A woman sits alone on the curb just outside of a busy storefront. She appears to be dirty,
disoriented, and not dressed appropriately for present weather conditions. You may
perceive this woman to be homeless, drunk, or under the influence of an illegal substance.
Your perception of this woman is colored by the experiences you have had in your life. In
truth, this woman recently buried her 18 year old son after a fatal car accident and is
having trouble with social norms through her grief. Now that you know the truth would
that have changed how you originally perceived her? I’ve conducted a small experiment in
perception that I’d like to share with you to give you a better understanding of how our
perceptions work. I will first explain of the process of perception, followed by a
description of my observers and how their backgrounds may influence their perception of
the world. Finally, I will give an analysis of my observers’ description of a photo that they
all viewed independently of each other.
According to Communication in a changing world, perception is the process of assigning
meaning to sensory information and experiences (Dobkin & Pace, 2006 page 67). It is
widely understood by those that study the functions of the brain and human behavior that
the process of perception happens in three steps. These steps are selection, organization,
and interpretation. Selection occurs when we “focus on some sensory stimuli rather than
others” (page 69). Witnessing a hit and run accident but not knowing the color of the car
that drove off is a great example. It’s a way of saying certain stimuli grab our attentions
more than another even if they are near each other. From there organization is needed to
group the information we have gained in order for it to be understand. Organization begins
when “we place stimuli in a category or mental box to aid in retention and give it
meaning” (page 74).Consider this; your new neighbor brings over a welcome basket of
muffins to your new house and starts questioning what type of work you’re doing in the
back yard because she has seen the workers there for several days. At first you may
mentally organize her as being friendly, but your perception of her question now organizes
her as being nosey. The final step in this process of perception is interpretation. In this step
one determines the meaning of an event or interaction (page 80).For example, you see a
