PERCEPTION

The word Perception comes from the Latin words, “percipio” meaning “receiving,
collecting, action of taking possession, apprehension with the mind or senses”.
According to Joseph Reitz; “Perception includes all those processes by which an
individual receives information about his environment—seeing, hearing, feeling,
tasting and smelling.”

Perception is the organization, identification, and interpretation of sensory

information in order to represent and understand the environment.

Perception: Meaning, Principles, Process, Importance, Nature and

Factors affecting in Perception!
➢ Everyday different stimuli around us will be stimulating our sense organs.
Many of these stimuli are received by our sense organs and are converted into
sensations.
➢ These sensations are transmitted to the concerned parts of brain.
 ➢ In turn the brain will interpret these sensations. It is only after such
interpretation we understand what the stimulus is.
➢ Hence in understanding the world around us, attention occurs first, followed
by sensation and finally interpretation by brain.
➢ This process of ‘interpretation of stimulus is known as perception’.
So, perception involves mainly two processes: sensation and interpretation. But
interpretation of any stimulus requires past experience also. For example, a child
who has not seen an elephant earlier either in photo or directly cannot identify that
animal, whereas another child who has seen earlier will identify the animal easily.
Hence, perception may be defined as “a process of interpretation of a present
stimulus on the basis of past experience”.
Perception is not as simple as said here. It is an integrated approach. It is a
synthetic process where different physiological and psychological processes are
involved. For example, the accuracy of sense organs, clarity of sensations, mental
set of an individual, etc. Otherwise, our perception may go wrong.
Perception is the process by which individuals organize and interpret their sensory
impression in order to give meaning to their environment.
Perception is an intellectual process of transforming sensory stimuli to meaningful
information. It is the process of interpreting something that we see or hear in our
mind and use it later to judge and give a verdict on a situation, person, group etc.
It can be divided into six types −
Of sound − The ability to receive sound by identifying vibrations.
Of speech − The competence of interpreting and understanding the sounds of
language heard.
Touch − Identifying objects through patterns of its surface by touching it.
Taste − The ability to receive flavor of substances by tasting it through sensory
organs known as taste buds.
Other senses − They approve perception through body, like balance, acceleration,
pain, time, sensation felt in throat and lungs etc.
Of the social world − It permits people to understand other individuals and groups
of their social world. Example − Priya goes to a restaurant and likes their customer
service, so she will perceive that it is a good place to hang out and will recommend
it to her friends, who may or may not like it. Priya’s perception about the
restaurant is good.

The Process of Perception:

The process of perception are the different stages of perception we go through. The
different stages are −
i. Receiving,
ii. Selecting
iii. Organizing
iv. Interpreting

i. Receiving
Receiving is the first and most important stage in the process of perception. It is
the initial stage in which a person collects all information and receives the
information through the sense organs.
 ii. Selecting
Selecting is the second stage in the process. Here a person doesn’t receive the data
randomly but selectively. A person selects some information out of all in
accordance with his interest or needs. The selection of data is dominated by various
external and internal factors.
a) External factors − The factors that influence the perception of an individual
externally are intensity, size, contrast, movement, repetition, familiarity, and
novelty.
b)Internal factors − The factors that influence the perception of an individual
internally are psychological requirements, learning, background, experience,
self-acceptance, and interest.

iii. Organizing
Keeping things in order or say in a synchronized way is organizing. In order to
make sense of the data received, it is important to organize them.
We can organize the data by −
▪ Grouping them on the basis of their similarity, proximity, closure, continuity.
▪ Establishing a figure ground is the basic process in perception. Here by figure
we mean what is kept as main focus and by ground we mean background
stimuli, which are not given attention.
▪ Perceptual constancy that is the tendency to stabilize perception so that
contextual changes don’t affect them.
iv. Interpreting
Finally, we have the process of interpreting which means forming an idea about a
particular object depending upon the need or interest. Interpretation means that
the information we have sensed and organized, is finally given a meaning by
turning it into something that can be categorized. It includes stereotyping, halo
effect etc.
The Importance of Perception:
The importance of perception is that it helps us:
• add value and meaning to our immediate surroundings

