This document outlines the key concepts and objectives of understanding perception. It defines perception as how individuals select, organize, and interpret stimuli to make sense of their environment. The perceptual process involves four stages: sensation, selection, organization, and translation. Sensation is the detection of stimuli, while perception adds meaning. Perceptual errors can occur from biases, stereotypes, or projecting one's own traits onto others. The conclusion reiterates that perception operates automatically through an inferential system to form conclusions from sensory information.

2. Objectives of The Chapter
To Understand :
 Meaning of Perception
 Perception process
 sensation Vs perception
 Perception Errors
 conclusion

3. INTRODUCTION TO
PSYCHOLOGY
Perception

4. MEANING OF PERCEPTION
 The Process by which we come to know
the world around us…An individual’s
window to the world.
 Perception may be defined as the process
by which an individual selects, organizes and
interprets stimuli into a meaningful and
coherent picture of the environment in which
he lives.

5. “ WE DON’T SEE THINGS
AS THEY ARE,
WE SEE THINGS AS WE
ARE.”

8. Any movement you see is an illusion!

9. The Perceptual Process
1. Sensation
 An individual’s ability to
detect stimuli in the
immediate environment.
2. Selection
 The process a person
uses to eliminate some of
the stimuli that have
been sensed and to
retain others for further
processing.
3. Organization

The process of placing
selected perceptual
stimuli into a framework
for “storage.”
4. Translation

The stage of the
perceptual process at
which stimuli are
interpreted and given
meaning.

10. Perceptual process
Selecting Stimuli
External factors : Nature,
Receiving Stimuli
Location , Size , contrast,
Movement , repetition , similarity
Internal factors : Learning,
Needs , age , Interest,
(External & Internal)
Interpreting
Attribution ,Stereotyping,
Halo Effect, Projection
Organizing
Figure Background ,
Perceptual Grouping
( similarity, proximity,
closure, continuity)
Response
Covert: Attitudes ,
Motivation,
Feeling
Overt: Behavior

11. SENSATION
AND
PERCEPTION

13. SENSATION
 It is the activity of the senses.
 A state of emotional excitement.
TWO FACTORS IN ORDER FOR SENSATION
TO OCCUR:
1. There must be a stimulus.
2. There must be receptors that are
sensitive to the stimulus.

14. All five
senses
are……………….
 Sight
 Smell
 Hearing
 Feeling
 Taste

15. What is the difference between sensation and
perception?
• Sensation is gathering
info from the
environment via your
senses.
• Perception is
understanding what is
being sensed!

16. What do we call it when there is a mismatch
between sensation and perception – when
we misinterpret the info?

17. Perceptual errors
 The perceptual process may result in a person
making errors in judgement or understanding
of another person. The most common types
of perceptual errors are:
 Accuracy in judgment
 Perceptual defence
 Stereotyping
 The halo effect
 Projection
 Role of culture

18. Perceptual errors
 Accuracy in judgment
 Similarity error – assuming that people who are




similar to us ( in terms of background, interests and
hobbies) will behave like us.
Contrast error – comparing people to others rather
than to some absolute standard.
Overweighting of negative information – a tendency
to overreact to something negative.
Race, age, and gender bias – tendency to be more or
less positive based on one’s race, age, of sex.
First-impression error – forming first impressions that
are resistant to change.

19. Perceptual error
 Perceptual defence
 The tendency for people to protect themselves against
ideas, objects, or situations that are threatening.
o Stereotyping
 The belief that all members of a specific group share similar traits
and behaviours.
o Halo effect
 A tendency to colour everything we know about a person
because of one recognizable favourable or unfavourable trait.
o Projection
 tendency to see one’s traits in others.
o The role of culture –
 Culture influence our perception in selecting information and
exhibiting a behavioural pattern in situations

20. CONCLUSION
The Inferential System has its mysteries,
but we can also know a lot about it. This
chapter discussed how it works
automatically (does not need prompting or
direction from conscious) and how it
combines evidence from all of the sensory
modalities. There was also ample evidence
for the idea that we are conscious of just
the conclusions from the Inferential System
and cannot introspect into its processing.

21. THANK YOU
ANY QUESTION ??