Advanced Instructor Course

Texas Commission on Law Enforcement

“It has been said that man is a rational animal. All my life I have been searching for evidence which could support this.” - Bertrand Russell

PERCEPTION

The student will be able to define Perception.

The student will be able to list the factors that affect perception.

The student will be able to discuss how perception and cognitive learning influence each other.

The student will be able to discuss how social environment determines Perception

Learning Objectives

Class ExcerciseIn Ten Words or Less, Describe the Following:

An Italian Man

An English Butler

A Maine Lobster Fisherman

A Midwest Farmer

A California Girl

A Louisiana Shrimp Fisherman

PARIS

in the

the SPRING

The interpretation of sensory information based on past

experiences.

Perception is:

The process by which we receive and interpret information from the world around us.

Perception is:

Perception is reality

For most people

“We see what we want to see, according to what we believe we know about it at the time.”

James Burke, The Day the Universe Changed

What do you see?

What do you see?

What do you see?

As humans, we are incapable of perceiving “true” reality because of our sensory and cognitive processes

However we must remember there is a distinction between appearances and reality

If one can understand how the world is perceived and experienced by another person, then one can predict that person’s behavior

We perceive things as complete or unified. We tend to “fill in” the missing parts. A great deal of what we “perceive” is actually inferred.

Principle of Closure

Various factors influence “what” and “how” we perceive our environment

Receptors – our sensory system provides the means for getting information

The Brain – interprets information sent by the body’s receptors

Learning, Emotion, & Motivation – may differ from culture to culture; Severe emotional trauma; related to our motives

Perception is a circular process, from the sensors to the brain back to sensors and so on

All we know about the environment is what we have perceived

Active mental process of acquiring, remembering, and using knowledge

Evidenced by change in knowledge, making change in behavior possible

Not directly observable

Cognitive Learning Theory

Each student processes information differently

This difference must be recognized to ensure retention

External and environmental experiences enhance and detract from the cognitive learning process

Perception impacts cognitive learning in the same way

Perception is itself an active, information seeking process

You cannot know anything about the environment except as you perceive or have perceived it

In what we learn

In how we remember the past

In what we think about the future

PERCEPTION makes us selective:

Our social environment determines what we perceive (and ignore) and the way in which we cognitively process that information

People see what they expect (want) to see, and society is the source of those expectations

Those expectations are derived from what is learned through interacting with each other and direct personal experiences

Culture causes us to rank our sensory data

Culture and society differences are reflected in may different ways

These different perceptions create boundaries

First and last impressions

The contrast effect

Self-esteem at stake

Personal needs

Ego-enhancing biases & illusions of control

False consensus bias

“Just” world

In addition to culture and society, perception is biased by:

Many factors influence our perception, our perception ultimately influences our ability to learn

I can make you rise or fall I can make you a success or a failure. I can work for you or against you. I control your feelings and actions. I can make your heart sing with happiness. I can make you wretched, dejected or morbid. I can make you angry or resentful. I can make you lonely, discouraged or depressed. I can make you sick and listless. I can be a shackle, heavy and burdensome.

I am your Master

I can be a prism’s hue, dancing, bright and colorful.

I can be nurtured and grown to be beautiful. I can never be removed, only replaced.

I am your Attitude…….. your

Perception.

I am your Master

Questions?

Federal Bureau of Investigation: Instructor Development Course, April 1999

Perception, Attention, Learning, and Memory; National Institute of Mental Health

A Sociological Social Psychology: Social Factors Shaping Perception and Decision-Making; http://www.trinity.edu/-mkearl/socpsy-5.html

Perception; http://www.a2zpsychology.com/a2z%20guide/perception.htm

Study Guide for Educational Psychology, 7th ed.; Anita Woolfolk, Elizabeth Mowrer-Popiel, Prentice Hall, 1999

Cognitive Learning and Memory, Doug Harris, 1995

An Odyssey in Learning and Perception, Eleanor J. Gibson, A Bradford Book, The MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 1991

Bibliography