PERSON PERCEPTION PROCESS

THE FUNDAMENTALSTHE FUNDAMENTALS

COUNT THE NUMBER OF F'S IN THE BOX

• FINISHED FILES ARE RESULT OF YEARS

OF SCIENTIFIC STUDY COMBINED

WITH THE EXPERIENCE OF

MANY YEARS

PLEASE READ THE SAYING

Parisin the

the Springtime

• Drove up a newcomer in a covered wagon; "What kind of folks live around here?" "Well, stranger, what kind of folks was there in the country you come from?" "Well, they was mostly a lowdown, lying, gossiping, backbiting, lot of people." "Well, I guess, stranger, that's about the kind of folks you'll find around here." And the dusty gray stranger had just about blended into the dusty gray cottonwoods in a clump on the horizon when another drove up. "What kind of folks live around here?" "What kind of folks was there in the country you come from?" "Well, they was mostly a decent, hardworking, law abiding, friendly lot of people." "Well, I guess, stranger, that's about the kind of people you'll find around here." And the second wagon moved off and blended with the dusty gray

• From the THE PEOPLE YES, by Carl Sandburg, 1936.

Estimated Relationship Potential

PERSON PERCEPTION PERSON PERCEPTION PROCESSPROCESS

Based on summary of research findings in Person Perception, Schneider, Hastrof, & Ellsworth

1. ATTRACTION1. ATTRACTION• STIMULUSSTIMULUS

–Appearance, context, behavior Appearance, context, behavior streamstream

• OUTPUTOUTPUT–Selecting and categorizing.Selecting and categorizing.

2. SNAP JUDGMENT2. SNAP JUDGMENT• STIMULUSSTIMULUS

– Categorized appearance and behaviorCategorized appearance and behavior• OUTPUTOUTPUT

– Immediate emotional reactions Immediate emotional reactions (attraction or withdrawal and (attraction or withdrawal and stereotyped judgments)stereotyped judgments)

3. ATTRIBUTIONS3. ATTRIBUTIONS• REACTIVEREACTIVE

• STIMULUSSTIMULUS– Behavior units where Behavior units where

the perceiver believes the perceiver believes the actor is responding the actor is responding to a powerful internal or to a powerful internal or external stimulusexternal stimulus

• OUTPUTOUTPUT– A causal hypothesis as A causal hypothesis as

to why the behavior to why the behavior occurred....occurred....

• PURPOSIVEPURPOSIVE• STIMULUSSTIMULUS

– Behavior units where Behavior units where the experience is the experience is dominated by dominated by intentionality on the part intentionality on the part of actor.of actor.

• OUTPUTOUTPUT– The attribution of a trait, The attribution of a trait,

intention, attitude, or intention, attitude, or abilityability

Attribution: When and how Attribution: When and how people form causal inferencespeople form causal inferences

• Fundamental Attribution ErrorFundamental Attribution Error• Actor-Observer EffectActor-Observer Effect

• Self-based (false) consensus effectSelf-based (false) consensus effect• Defensive AttributionsDefensive Attributions

• Self-serving Attributional biasSelf-serving Attributional bias• Self-centered Bias Self-centered Bias

4. TRAIT IMPLICATIONS4. TRAIT IMPLICATIONS• STIMULUSSTIMULUS

– The attribution of a The attribution of a traittrait

• OUTPUTOUTPUT– The hypothesis that The hypothesis that

certain other traits also certain other traits also exist.exist.

5. IMPRESSION FORMATION5. IMPRESSION FORMATION

• STIMULUSSTIMULUS– Perceiver’s hypothesis that a group of Perceiver’s hypothesis that a group of

traits are attributed to the actortraits are attributed to the actor• OUTPUTOUTPUT

– The formation of a general judgment, The formation of a general judgment, often likability. Organization of stimuli.often likability. Organization of stimuli.

6. PREDICTION OF 6. PREDICTION OF FUTURE BEHAVIORFUTURE BEHAVIOR

• STIMULUSSTIMULUS– Behavior units, snap judgments, traits, Behavior units, snap judgments, traits,

general impressionsgeneral impressions• OUTPUTOUTPUT

– Prediction as to how a person will Prediction as to how a person will behave in certain classes of situations. behave in certain classes of situations.