Perceptual selectivity and organization Jay Raj Bhattarai -DMCPerceptual selectivity A process by which individuals filter out or select certain objects in the environment to pay attention to more important ones. It makes a person focus on certain stimuli and ignore others. People tend to notice stimuli that stand out against other stimuli or that are more intense than surrounding stimuli. Perceptual selectivity is determined by- External factors and Internal factors.ernal factors affecting perceptual selectivity (selective attention) Intensity- bright light, loud noise, high pitched sound. © Size- The larger the size, the more likely it is to be perceived. Full-page advertisements draws more attention than a few lines in a classified section. © Contrast- stimuli that stands out against the background are more likely to be perceived. E.g, Safety jackets with shiny stripes, safety signs in black letters against white background. © Novelty and familiarity: new objects in familiar setting or familiar objects in new settings.Continued........ ° Repetition: Repeated stimulus is more likely to be noticed. Examples: -advertisements are frequently broadcasted to draw attention. - Supervisors give instructions over and over again for even simple tasks. © Motion: moving objects draw more attention than stationary ones.ernal factors affecting perceptual selectivity e Learning- It influences perception. It creates expectancy in people. It leads to accuracy of perception. This is one of the reasons that organizations give more priority to experienced candidates during employee selection. ° Needs, desires and interest: People may have different perceptions of the same thing because of their need and desire. ° Personality: Individuals of different personality types perceive things and situations differently. Optimistic people perceive organizational goals as achievable.ee Perceptual organization © A process by which people group stimuli into recognizable patterns. © Grouping stimuli together (organization) so that one can determine the visual as a whole (perception) Perceptual organization takes place after selection. e Example: Most people have a mental picture of an object made of wood and having four legs, a seat, a back, and armrests: an image of a....... ? e When people actually see an object having these characteristics, they are able to organize the incoming information into a meaningful whole.The important factors in perceptual organization are- 1. Bye Ambiguous figures Figure background Grouping Constancy.— a= F 1. Ambiguous figures ¢ Confusing and disorganized stimuli in the external environment.2. Figure background - Most basic form of perceptual organization. - According to this principle, perceived objects stand out as separable from their general background.3. Perceptual grouping It includes- similarity, proximity, closure, continuity and area. a. Similarity: Objects of similar shape, size or color tend to be grouped together. For example, inside a plant, a company might require workers to wear blue safety helmets and supervisors to wear white helmets. Although the principle of similarity is useful in helping people make sense of their worlds, a negative aspect of this principle is found in the perceptual stereotyping.a b. Proximity: ~ Tendency to perceive stimuli which are near to each other as more related. - Employees often perceive other employees working together in a department as a team because of their physical proximity. - Suppose that four people on the third floor of a large office building quit their jobs. Even if they did so fora completely unrelated reasons, the HR department may perceive the resignation as a problem on the third floor and examine working condition, pay and try to determine what’s wrong on that floor.Elements that are placed closer together are perceived as being more related than those spaced further apart.ity — - tendency to perceive objects as continuing patterns. - Itis a useful organizing principle but it may also have negative aspects. For example, the tendency to perceive continuous patterns may result in an inability to perceive uniqueness and detect changes. - Also, a worker in an inspection department may not notice a slight defect in a product because of continuity error.d. Closure - a person has a tendency to perceive a whole object even though only part of the object is evident.— - The person’s perceptual process will close the gaps which are unfilled from sensory inputs. - Inan organization, it is useful in decision making. For example, - Amanager facing a complex decision may be able to develop a fairly accurate understanding of the issues even though some details may be lacking. Based on experience and imagination, the manager can fill in the missing pieces needed to make a decision.4. Constancy - Our ability to perceive certain characteristics of an object as remaining constant despite variations in the stimuli that provide us with conflicting information. - There are several aspects of constancy such as shape constancy, size constancy and color constancy. - Constancy gives a person a sense of stability ina changing world. Without constancy, the world would be chaotic and disorganized for the individual. For example, a worker who must select a piece of tool of the correct size from a wide variety of tools at varying distances from a work station. Without perceptual constancy, the sizes and color of objects would change as the worker moved about.