Perception is the process by which individuals organize and interpret their sensory impressions to give meaning to their environment. There are several stages in the perceptual process including sensation, selection, organization, and translation. Factors that influence perception include attributes of the perceiver such as attitudes and expectations, attributes of the target being perceived such as size and motion, and situational factors such as time and social setting. Perceptual organization involves grouping stimuli into recognizable patterns through processes like figure-ground differentiation and perceptual grouping based on factors like proximity and similarity. When making judgments about others, people use shortcuts like selective perception, halo effects, stereotyping, and projection.