Organizational

Behavior

Chapter 3 15th Global Edition

Robbins and Judge

Perception and
Attribution

Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education 6-1

 Chapter Learning Objectives

After studying this chapter you should be able to:

1. Describe perception process and explain the factors that influence it.

2. Explain attribution theory and list the three determinants of attribution.

3. Identify the shortcuts individuals use in making judgments about others.

4. Explain the link between perception and decision-making.

Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education 6-2

 Define perception and explain
the factors that influence it

 Perception is a process by which individuals

organize and interpret their sensory impressions
in order to give meaning to their environment.
 It is important to the study of OB because
peoples’ behaviors are based on their perception
of what reality is, not on reality itself.

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 Objects in the person’s environment

Observation

Perceptual Selection

Perceptual Organization

Interpretation

Response
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part. Chapter 4: PowerPoint 4.3
 Define perception and explain
the factors that influence it

6-5
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 Identify the shortcuts individuals
use in making judgments about others

 Selective Perception
 Any characteristic that makes a person,
object, or event stand out will increase the
probability that it will be perceived.
 Since we can’t observe everything going on
about us, we engage in selective perception.
 A classic example:
 Dearborn and Simon

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 Identify the shortcuts individuals
use in making judgments about others

 Halo Effect
 The halo effect occurs when we draw a
general impression on the basis of a single
characteristic.
 The reality of the halo effect was confirmed in
a classic study.

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 Identify the shortcuts individuals
use in making judgments about others

 Contrast Effects
 We do not evaluate a person in isolation.
 Our reaction to one person is influenced by
other persons we have recently encountered.
 For example, an interview situation in which one
sees a pool of job applicants can distort
perception.
 Distortions in any given candidate’s evaluation can
occur as a result of his or her place in the interview
schedule.

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 Identify the shortcuts individuals
use in making judgments about others

 Stereotyping
 Judging someone on the basis of our perception
of the group to which he or she belongs.
 This is a means of simplifying a complex world,
and it permits us to maintain consistency.
 From a perceptual standpoint, if people expect to
see these stereotypes, that is what they will
perceive.

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 Explain attribution theory and list the three
determinants of attribution

 Attribution theory suggests that when we observe

an individual’s behavior, we attempt to determine
whether it was internally or externally caused.
 Determination depends on three factors:
 Distinctiveness
 Consensus
 Consistency

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 Explain attribution theory and list the three
determinants of attribution

 Clarification of the differences between

internal and external causation:
 Internally caused - those that are
believed to be under the personal control
of the individual.
 Externally caused - resulting from
outside causes.

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 Explain attribution theory and list the three
determinants of attribution

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 Explain attribution theory and list the three
determinants of attribution

 Fundamental Attribution Error

 We have a tendency to underestimate the
influence of external factors and overestimate
the influence of internal or personal factors.
 Self-serving Bias
 Individuals attribute their own successes to
internal factors.

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 Identify the shortcuts individuals
use in making judgments about others

 Applications of Shortcuts in Organizations

 Employment Interview
 Evidence indicates that interviewers make
perceptual judgments that are often inaccurate.
 Agreement among interviewers is often poor.

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 Identify the shortcuts individuals
use in making judgments about others

 Applications of Shortcuts in Organizations

 Performance Expectations
 Evidence demonstrates that people will attempt
to validate their perceptions of reality, even
when those perceptions are faulty.
 Self-fulfilling prophecy or Pygmalion effect
characterizes the fact that people’s
expectations determine their behavior.
Expectations become reality.

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 Identify the shortcuts individuals
use in making judgments about others

 Performance Evaluation
 An employee’s performance appraisal is very much
dependent on the perceptual process.
 Many jobs are evaluated in subjective terms.
Subjective measures are, by definition, judgmental.
 What the evaluator perceives to be good or bad
employee characteristics or behaviors will significantly
influence the outcome of the appraisal.

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 Explain the link between perception
and decision-making

 Top managers determine goals, products to offer, how to

finance operations, or locate a new plant.
 Middle- and lower-level managers determine production
schedules, select employees, and decide about pay
raises.
 Non-managerial employees make decisions to come to
work on any given day, the effort to put forward at work,
and to comply with requests made by the boss.

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 Explain the link between perception
LO 4 and decision-making

 Empowering non-managerial employees with job-

related decision-making historically reserved for
managers.
 Decision-making occurs as a reaction to a problem.
 Every decision requires interpretation and evaluation
of information.
 Alternatives will be developed, and the strengths
and weaknesses of each will need to be evaluated.

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 Summary and Implications for Managers

 Perception
 How do employees perceive the manager?
 How do employees perceive their jobs?
 How do employees perceive opportunity at the
company?
 Do employees distort reality?

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