear

David: the young Chinese American man

David C.: the Euro-American man who insists there is no racism in his home town

Lee Mun Wah: the facilitator

Loren: the younger African American man

Gordon: the Euro-American man who identifies himself as a "racist who is working against racism"

Hugh: the younger Latino man

Roberto: the older Latino man

Victor: the older African American man

The Color of Fear

• With whom in the film did you identify most strongly?

• What's difficult or scary about talking about race?

• What's a moment in the film that you won't forget?

Racial Harmony

“The opposite of love is not hate. The opposite of love is indifference. I believe we are a more inclusive country now. A growing number of communities and companies are beginning to recognize that survival is about embracing ideas, experiences, and views that come from the entire spectrum of our society.”

Bill Russell, NBA Hall of Fame great

• I have seen so many people make racist jokes about African-Americans, Asians, and other minorities and then say "but I'm not racist...I have Black or Asian friends!" What does that mean?!?!

I think the most difficult part of talking about race as a white person is when the discussion shows clearly that racism needs to be eliminated and I am clearly against it. However, it also makes me realize how little I really do against it during everyday life. It is something that makes me very upset while in the conversation setting, but once I leave that environment I do not get active in stopping it.

There's a broken record playing, and I'm tired of hearing it. I have two choices as a minority

1. assimilate (which makes life so much easier)

2. talk about privilege without bringing up race as the topic (at first).

I like to start with #2 because it begins the conversation, although I seem to drift to #1 quite often. The difficulty comes from a frustration with putting others in my shoes. Also, I think many people are tired to discuss race because it seems as if minorities are using it as an excuse for everything.

My family will be going for a citizenship interview this coming December, and I feel like I only have a few months more to be a "Filipino," since I will soon be identified as an "American." My passport will say "American," and I fear that. I was born in the Philippines and I am, of course, proud of my culture and who I am. I know that just because I am going to be an "american" doesn't mean I will be one. I mean, I live in the United States, but I am still a Filipino and i still feel comfortable identifying myself as a Filipino. Maybe "Filipino-American" would be okay, but never "American" alone. I just feel like I am losing my Filipino-ness if I lose that label. It would just be weird for me to say that I am "American." I never identified myself that in the past, and now I will be an American. It is just strange.

I can be proud of and love many things without letting one thing cancel another. For example, my homeland is a Caribbean Island (not U.S. owned). However, celebrating different aspects of my homeland does not necessarily mean that I do not have any feelings for America. With all of this said, I still think the amount of pride people have in some things can be extreme. I did not choose my skin color, my family, or my homeland. While those aspects of my life can matter to me, they do not solely define me.

• Employment and Discrimination: There are certain opportunities that aren't open to

everyone. I think this became very apparent to me when I watched 2 videos in my college class. One video was about sexism (featured one white male and one white female), the other about racism (featured one black male and one white male). Both of these videos had two people who were very similar go into the same place with the same people, seeking the same thing. It was unbelievable how differently the woman and the black man were treated. It was a real eye-opener. The two men tried to start a new life in St. Louis, looking for a job, car and place. In some cases the black man was told there were no apartment available even though the white man came in after him and was offered a place. This happened repeatedly, even though they had the same credentials. This was also true of the woman who went looking for a job.

Group Discussion The Color of Fear

• With whom in the film did you identify most strongly?

• What's difficult or scary about talking about race?

• What's a moment in the film that you won't forget?

the perceptual context categorizing and stereotyping

Documents

different slide

stereotyping slide

socioeconomic slide

world slide

written age slide

model of communication

perception perceptual

perceptual constancy