PERCEPTION

Meaning of Perception
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.
 Sensation Vs Perception
Sensation deals with the basic behavior of an
individual, caused by his physiological functions.
Perception is the process by which an individual
selects, organizes and interprets stimuli into a
meaningful and coherent picture of the
environment in which he lives.
 Perceptual Selectivity
Though people are exposed to several stimuli ,
they tend to select only a few at a given point of
time, this is perceptual selectivity.

Subliminal Perception : when the stimuli is so

subtle that an individual may not even be
conscious that he is exposed to some stimulus.
 Factors Influencing Perceptual Selectivity

External Attention Internal Set Factors

Factors
Intensity Learning and
Perception
Size
Contrast Motivation and
Repetition Perception
Motion Personality and
Novelty and Perception
familiarity
External Attention Factors
Intensity
According to the intensity principle of attention,
the intensity of an external stimulus determines its
probability of being perceived.
Example:
Light Colour Bright Colour
 External Attention Factors

Size:
A larger object is more likely to be noticed
than a smaller object.
Example:
Which you can read fast?

God is great God is great

 External Attention Factors
Contrast: According to the principles of contrast, the
stimuli that contradict most with the background or the
expectations of people receive maximum attention.
Example: Which white square is smaller?
 External Attention Factors Contd

Motion:
People gives more attention to moving
objects than the stationery objects.
Example:
Moving object Stationery object
 External Attention Factors Contd
Repetition Novelty and Familiarity:
The more number of New objects in a
familiar situation or
times a stimulus is
familiar objects in a
repeated, the more it is new situation draw the
likely to be noticed perceivers attention.
Forms of Perceptual Organization
Figure-ground
Perceptual Grouping
Closure
Continuity
Proximity
Similarity
Perceptual Constancy
Perceptual Context
Perceptual Defense
Perceptual Organization

Figure-ground:

In perceiving stimuli or phenomena, the

tendency is to keep certain phenomena in focus
and other phenomena in background.
Perceptual
Perceptual Grouping
Grouping

An individual tends to group several stimuli

together into a recognizable pattern.
Various forms
Closure
Continuity
Proximity
Similarity
 Linkage Between Perception and Individual
Decision-making
Perception has a crucial role in individual decision-
making in organizations, by affecting both the decision
as well as the quality of the decision.
The decision taken by an individual is a complex process
involving the intake of data, screening procession and
interpreting and evaluating of data, based on the
perceptions of the individual.
 Theories of Perception
Bottom-up theories
Parts are identified, put together, and
then recognition occurs

Top-down theories
People actively construct perceptions
using information based on
expectations
 Top-Down Processing
(Constructive Approach)
Perception is not automatic from raw
stimuli
Processing is needed to build
perception
Top-down processing occurs quickly and
involves making inferences, guessing
from experience, and basing one
perception on another