Perception
What is perception?
The process by which people notice and make
sense of information from the environment
The process by which individuals organize and interpret their sensory impressions in order to give meaning to their environment The active process of sensing reality and organizing it into meaningful views or understandings.
What is perception?
Perception is how we.
Select
Organize
Interpret
Retrieve
.information from the organization
Why study perception?
Behavior based on perception of reality,
not on reality itself
Individual
HR
Marketing Finance
Factors influencing Perception
Factors in the Perceiver Factors in the situation
Time Work setting Social setting Attitudes, motives, interests Experience, expectation
PERCEPTION
Factors in the target
Novelty, motion, sounds, size, background, role, status
Perceptual Process
Stimuli Observation Selection
(ext/int. factors)
Organization
Interpretation
(Perceptual errors Attributions)
Response
(Covert/Overt)
Figure Ground
Perceptual Grouping
Perceptual Grouping
Perceptual Grouping
Perceptual Context
Social/ Person Perception
Making judgments about others Trying to develop explanations of why people behave in a certain way. Perceptions & judgments influenced by the assumptions we make about that persons internal state.
Biases in Social Perception
1. Selective Perception 2. Halo Effect 3. Stereotyping
4. Contrast Effects
5. Projection 6. Perceptual Defense
Selective Perception
Select only a few stimuli at a given time Selective filtering of information
Tendency to selectively interpret what one sees on the basis of ones interests, background, experience and attitudes
Halo Effect
Drawing a general impression about an individual on the basis of a single characteristic
Stereotyping
Generalizing characteristics on basis of category or class to which person belongs
Common stereotypes relate to age groups, gender, regional & religious groups, economic classes, occupations, education levels....
MDP India HIV/AIDS Alliance
Contrast Effects
Reaction to one person is influenced by other persons we have recently encountered
Projection
Attribute ones own characteristics to other people
Attribution
Assigning to a cause or source The way in which people explain the cause for their own or others behavior Behavior Internally caused Dispositional Externally caused Situational
or
Factors for determining attribution
1. Distinctiveness: Shows different behaviors in different situations 2. Consensus: Response is the same as others to same situation 3. Consistency: Responds in the same way over time
Attribution
Errors & Biases distorting Attributions
Fundamental attribution error
Tendency to underestimate the influence of external factors and overestimate the influence of internal factors while judging others
Errors & Biases distorting Attributions
Self Serving Bias
Attribute own success to internal factors such as ability, effort while blaming failure on external factors
People tend to make attributions in line with "bad things happen to bad people" and "good things happen to good people in order to protect their self esteem & prevent feeling vulnerable.
Perception & Decision Making
Rational Decision making model
Model
for
making
rational
&
logical
decisions
Assumes that there is a single, best
solution that will maximize the desired
outcomes
Assumptions of Rational Decision making model
Problem clarity: The problem is clear & unambiguous. The
decision maker has complete information regarding situation. Known options: The decision maker can identify all the relevant criteria & can list all the viable alternatives. Furthermore, the decision maker is aware of all possible consequences of each alternative. Clear preferences: That the criteria & alternatives can be ranked & weighted to reflect their importance. Constant preferences: The specific decision criteria are constant & weights assigned to them are stable over time. No time or cost constraints: The rational decision maker can obtain full information about criteria & alternatives because there are no time or cost constraints. Maximum payoff: The rational decision maker will choose the alternative that yields the highest perceived value
Steps in Rational Decision making model
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Define the problem Generate all possible solutions Generate objective assessment criteria Choose the best solution Implement the chosen decision Evaluate the success of the chosen alternative 7. Modify the decisions & actions taken based on the evaluation of step 6
Limitations
Requires a great deal of time.
Requires great deal of information
It assumes rational, measurable criteria
are available & agreed upon. It assumes accurate, stable & complete knowledge of all the alternatives, preferences, goals & consequences. It assumes a rational, reasonable, non political world
Decision Making in real life
Problem selection - Visible Problems have
higher probability of being selected than important problems
Alternatives Looking for satisficing
solutions rather than optimum ones
Making choices Rely on heuristics i.e.
judgmental shortcuts
How are decisions actually made?
Intuitive decision making
Bounded Rationality
Bounded Rational Decision Making Model
Herbert Simon Bounded Rationality
Individuals
make decisions by constructing simplified models that extract the essential features from problems without capturing all their complexity The decision maker takes the decision or is assumed to choose a solution though not a perfect solution but good enough solution based on the limited capacity to handle the complexity of the situation, ambiguity & information Realistic Approach for Rational Decision Making Process
Common Errors/Biases in Decision making
Overconfidence Bias
Anchoring Bias
Confirmation Bias Availability Bias
Escalation of Commitment