• understand our environment

• make the right decisions for ourselves

For example, every member in a group has to be clear regarding the role allotted
to them. Programmer writes the code, tester checks it, etc.
Nature of Perception:
1. Perception is the process by which an individual gives meaning to the
environment.
2. People‘s actions, emotions, thoughts and feelings are triggered by their
perceptions of their surroundings.
3. Perception has been defined in a variety of ways; it basically refers to the
manner in which a person experiences the world.
4. Perception is an almost automatic process and works in the same way within
each individual, yet it typically yields different perceptions.
Factors that Influence Perception
1. Characteristics of the Perceiver
2. Characteristics of the Target
3. Characteristics of the Situation
Characteristics of the Perceiver
Several characteristics of the perceiver can affect perception. When an individual
looks at a target and attempts to interpret what he or she stands for, that
interpretation is heavily influenced by personal characteristics of the individual
perceiver.
The major characteristics of the perceiver influencing perception are:
1. Attitude
2. Motives
3. Interest
4. Experience
5. Expectation
6. Self-Concept
Attitude
The attitude and aptitude of employees influence perception formation. If they
have positive attitudes towards the management, they directly perceive (recognise)
the stimuli given by management. In the case of negative attitudes, the employees
suspect the management’s approach. Employees of high aptitude have a desire and
attitude for growth. They behave positively toward the management of an
organization.
Motives
The motives and desires of employees cause them to view stimuli differently as per
their level and angle. Helpful motives of the employees will always assist the
management. If they desire to develop themselves and the organization, they will
perceive objects and situations positively. Employees having low motives will not
work sincerely. The perception will differ depending on different types of motives.
Interest
The interest of individuals draws more attention and recognition to stimuli. Less
attention and recognition lowers the impact of stimuli or objects on behaviour. If
employees lack interest, behaviour pattern will be less effective, and the perception
will be weak.
Experience
The experience of employees results in different levels of perception. A young
employee takes time to understand the object and situation. Experienced
employees generally understand objects quickly and correctly. However, in
contradictory situations, it is difficult to correct aged persons, whereas the young
are easily moulded towards achieving the objectives of the organization.
Expectation
Expectations distort perceptions. People see what they expect to see. If they see the
object and the situation differently from their expectations, they get frustrated.
They are unable to modify their behaviour. The employees may expect more pay
and so they perceive the management from that angle. The real stimuli are not
properly perceived if expectations exist there on. The management has to evolve
expectations for proper perception.
Self-Concept
Another factor that can affect social perception is the perceivers’ selfconcept. An
individual with a positive self-concept tends to notice positive attributes in another
person. In contrast, a negative self-concept can lead a perceiver to pick out negative
traits in another person. Greater understanding of self allows us to have more
accurate perceptions of others.
Characteristics of the Target
Characteristics in the target that is being observed can affect what is perceived.
Physical appearance plays a big role in our perception of others. Extremely
attractive or unattractive individuals are more likely to be noticed in a group than
ordinary looking individuals.
Motion, sound, size and other attributes of a target shape the way we see it.
1. Physical appearance
2. Verbal communication
3. Non-verbal communication
4. Objects
Physical Appearance
Physical appearance plays a big role in our perception of others. The perceiver will
notice the target’s physical features like height, weight, estimated age, race and
gender. Perceivers tend to notice physical appearance characteristics that contrast
with the norm, that are intense, or that are new or unusual.
Verbal Communication
Verbal communication from targets also affects our perception of them. We listen
to the topics they speak about, their voice tone, and their accent and make
judgements based on this input.
Non-verbal Communication
Non-verbal communication conveys a great deal of information about the target.
The perceiver deciphers eye contact, facial expressions, body movements, and
posture all in an attempt to form an impression of the target.
Targets are not looked at in isolation; the relationship of a target to its background
influences perception because of our tendency to group close things and similar
things together.
Objects
Objects that are close to each other will tend to be perceived together rather than
separately. As a result of physical or time proximity, we often put together objects
or events that are unrelated.
People, objects or events that are similar to each other also tend to be grouped
together. The greater the similarity, the greater the probability we will tend to
perceive them as a group.
Characteristics of the Situation
Change in situation leads to incorrect perception about a person.
The factor that influences the perception are:
1. Time
2. Work setting
3. Social setting
Time
The situation in which the interaction between the perceiver and the target takes
place has an influence on the perceiver’s impression of the target.
For Example, a person decked up for a party may not be noticeable but the same
dress in office would be noticed distinctly, though the person has not changed.
Work setting
You would have very frequently heard people say that their manager is different
during working hours and 180O opposite while in a social setting.
Social setting
The strength of the situational cues also affects social perception. Some situations
provide strong cues as to appropriate behaviour. In these situations, we assume
that the individual’s behaviour can be accounted for by the situation and that it
may not reflect the individual’s disposition. This is the discounting principle in
social perception.
For example, you may encounter an automobile salesperson who has a warm and
personable manner, asks you about your work and hobbies, and seems genuinely
interested in your taste in cars. Can you assume that this behaviour reflects the
salesperson’s personality? You probably cannot, because of the influence of the
situation. This person is trying to sell you a car, and in this particular situation, he
probably treats all customers in this manner.

