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Social perception is a term in social psychology that defines an individual’s ability to create an impression or judgment of other individuals or social groups. This is formed through observation and understanding existing information about an individual and drawing out conclusions from the information. This kind of perception is classified under social cognition, the brain’s ability to store and process available information associated with creatures of the same species. Aside from available information, observers with different moods and temperament can account for a variety of perceptions (http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-social-perception.htm)Social perception allows individuals to make judgments and impressions about other people. It is primarily based on observation, although pre-existing knowledge influences how we perceive an observation. A person’s smile or smirk towards a subject can hugely influence another person’s opinion of it, whether positive or negative. Social perception is an individual’s way of making order of his environment and perceiving a person or an object as such can greatly determine the individual’s actions. (wisegeek). How we perceive our world, shapes our reality of it. Perception enhances and gives substance to the information we collect via our five senses. It helps us understand ourselves and our environment. Social psychologists also began to conduct studies on social perception - a fundamental cornerstone within the field of social psychology (Baron et al, 2006). The main goal is to first define what is meant by the term social perception, then examine two main aspects of social perception: non-verbal communication channels and attribution. Specifically, attention is given to addressing what non-verbal communication channels are and the substantial impacts they can have on our thoughts, feelings, and ultimately the inferences we make about other people. Non-verbal communication is the term used to define communication that takes place between our self and others without the use of words (Baron et al, 2006). An example of non-verbal communication channels can be found from inferences we draw about another's appearance. This could involve how they dress, their stature, and other physical qualities they possess. Attributions are the explanations we infer while observing others, that help us to define the assessments we make about why others behave the way they do and make predictions as to how they will behave in the future (Baron et al, 2006). (http://voices.yahoo.com/aspects-social-perception-within-field-social-2315168.html) Contents [hide] 1 Theories studied 2 Social Categorization 2.1 Active vs. Passive Perceivers 2 Testing 3 Self concept 3.1 Theories of the development of the self concept 3.1.1 M. Lewis's Existential and Categorical selves 3.1.2 Carl Roger's Components of the Self-Concept 3.1.2.1 Self-Image 3.1.2.2 Ideal Self 3.1.2.3 Self-Esteem and Self-Worth 4 Bias 5 See also 6 References 7 Sources Theories studied[edit]

Implicit personality theory Social perception gives individuals the tools to recognize how others affect their personal lives. They help individuals to form impressions of others by providing the necessary information about how people usually behave across situations. One proposal to explain how social perceptions provide information needed for impression formation is by approaching the behavior with an implicit personality theory outlook. Implicit personality theories state that if an individual observes certain traits in another person, s/he tends to assume that his or her other personality traits are concurrent with the initial trait. These assumptions help us to make quick judgments about the character of an individual. It also helps us to "categorize" people so that we can infer additional information about them and predict their behavior.[1] Social perception refers to the initial stages in which people process information in order to determine another individual's mind-set and intentions.[2] It is combined with the cognitive ability to pay attention to and interpret a range of different social factors that may include: verbal messages, tone, non-verbal behavior, and knowledge of social relationships and an understanding of social goals.[3] Social perception is a key component of social interaction and social skills. A key aspect of social interaction is the process of figuring out what others are thinking and feeling which is also referred to as Theory of Mind (ToM).[4] Attribution theory How do we attach meaning to other's behavior, or our own? This is called attribution theory. “Attribution theory deals with how the social perceiver uses information to arrive at causal explanations for events. It examines what information is gathered and how it is combined to form a causal judgment” (Fiske & Taylor, 1991). Attribution theory is concerned with how and why ordinary people explain events as they do. Heider (1958) believed that people are naive psychologists trying to make sense of the social world and people tend to see cause and effect relationships even where there is none! (http://www.simplypsychology.org/attribution-theory.html) Within this broad field, those investigators interested in cognitive processes have focused primarily on the antecedents-attributions link and those interested in the dynamics of behavior, on the attributions-consequences link. Thus, it is possible to draw a rough distinction between what might be called "attribution" and "attributional" research. The first involves systematic assessment or manipulation of antecedents. There is no interest in consequences beyond the attributions themselves, and they are generally measured directly by verbal report. "Attributional" research concerns the consequences of attributions. It entails assessment or manipulation of perceived causes and measurement of their effects on behavior, feelings, and expectancies. There are attributional theories of such diverse things as achievement motivation, romantic love, and aggression. What these two types of research have in common is an interest in the causal explanations given for events by ordinary people. In both cases, causal attributions are assumed to play a central role in human behavior. They constitute the person's understanding of the causal structure of the world and, therefore, are important determinants of his interaction with that world (http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/pdf/10.1146/annurev.ps.31.020180.002325).

