perceiving and interpreting what others do is burdensome. As a result, individuals develop techniques for making the task more manageable. These techniques are not foolproof. Several factors lead us to form inaccurate impressions of others. These barriers to perception are inaccurate impressions of others. These barriers to perception are:
Selective Perception: we receive a vast amount of information. Therefore, it is impossible for us to assimilate everything we see – only certain stimuli can be taken note of. That is why; the boss may reprimand some employees for doing something that – when done by another employee – goes unnoticed. Since we can have observed everything going on about us, we engage in selective perception.
Selective perception is also out tendency to choose information that supports our viewpoints; individuals often ignore information that makes them feel uncomfortable.
Selective perception allow us to “Speed –read” others, but not without the risk of drawing an inaccurate picture. Because we see what we want to see, we can draw unwarranted conclusions from an ambiguous situation. Our perception tends to be influenced more by an individual’s attitudes, interests, and background than by the stimulus itself.
1. Stereotype:
A stereotype is a generalization about a group of people. When we judge someone on the basis of our perception of the group to which he or she belongs, we are using the shortcut called stereotyping. Stereotypes reduce information about other people to a workable level, and they are efficient for compiling and using information. It is a means of simplifying a complex world and it permits us to maintain consistency. It is less difficult to deal with an unmanageable number of stimuli if we use stereotypes. Stereotypes can be accurate, and when they are accurate, they can be useful perceptual guidelines. However, most of the time, stereotypes are inaccurate.
2. Halo Effect:
The halo error in perception is very similar to stereotyping. In stereotyping the person is perceived according to a single category whereas under the halo effect the person is perceived on the basis of one trait.
3. First-impression error:
Individuals place a good deal of importance on first impressions. First impressions are lasting impressions. We tend to remember what we perceive firs about a person, and sometimes we are quite reluctant to change out initial impressions. First-impression error means the tendency to form lasting opinions about an individual based on initial perceptions. Primacy effects can be particularly dangerous in interviews, given that we form first impressions quickly and that these impressions may be the basis for long-term employment relationships.
4. Projection:
It is easy to judge others if we assume they are similar to us. This tendency to attribute one’s characteristics to other people is called projection. Projection can distort perceptions made about others. People who engage in projection tend to perceive others according to what they are like, rather than according to what the person being observed is really like. When managers engage in projection, they compromise their ability to respond to individual differences. They tend to see people as more homogeneous than they really are.
5. Self-Fulfilling prophecies:
Self-fulfilling prophecies are situations in which our expectations about people affect our interaction with them in such a way that our expectations are fulfilled. Self-fulfilling prophecy is also known as the Pygmalion effect, named after a sculptor in Greek mythology who carved a statue of a girl that came to life when he prayed for this boon and it was granted.
The Pygmalion effect has been observed in work organizations as well. A manager’s expectations of an individual affect both the manager’s behaviour toward the individual and the individual’s response. For example, suppose a manager has an initial impression of an employee as having the potential to move up within the organization. Chances are that the manager will spend a great deal of time coaching and counseling the employee, providing challenging assignments and grooming the individual for success.
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