Perceptual Selectivity
Under the process of perception it has been pointed out that it is a selective process.
In everybody’s environment there are various stimuli. These stimuli are in the form
of objects, events and people. An individual cannot get attracted towards all these
stimuli. He is attracted towards only those stimuli which interest him. The stimuli
towards which he gets attracted are selected and the others get ignored.
For example, when we read a newspaper, we get attracted towards only some of
the news and ignore the remaining news.
Now the question arises as to what are the factors which influence the perceptual
selectivity. There are various factors influencing it. For the convenience of study,
they can be divided into the following two categories:
(A) External Factors of Perceptual Selectivity
These factors are related to the external environment or stimuli. These factors are
in reality the characteristics of the stimuli. It is only these characteristics of the
stimuli that attract a person and he selects them, otherwise he overlooks them. The
following are the chief external factors that influence perceptual selectivity:
(1) Size: Size means the big or small size of the stimuli. Generally, it has been
observed that stimuli which have a large size attract people quickly. There is a
greater possibility of the perception of such stimuli being selected. For example,
when we read a book, it has two types of written words, e.g., headings which are
printed in big letters while their explanation is written in small letters. The moment
we open a book our attention immediately goes towards the headings and not the
explanation that follows them. In the context of business we find big sized
advertisement attracting people quicker than the small-sized advertisement.
(2) Intensity: Intensity means that some stimuli are brighter, louder, stronger in
odour and more colourful than the others. Somebody gets attracted to a loud sound
than a lower sound. Similarly brighter stimuli attract people more. For example,
bright packing in business, loud advertisement, loud speaking by a supervisor- all
these things are done so that the people get attracted to them.
(3) Repetition: Repetition factor indicates that the repetition of a stimuli has a
particular attraction. It is on the basis of this principle that the businessmen display
the advertisement of their products repeatedly. When a particular stimulus
repeatedly appears before us, it is natural that we start taking interest in it. A
person desirous of getting a job meets the personnel manager time and again.In
this case we find this factor of repetition at work.
(4) Motion: This factor tells us that people get attracted more to the moving stimuli
instead of The fixed stimuli. That is why there is a greater possibility of perception
about the moving stimuli and their selection. We usually find flashing neon sign
boards displayed in the market, at the cross-roads, etc. The advertising material
remains in motion in these advertisements. People moving about during the night
get attracted towards them. This is an attractive medium of advertisement.
(5) Contrast: Contrast means when a stimulus in its own group appears to be
different. Every stimulus is looked at in the context of its background. Here
background means the group of which the stimulus happens to be a part. If a
member of a group appears to be different from the other members, the perceiver
will be attracted towards it.
For example, in the following two diagrams, the squares given in the centre are of
the same size but when we look at the central square in Fig. A it looks a little small
and when the same square in the Fig. B is looked at, it appears big. Therefore, it is
clear that a stimulus (object, event or person) appears different in a different
background. The use of background is made in order to make a stimulus attractive
for the people.
(6) Novelty and Familiarity: The factor of novelty and familiarity plays an
important role in the selection of stimuli. Novelty means the presence of new stimuli
in the existing environment. For example, if a foreign lecturer is appointed to teach
Management Concept and Organisational Behaviour in a class, he will attract
students’ attention towards him. This is an example of creating novelty in an old
environment in order to attract the attention of the perceivers.
Similarly, if a well-known or familiar author goes to different colleges/universities
to teach the same subject he will also attract students’attention. This is an example
of attracting the attention of the perceivers by sending a known or familiar person
in a new environment.
(B) Internal Factors of Perceptual Selectivity
External factors influencing the perceptual selectivity are connected with the
stimuli while internal factors are connected with the perceivers. In fact, these
factors are the characteristics of the perceivers. These characteristics of the
perceivers attract them towards some particular stimulus. If a particular person
gets attracted to some particular stimuli, he selects them, otherwise he ignores
them. The following are the internal factors influencing the perceptual selectivity:
(1) Self-Concept: Self-concept of a person is the chief internal factor of perceptual
selectivity Self-concept means as to what extent we know ourselves and how
confident we are for ourselves. The of a person helps in formulating his concept
about the stimuli. For example, if a person self-concept doubts his ability, he will
fear the stimuli (his outer world). On the contrary, if he is confident about his self,
he will accept the stimuli happily. In other words, the more we understand
ourselves, the more easily we understand others. Therefore, correct self-concept
influences accurate perception.
(2) Belief: A person’s belief in external environment/stimuli helps him in the
selection of the stimuli. A person thinks about a stimulus as per his belief in it and
not what it actually is. In other words, a person accepts facts after duly censoring
