Session 2- Perception &

Attribution (Part I)
Perception

The process of receiving information about and

making sense of the world around us.

Is perception synonymous with reality?

Why is perceptions important to the study of
OB?
Because people’s behavior is based on
their perception of what reality is, not on
reality itself.
Factors that influence (shape or distort)
our perception
Perceiver Characteristics Target Characteristics
• Familiarity with target • Physical appearance
• Attitudes/Mood • Verbal communication
• Self-concept • Nonverbal cues
• Cognitive structure • Intentions

Perception

Situational Characteristics
• Interaction context
• Strength of situational cues
• Perceiver: When an individual looks at a target and attempts to
interpret what he or she sees, that interpretation is heavily influenced
by personal characteristics of the individual perceiver. The more
relevant personal characteristics affecting perception of the perceiver
are attitudes, motives, interests, past experiences, and expectations.

• Target: Characteristics of the target can also affect what is being

perceived. This would include attractiveness, gregariousness, and our
tendency to group similar things together. For example, members of a
group with clearly distinguishable features or color are often perceived
as alike in other, unrelated characteristics as well.

• Context: The context in which we see objects or events also influences

our attention. This could include time, heat, light, or other situational
factors.
Perceptual Biases - the barriers or
shortcuts to Social Perception
Stereotypes! – A common perceptual barrier
What are implicit and explicit stereotypes?
An explicit stereotype is the kind that you deliberately think about
and report.

An implicit stereotype is one that is relatively inaccessible to

conscious awareness and/or control. Even if you say that men and
women are equally good at math, it is possible that you associate
math more strongly with men without being actively aware of it. Or,
you might say both men and women have great leadership skills but
you unintentionally affiliate leaders with men more than women. In
this case, we would say that you have an implicit stereotype. These
biases impact behaviours and lead to bad outcomes.
Stereotyping
The process of assigning traits to people based on their
membership in a social category or a particular group

Discrimination is making a distinction towards, a person based on

the group, class, or category to which the person is perceived to
belong. These include age, caste, colour, disability, ethnicity, family
status, gender identity, generation, genetic characteristics, marital
status, nationality, race, religion, and sexual orientation.
Who am I?
My personal identity (my appearance, skills, personality, interests
etc.)

My social identity (IIM student, employee of X company, a particular

caste, country etc.)

We focus on differences between ourselves and others by simply

assuming that people in different groups share certain qualities
that are different from us-even if they are not so different. This
explanation defines our explanation towards minorities
Stereotypes are understandable. To function, we need shortcuts. This
shortcut, however, runs both ways. Because stereotypes are socially
learned, we need to be vigilant about not accepting or propagating
them among our coworkers and peers.
Halo Effect
• Perceptual error whereby our general impression of a person,
usually based on one prominent characteristics, distorts our
perception of other characteristics of that person

• One aspects forms a general impression

• Mostly happens when we correlate two entirely different things

E.g.- She is very smart, she must be hard working too

Similar- to- me

• Occurs when people overestimate the extent to which others have

similar beliefs or behaviours of their own

• Notion that-If you are like me, you must be pretty good

E.g.- More than fair rating given to an applicant in an interview due

to their personal or professional similarity to the interviewer.
Primacy Effect/ Recency Effect
• Primacy
Quick opinions based on first impressions

• Recency
Most recent information dominates perceptions
Self-fulfilling prophecies
Self-fulfilling prophecies
The tendency for someone’s expectations about another to
cause that individual to behave in a manner consistent with
those expectations

• Pygmalion effect (positive self-fulfilling prophecy)

• Golem effect (negative self-fulfilling prophecy)
Self-Fulfilling Prophecy Cycle
Supervisor
forms
expectations
of subordinate

Subordinate’s
Expectations
behavior matches
affect supervisor’s
expectations of
own behavior
the supervisor

Supervisor’s
behavior affects
the subordinate