chapter 2, nancy langton and stephen p. robbins, fundamentals of organizational behaviour, third...

Chapter 2, Nancy Langton and Stephen P. Robbins, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Third Canadian Edition 2-1Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education Canada

Perception


• Perception Defined

• Factors Influencing Perception

• Perceptual Errors


• A multistage process that takes place in the BRAIN.

• It includes

– Selection

– Processing

– Organization

– Integration

of Information received from the SENSES

•Knowledge

•Needs

•Beliefs

•Values

•Assumptions

•Attitudes.

What is Perception

• Selective

• Organization

• Interpretation


Perception

• What Is Perception?– The process by which individuals organize and interpret

their impressions in order to give meaning to their environment.

• Why Is It Important?– Because people’s behaviour is based on their perception

of what reality is, not on reality itself. – The world as it is perceived is the world that is

behaviourally important.


1. Simplify information for processing

2. Decrease distress/discomfort from particular stimuli.

Purpose of Perception Process


What influences perception?

• Cognitive functions

• Personality

• Past experiences

• Education

• Gender, age, ethnicity, culture


Senses

• Sight - Visual

• Hearing - Auditory

• Smell - Olfactory

• Taste

• Touch - Tactile

• Kinesthetic


Factors that Influence Perception• The Perceiver

• The Target• The Situation


Factors ThatInfluence Perception

Factors ThatInfluence Perception

E X H I B I T 5-1


The Perceptual Process

Environmental Stimuli

Feeling Hearing Smelling TastingSeeing

Selective Attention

Perceptual Organization

Emotions and Behavior

Individual’s Values

and Beliefs

From “Self Awareness” by McShane & Von Glinow, Organizational Behavior


What’s the difference?

• Sensation

• Interaction between the body-environment

• the reception of physical stimulation.

• Use of specialized cells.

Perception

• our interpretation

• active decoding process

• influenced by – experience

– thoughts

– beliefs...


Perception and human cognition

Week 1

Week 2


• What is Risk Perception?

– Process of determining likelihood and severity of injury

– Determined by availability of risk in memory

• Behavior is determined by perceived rather than actual risk

• Risk Tolerance – Is the subjective level of acceptable risk

• Hazard – Is a condition or set of circumstances that has the potential of causing harm or contributing to injury, illness, or property damage


Factors Influencing Risk Perception

Factors Definitions

Underestimate/Overestimate Risk Magnitude

People tend to overestimate the value of their experience and capabilities and underestimate associated risk.

Familiarity Working in a familiar situation encourages people to take more risk.

Severity of Consequence

When fear of injury or penalty seems low, people are more willing to take risks. People's acceptance of risk is based on the seriousness of the potential outcome and on how severely they might be injured.

Voluntary Exposure People who voluntary take risks, such as speeding on a highway or working without a hard hat, perceive their action as less dangerous.


Factors Influencing Risk Perception

Personal Experience Personal stories - preferably told by the person involved - of accidents and dangers create attention and increases risk perception in an audience.

Understood Hazards Hazards that can be clearly explained cause less alarm than those that are not understood and are viewed as uncontrollable.

Cost of Compliance If the cost of noncompliance is very low, people are less likely to perceive an action as a risk. As an example, more people will risk getting a $20 speeding ticket than a $200 ticket. Cost associated with compliance can be a strong motivator to change risk perception.

Social Influence Employees can become role models, benefiting themselves and others, or can be negative influences.

Factors Definitions


Perceptual Errors

• Attribution Theory

• Selective Perception

• Halo Effect

• Contrast Effects

• Projection

• Stereotyping


Attribution Theory

• When individuals observe behaviour, they attempt to determine whether it is internally or externally caused.– Distinctiveness

• Does the individual act the same way in other situations?

– Consensus • Does the individual act the same as others in same situation?

– Consistency • Does the individual act the same way over time?


Attribution Theory

• Fundamental Attribution Error– The tendency to underestimate external factors

and overestimate internal factors when making judgments about others’ behaviour.

• Self-Serving Bias– The tendency to attribute one’s successes to

internal factors while putting the blame for failures on external factors.


Attribution Theory

Observation InterpretationAttribution

of cause

External

High(Seldom)

Low(Frequently)High

Low(Seldom)High

(Frequently)

Low(Seldom)

Internal

rna l

Individualbehaviour

Distinctiveness(How often does the

person do this inother situations?)

Consensus(How often do other

people do this insimilar situations?)

Consistency(How often did theperson do this in

the past?)

External

Internal

Internal

External

(Frequently)


Perceptual Errors

• Selective Perception– People selectively interpret what they see based on their

interests, background, experience, and attitudes.

• Halo Effect– Drawing a general impression about an individual based

on a single characteristic.

• Contrast Effects– A person’s evaluation is affected by comparisons with

other individuals recently encountered.


Perceptual Errors• Projection

– Attributing one’s own characteristics to other people.

• Stereotyping– Judging someone on the basis of your perception

of the group to which that person belongs.

• Prejudice– An unfounded dislike of a person or group based

on their belonging to a particular stereotyped group.

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