Assignment: Select any 5 Perceptual Distortions you feel are most influential in your own decision-making process especially when dealing with other people. Expand on the explanation of these five you have chosen, supported by an example from your own experience. Don't try to make up and example out of the pie in the sky as this will be noticed from a mile away. Stereotypes: An individual's fixed beliefs about the characteristics of a particular group Selective attention: The tendency to selectively focus on aspects of situations that are most aligned with our own interests, values, and attitudes Halo effect: A perception problem through which we form a positive or negative bias of an individual based on our overall impressions of that person Primacy effect: A perception problem through which an individual assesses a person quickly on the basis of the first information encountered. Recency effect: A perception problem through which we use the most recent information available to assess a person Contrast effect: An effect that takes place when people rank something higher or lower than they should as a result of exposure to recent events or situations Projecting: A process through which people ascribe their own personal attributes onto others Self-fulfilling prophecy: The way a person behaves based on pre-existing expectations about another person or situation so as to create an outcome that is aligned with those expectations Impression management: The process by which we attempt to influence the perceptions others may have of us Ingratiation: A strategy of winning favor and putting oneself in the good graces of others before making a .