them so that his present belief in them remains intact.
(3) Needs: The selection of the stimuli available in the environment is influenced
by our needs. If a person wishes to attain some particular achievement he will get
attracted towards only those stimuli which fulfill his wish. Similarly, if a person
wishes an increase in his affiliation he will get attracted towards only those stimuli
which help him in satisfying his wish for greater affiliation.
(4) Expectation: We have an expectation of a particular behaviour from everybody.
We select them on the basis of our expectation (or the behaviour expected out of
them). For example, if we expect the use of a rough/foul language by a particular
section of people, our relationship with them will depend on that very expectation.
Our expectation can be fully wrong or absolutely right. Expectation can also
undergo a change.
(5) Response Disposition: Response disposition means that a person gets attracted
towards a known rather than an unknown object/person. A person gets attracted
quickly towards things which he already knows, while he ignores other things
about which he knows nothing. For example, there are two lectures going on before
a religious man.
In one of the lectures religion is being taught while the second lecture is about the
economic condition of the country, it is undoubted that the person will feel
interested only in the religions discourse because he is familiar with the vocabulary
of the discourse and he will easily understand everything. This happens only
because of individual’s response disposition.
(6) Interest: Selection of stimuli available in the environment is influenced by the
interest of the perceiver. For example, a plastic surgeon and not a lecturer, will get
attracted towards an individual having an unusual nose. Similarly a lecturer will
get attracted to the wrong pronunciation of words during the course of a lecture
and not a plastic surgeon. This happens only because of a special interest of the
individual in a particular thing. A plastic surgeon rectifies the unusual looks or
deformities of limbs. Therefore, he gets attracted to them. On the other hand, a
lecturer’s job is teaching and, therefore, he gets attracted towards the person
pronouncing words wrongly.
(7) Learning: Some learned experience influences the perception of an individual.
On the basis of learned experience whatever a person expects to see or hear, he sees
or hears the same. Look carefully and understand the given diagram. We will read
the sentence written in the triangle as Turn off the switch’ in the first instance while
there is an extra The’ in the sentence. This happens only because we usually make
use of the sentence Turn off the Switch. It means that we know it from our previous
experience.
In other words, the attraction of a person towards some stimuli depends on his
learned experience. If we talk in the context of organisation, the learned experience
of an employee influences his perception. For example, the decision making by an
employee is affected by his specialisation.
What is the link between perception and decision making?
Perception is a process by which individuals organize and interpret their sensory
impressions in order to give meaning to their environment. Perception
affects our decision-making process because in order to make an accurate decision,
we need to think properly if this one will work or not.
Also, what factors influence our perception? Personal characteristics that affect
perception include a person's attitudes, personality, motives, interests, past
experiences, and expectations. There are some factors that influence the target such
as- novelty, motion, sounds, size, background, proximity, similarity, etc.
Also, to know is, how is perception related to decision making in an organization?
Organizational excellence is about accurate decision making. Consequences
from decisions can make or break a company. Perception plays a vital role in
the decision-making process. Therefore, decision makers often use perception to
create, evaluate, and choose decision options.
Perceptual Error
A perceptual error is the inability to judge humans, things or situations fairly and
accurately. Examples could include such things as bias, prejudice, stereotyping,
which have always caused human beings to err in different aspects of their lives.
Perceptual error has strong impact in organisation and it hampers in proper
decision-making skill while hiring, performance appraisal, review, feedback etc
There are many types of perceptual errors in workplace
1.Selective Perception- People generally interpret according to their basis of
interests, idea and backgrounds. It is the tendency not to notice and forget the
stimuli that cause emotional discomfort. For example we might think that fresher
graduates with above 80 % marks will exceptionally do well in technical interviews
of respective subjects
2.Halo Effect- We misjudge people by concentrating on one single behaviour or
trait. It has deep impact and give inaccurate result most of the time. For example
we always have an impression of a lazy person can never be punctual in any
occasion.
3.Stereotypes- We always have a tendency to classify people to a general groups
/category in order to simplify the matter. For example-Women are always good
homemakers and can do well in work life balance
4.Contrast Effect- We again sometimes judge people in comparison to others. This
example generally found in sports, academics and performance review
5.Projection- This is very common among Perceptual errors. Projection of one's
own attitude, personality or behaviour into some other person. For example- To all
honest people, everybody is honest.
6.Impression- We all know the term "first impression is the last impression" and
we apply that too. For example-During the time of hiring, thought like this "The
most decent and modest person in the interview can do very well in every roles and
responsibilities " always arise.