OB

• Perception


  The process of receiving information about and making sense of the world around us
• Perceptual process


  1. Determining which information to notice

  2. Categorizing this information

  3. Interpreting it within the framework of our existing knowledge
• Selective attention


  The process of attending to some information received by our senses and ignoring other information
• Selective attention


  • Influenced by characteristics of the person or object being perceived, particularly size, intensity, motion, repetition, and novelty
  • Influenced by characteristics of the perceiver, much of it without the perceiver's awareness
• When information is received through the senses, our brain quickly and nonconsciously assesses whether it is relevant or irrelevant to us and then attaches emotional markers (worry, happiness, boredom) to that information</b>
• The emotional markers help us to store information in memory; they also reproduce the same emotions when we are subsequently thinking about this information
• We have a natural and usually nonconscious tendency to seek out information that supports our self-concept or puts us in a favorable light and to ignore or undervalue information that is contrary to our self-concept
• This confirmation bias also screens out information that is contrary to our values and assumptions
• Selective attention is influenced by our assumptions and conscious anticipation of future events
• Social identity theory


  Explains the dynamics of social perception—how we perceive others
• Social perception


  1. Categorization

  2. Homogenization

  3. Differentiation
• Categorization


  Social identity is a comparative process, and the comparison begins by categorizing people into distinct groups
• Homogenization


  To simplify the comparison process, we tend to think that people within each group are very similar to each other
• Differentiation


  We differentiate groups by assigning more favorable characteristics to people in our groups than to people in other groups
• Stereotyping


  The process of assigning traits to people on the basis of their membership in a social category
• Reasons for stereotyping


  • Categorical thinking
  • Innate drive to understand and anticipate others' behavior
  • Enhances our self-concept
• Attribution process


  Deciding whether an observed behavior or event is caused mainly by internal or external factors
• Internal attribution


  Perception that behavior is caused by person's own motivation or ability
• External attribution


  Perception that behavior is caused by situation or fate -- beyond person's control
• Fundamental attribution error


  The tendency to see the person rather than the situation as the main cause of that person's behavior
• Self-serving bias


  Attributing our successes to internal factors and our failures to external factors