Perception

OB (HCM)
Perception

Perception refers to the way sensory

information is selected, organized, interpreted,
and consciously experienced.
Perception
Perception
Perception
 Perception
• Bottom-up processing refers to the fact that perceptions are built from
sensory input.

• Top-down processing interpret those sensations is influenced by our

available knowledge, our experiences, and our thoughts.

Sensation is a physical process, whereas perception is

psychological.
 Factors Affecting Perception
• Sensory adaptation we often don’t perceive stimuli that remain relatively constant over prolonged
periods of time.
• Attention (Selective attention & in attentional blindness)
https://youtu.be/vJG698U2Mvo
• Motivation
• Our perceptions can also be affected by our beliefs, values, prejudices, expectations, and life
experiences.

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wmopen-psychology/chapter/outcome-sensation-and-
perception/
Factors Affecting Perception
Culture

Müller-Lyer illusion
Western cultures were more prone to
experience certain types of visual illusions
than individuals from non-Western
cultures
 TRY IT

• Decreased sensitivity to an unchanging stimulus is known as ________.

• ________ occurs when sensory information is organized, interpreted, and consciously

experienced.

• Failure to notice something that is completely visible because of a lack of attention is

called ________.
• If you live in a city with lots of buildings, walls, and straight lines, you will probably
perceive the lines in the Müller-Lyer illusion as being
 Perceptual Process
The perceptual process is the sequence of psychological steps that a
person uses to organize and interpret information from the outside
world. The steps are:
• Objects are present in the world.
• A person observes.
• The person uses perception to select objects.
• The person organizes the perception of objects.
• The person interprets the perceptions.
• The person responds.
 Perceptual Selection
Internal factors

• Perceptual selection is driven by internal and external factors.

• Personality - Personality traits influence how a person selects perceptions. For instance, conscientious
people tend to select details and external stimuli to a greater degree.
• Motivation - People will select perceptions according to what they need in the moment. They will favor
selections that they think will help them with their current needs, and be more likely to ignore what is
irrelevant to their needs.
• Experience – The patterns of occurrences or associations one has learned in the past affect current
perceptions. The person will select perceptions in a way that fits with what they found in the past.
 Perceptual Selection
External factors
• Size – A larger size makes it more likely an object will be selected.
• Intensity – Greater intensity, in brightness, for example, also increases perceptual selection.
• Contrast – When a perception stands clearly out against a background, there is a greater
likelihood of selection.
• Motion – A moving perception is more likely to be selected.
• Repetition – Repetition increases perceptual selection.
• Novelty and familiarity – Both of these increase selection. When a perception is new, it
stands out in a person’s experience. When it is familiar, it is likely to be selected because of
this familiarity.
 Perceptual Organization

• Figure-ground – Once perceived, objects stand out against their background.

This can mean, for instance, that perceptions of something as new can stand out
against the background of everything of the same type that is old.
 Perceptual Organization
• Perceptual grouping – Grouping is when perceptions are brought together
into a pattern.
 Perceptual Organization
• Perceptual Context – People will tend to organize perceptions in relation
to other pertinent perceptions, and create a context out of those
connections.
 Perceptual Organization
• Closure – This is the tendency to try to create wholes out of perceived
parts. Sometimes this can result in error, though, when the perceiver fills
in unperceived information to complete the whole.
 Perceptual Organization
• Proximity – Perceptions that are physically close to each other are easier
to organize into a pattern or whole.
 Perceptual Organization

Perceptual Constancy – This means that if an object is perceived always to be or act a certain way,
the person will tend to infer that it actually is always that way.
 Perceptual Organization
Similarity – Similarity between perceptions promotes a tendency to group
them together.
Perceptual Organization
 Perceptual Distortions
1. Stereotyping
2. Halo Effect
3. Selective Perception
4. Projection
5. Contrast effects
6. Self fulfilling prophecies

• https://youtu.be/opaZlJPEa20
 Perceptual Distortions
• Stereotype – assigns attributes commonly associated with a group to an
individual
• Racial or ethnic stereotype
• Gender stereotype
• Ability stereotype
• Age stereotype
 Perceptual Distortions

• Halo Effect – uses one attribute to develop an overall impression of a person or

situation
• Eg: Good attendance records may be viewed as intelligent and responsible whereas
poor attendance considered poor performers
• Observed by EL Thorndike when military officers tended to rate their soldiers’ qualities as
either good or bad across the board.
 Perceptual Distortions
• Selective Perception
• Viewing a problem consistent with one’s needs, values, attitudes
• It’s impact occurs strongest in the “attention” stage of perception process
• Eg: Marketing team will look at the problem as sales, whereas the
production team will look at the problem from operations
 Perceptual Distortions
• Projection
• Assigning personal attributes to other individuals
• Eg: a manager enjoys responsibility and achievement. Suppose they become
head of a new team, which seems monotonous. The managers then tries to
bring in their own “flavour” of what drives them the best, that is zeal and
energy, even though this may not suit the other team members.
 Perceptual Distortions

• Contrast effects
• Arriving at a meaning by contrasting it with another recent event or
situation
• Eg: During interviews, one strong candidate after a series of mediocre
ones.
 Perceptual Distortions
• Self-fulfilling prophecy
• A self-fulfilling prophecy is the sociopsychological phenomenon of
someone "predicting" or expecting something, and this "prediction" or
expectation coming true simply because the person believes or anticipates
it will and the person's resulting behaviors align to fulfill the belief.
• It can have both positive (encouragement) and negative outcomes
(delusions)
• Eg: Clinical experiment
Thank You