Perception - Definition, Process, Influencing Factors, Applications, Barriers to Accuracy

Perception

Definitions

1.     The process of receiving, selecting, organising, interpreting, checking and reacting to sensory stimuli or data

2.     Important mediating cognitive process through which persons make interpretation of the stimulus or situation they are faced with

3.     Set of processes we use to make sense of the stimuli we encounter

Perception enables us to navigate the world and to take decisions regarding what to do

Unconscious: The processes involved in perception happen without our being aware of them.

The Processes Involved in Perception

Stimulus ---- Selection ---- Organisation --- Interpretation ----- action

1.     Stimulus: begins with our sensual organs eyes see, our ears hear, our nose smells, our skin feels or our tongue tastes. The stimuli are transmitted by our senses to the brain which the proceeds to select organise and interpret them and decide whether any action needs to be taken and if yes, what it has to be.

2.     Selection: We ar surrounded by a whole lot of stimuli all the time. It is not possible to attend to all of them. So we have to make a selection. We have to choose which of them we are going to pay attention to.

3.     Organisation: After choosing the stimulus, our brain proceeds to organise it. We pay attention to the different dimensions of the stimulus to be able to make sense of it.

4.     Interpretation: Organisation leads us to the next stage which is interpretation. Interpretation is the sense that we make of the stimulus after organising it.

Factors influencing these processes

A. Selection

1.  Motives: Our motives, desires and needs play an important role in deciding which stimulus we should select for paying attention.

2.  Perceptual Expectancy: We have a predisposition to see things in a certain way based on our past expectations and assumptions of the world. We pay attention to what we expect to find. Sael. Sail or seal?

3.  Emotional drives: Emotional drives based on our beliefs, values and expectations also play a part in selecting the stimulus we want to pay attention to.

i.                    Selective retention: We are able to recall things we are more strongly attached to. Statistics about the achievements our favourite team.

ii.                  Selective perception: We select to perceive what our emotional preferences want us to see. The decision of an empire against our favourite team. We tend to see that it is wrong because we believe that our team cannot make a mistake.

iii.                Selective exposure: We select what we want to expose ourselves to based on our beliefs values and expectations. The fans of the same team, the people of our own religion, country or linguistic community.

iv.               Cocktail party effect: We tend to pay attention to stimuli that we habitual of or are emotionally attached to. Our own name, the voices we recognise, taboo words etc.

v.                 Intensity: The stronger the stimulus, the greater is our tendency to select it for attention. Bright light, bright colour, loud sound, painful sensation, spicy taste, strong smell.

Organisation

1.     Gestalt’s laws

i.                    Law of proximity: We group together objects which are physically closer to each other

ii.                  Law of similarity: We have a tendency to group together objects which are similar.

iii.                Figure –Ground law: Generally we choose to pay attention to the figure and ignore the background

iv.               Law of closure: We tend to complete incomplete figures or other objects.

v.                 Organising people

vi.               Perceptual schemas

vii.             Stereotypes

Applications of Perception in organisations

1.     Importance of Perception/Managerial Applications of Perception

i.                   Interpersonal Working Relationship:

Integrated behaviour/cooperation very important in orgs. Managers need correct perception of the workforce, their traits, competence and limitations to create a congenial working environment

ii.                   Selection of Employees:

During interviews for selections, correct perception of candidates is very important. Errors can result in the selection of wrong people

iii.               Performance Appraisal:

Perception of the subordinates by the boss can affect the appraisal of their performance/achievements. Correct appraisal depends on the correct perception of the workers by the bosses. Errors can result in erroneous appraisal

iv.               Employee Effort Appraisal

In addition to the achievements or actual performance of an employee, his/her efforts to achieve his goals are also important and an appraisal of these efforts is also important for the determination of his future. Such appraisal is subjective and perception plays an important role in it.

v.                 Impression Management:

Correct perception important for identifying competent persons. People can easily manage how others perceive them. A manager has to be on his guard while forming impressions about the competence, limitations and character traits of his subordinate.

vi.               Promotion of Healthy Organisational Behaviour:

The principle of closure, of continuity, of proximity, of similarity are very useful for this purpose.

vii.             Avoiding the Stereotyping Effect:

Stereotyping effect means perceiving a person on the basis of the characteristics or traits of the group to which he belongs. For example on the basis of one’s religion or caste or region or the institution where he has studied or worked earlier. It can lead to wrong perception of a worker.

viii.           Ethnic Profiling:

It is a form of stereotyping and is used to identify or single out a person on the basis of his/her race or ethnicity and keeping a close eye on him/her. For example, Muslims are viewed with a suspicious eye in the West after the 26.9.11 attack on the World Trade Centre.

ix.                Avoiding the Halo Effect:

It means perceiving a person on the basis of one trait or his performance in one task only. For example, it may be assumed that if a person is honest, he must also be hard working, punctual, regular etc.    More marked in case of traits unclear, not frequently used, having moral implications.

x.                  Predicting Behaviour in the Changed Circumstances:

For making such predictions on the basis of present perception, correct perception is very imp.

xi.                Determining the Needs of People:

People’s needs can be determined with the help of our perception of them. Wrong perception can lead to wrong judgements.

Barriers to Perceptual Accuracy

i.                    Selective Perception: Tends to be biased by individual’s attitudes, interests and background rather than by the stimulus itself

ii.                  Halo Effect: Perceiving a perception on the basis of one or two traits observed earlier

iii.                Stereotyping: Perceiving a person on the basis of the group he belongs to. Americans – materialistic; Japanese – nationalistic; Germans – hard working; Muslims - terrorists

iv.               Attribution: Determining causes for people’s behaviour. Two kinds of attributions: 1. Personal dispositions – A person behaves in a certain way due to his disposition or nature and 2. Situational attribution – The cause of a certain type of behaviour is the circumstances or the situation in which the person was placed.

We attribute our own behaviour to situational causes and that of others to personal disposition

v.                 Projection: Seeing one’s own attribute in another person. An honest and trustworthy person tends to think that the other fellow too is honest and trustworthy.

vi.               Perceptual Set: Using a set of beliefs formed on the basis of one’s earlier experiences. We form a set of principles on the basis of experience and apply those principles to judge people. For example, workers are lazy, poor people are dishonest etc.

vii.             Implicit personality theory: Believing that some traits are associated with one another. An honest perception must be hard working also. A soft spoken person is always kind, sympathetic and helpful to others

viii.           Expectancy or Self Fulfilling Prophecy: Seeing those traits in people which we expect them to possess instead of the ones they actually possess.

ix.                Perceptual Maps: Using the components or traits of a person or object for judging similar persons or objects and providing a score for each trait. It involves a variety of mathematical approaches.