Individual Graded Discussion

Perceptual Distortion and Errors

Jánel Russell – 320038216

University of the West Indies – Open Campus

MGMT2064 - Organisational Behaviour and Human Resource Management 

Academic Year 2022/2023, Semester 2

February 19, 2023

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What is perceptual distortion and errors?

Firstly, let it be known that perception is mainly distorted by feelings and

emotions. How do we know this? Let us start by identifying what this means by breaking

down the definition of Perceptual disorder and errors.

Perceptual: This is involving direct sensory experience; of, and or pertaining to, or

involving perception.

Perception: Perception is a process that explains how information (stimuli) from the

environment around us is chosen and arranged to give the individual meaning. (Mullins,

2010)

Distortion: is the action of giving a misleading account or impression; to distort an idea

or figure.

Error: this is the state or condition of being wrong in conduct or judgement.

Perceptual distortion and errors speaks to the lack of consistency between how a

stimulus is typically viewed and how a person sees it under specific circumstances.

Perception is the root of all organizational behaviour; any situation can be analyzed in

terms of its perceptual connotations. Below is figure that depicts how people may

perceive things versus the reality of what is based on their view:

People have their own unique perspective on the world, and as perceptions turn

into realities, this can cause misunderstandings between individuals. These

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misunderstandings are made based on but may not be limited to: the mindset of the

perceiver and the other person and the information that is accessible to the perceiver and

the sequence in which it is received.

There are five (5) key characteristics that might provide specific challenges and lead

to perception issues, prejudice, or distortions in our interactions with other people. These

are: stereotyping, the halo effect, perceptual defense, projection and self-fulfilling

prophecy. We will however focus on four (4) of these given characteristics.

1. Stereotyping: is a preconceived notion about groups of individuals that have similar

traits that may be positive or negative (Chaidemenos). Stereotypes are pervasively

present in both the larger social structure and culture. People and or groups are

usually stereotyped based on their sex, gender identity, race and ethnicity, country,

age, financial level, language, and possibly other factors.

2. Perceptual defense: is the propensity to ignore or block out certain stimuli that are

perceptually upsetting or frightening. This therefore reflects that individuals may

highlight and or emphasize on information that supports their viewpoint and disregard

information that is contradictory to it.

3. Projection: is seen as on exaggerating negative features/behaviours in others that

they fail to recognize in themselves. Therefore; when a person has many traits with

the ‘perceiver’ and finds it easy to recognize, judgments about them may be more

favorable.

4. Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: is the physical result of our thoughts, whether pleasant or

unfavorable, that affects a circumstance. People strive to validate their perceptions

irrespective of the actual reality. People’s beliefs or expectations influence their

actions and behaviour in such a way as to make the beliefs or expectations more

likely to come true. (Mullins, 2010).

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References

Chaidemenos, S. (n.d.). OB - Perceptual Distortions & Stereotypes. LinkedIn. from

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ob-perceptual-distortions-stereotypes-spyridon-
chaidemenos#:~:text=There%20are%20five%20major%20forms,Stereotyping%20(Mullins%2C
%202007). 

Mullins, L. J. (2010). Management & Organisational Behaviour 9th Edition (Chapter 6), Harlow:
Financial Times Prentice. ISBN 9780273724087 0273724088

Perceptual definition. Law Insider. (n.d.).  from

https://www.lawinsider.com/dictionary/perceptual