Chapter 6
Perception and
Individual Decision Making
Kevin Bryan G. Doria
WHAT IS PERCEPTION?
Perception is a process by which individuals
organize and interpret their sensory
impressions in order to give meaning to
their environment.
In organizational behavior, perception
is important because people act not
based on reality itself, but on how
they perceive reality.
Factors that influence
Perception :
Perceiver
Target
Context
PERSON PERCEPTION:
MAKING JUDGEMENT ABOUT OTHERS
Person Perception means the judgments we make
about other people. In organizational behavior, this
is very important because much of our work involves
interacting with others.
In reality, many of our perceptions of people are
shaped by first impressions and small cues,
sometimes with little evidence.
Attribution theory
Attribution theory tries to explain the ways we judge
people differently, depending on the meaning we
attribute to a behavior. When we observe an
individual’s behavior, we attempt to determine
whether it was internally or externally caused.
Example: If a student is late to class:
• Internal Attribution
You think, He is irresponsible and doesn’t
value time.
• External Attribution
Traffic was really heavy this morning, so he
couldn’t avoid being late.
THREE DETERMINANTS OF ATTRIBUTION
Distinctiveness
If unusual = external cause. If usual = internal
cause
Consensus
If many are late because of traffic, that’s external. If
only one person is late, that’s internal.
Consistency
If always late = internal. If only rarely late =
external
ATTRIBUTION ERRORS AND BIASES
Fundamental attribution error
Tendency to underestimate the influence of external
factors and overestimate that of internal factors
Self Serving Bias
Occurs when individuals overestimate their own
(internal) influence on successes and overestimate
the external influences on their failures
Cultural Difference
Cultural differences encompass the diverse ways in
which societies express their values, beliefs, and
behaviors
COMMON SHORTCUT
IN JUDGING OTHERS
Selective Perception
Halo Effect
Contrast Effect
Stereotyping
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