Communication and Perception
Completion requirements
In the prior sections, you have learned about selection and organization as components of perception. This section will address how people interpret the information that they are receiving. Interpretation is the final component of perception. It is important to remember that people have different communication preferences. Some people want a face-to-face meeting or phone call; others will be fine with a letter or memorandum; others will still be fine with email or voicemail. As we work to communicate with people, pay attention to their preferences in communication as it will impact their interpretation of the message. This resource introduces the concept of the schemata that we use to interpret information. As you read the section on impressions, you will be able to apply that knowledge to your perceptions and use the information in your communication. You will also explore the effects of culture and personality, including the Big Five Personality traits.
Perception Process
Key Takeaways
- Perception is the process of selecting, organizing, and interpreting information. This process affects our communication because we respond to stimuli differently, whether they are objects or persons, based on how we perceive them.
- Given the massive amounts of stimuli taken in by our senses, we only select a portion of the incoming information to organize and interpret. We select information based on salience. We tend to find salient things that are visually or aurally stimulating and things that meet our needs and interests. Expectations also influence what information we select.
- We organize information that we select into patterns based on proximity, similarity, and difference.
- We interpret information using schemata, which allow us to assign meaning to information based on accumulated knowledge and previous experience.