Social Categorization

Social Categorization is a form of mental shortcut that occurs when we perceive someone. This mechanism is an unconscious process that picks up on the perceived characteristics of an individual and associates them with others who have similar characteristics. Some of the characteristics that are most often perceived are: gender, age, and race (British Journal of Social Psychology 2010. 49. 43-67). This process occurs so that judgments can be produced quickly, based on previous encounters. People’s minds are then able to focus on more in-depth observations. Social categorization can be a useful process for understanding behavior as well as predicting a person’s actions based on what the perceiver has experienced before. Additionally, once a category of characteristics is formed, one is able to mentally gain access to this information more quickly than they would have with new information (Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 30, 370-389. 1994). However, socially categorizing people is a method of stereotyping, which creates implications in social settings. Stereotyping can lead to biases, even when the perceiver is not aware of their mental process (Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 30, 370-389. 1994). In addition to the physical categorizations, behavioral categorizations also take place as a result of perception. In this case, situational cues may be used to understand what behavior a person is doing, and the reason behind their actions (Gilbert et. al 1988).

Active vs. Passive Perceivers When a person perceives another individual, their interaction and social setting can impact how the individual is perceived. When people are not directly involved in a social interaction, they are passive perceivers. This could occur in situations where an individual is only an observer. In these cases, the observer is likely to have less cognitive load, or distractions from their perceptions (Gilbert et. al 1988). An active perceiver is directly involved in social interactions, and therefore will often have more context clues when it comes to correcting initial perceptions.

Testing[edit]

TASIT (The Awareness of Social Inference Test) is an audiovisual test that was created for the clinical assessment of social perception. The test is based upon several critical components of social perception that are critical to social competence using complex, dynamic, visual, and auditory cues to assess these critical components. The test assesses the ability to identify emotions, a skill that is impaired in many clinical conditions. It also assesses the ability to judge what a speaker maybe thinking or what their intentions are for the other person in the conversation, also referred to as Theory of Mind. Lastly, the test was developed to assess the ability to differentiate between literal and non-literal conversational remarks. The test is divided into three parts to measure; emotion, social inference – minimal, and social inference enriched. The test is composed of scenes, or vignettes, and those being assessed are asked to identify the emotions, a, feelings, beliefs, intentions, and meanings of the interactions. They are also assessed on more complex interactions to assess ability to interpret sarcasm.[1] The results of this testing assess the level of social perception of an individual. TASIT has adequate psychometric properties as a clinical test of social perception. It is not overly prone to practice effects and is reliable for repeat administrations. Performance on TASIT is affected by information processing speed, working memory, new learning and executive functioning, but the uniquely social material that comprises the stimuli for TASIT will provide useful insights into the particular difficulties people with clinical conditions experience when interpreting complex social phenomena.[1] Self concept[edit]

According to Carl Rogers (1959), the self-concept is, "the organized, consistent set of perceptions and beliefs about oneself.” Each person has their own self-concept that reflects all of their personal attributes, beliefs and attitudes. In summary, a self-concept is the evaluation of one's self and the things that make up the self. The Development of the self-concept starts in early childhood. although how it develops and the distinct stages are still debated, Rogers(1959). Some of the most influential theories of the development of the self-concept come from M. Lewis, C. Rogers, E. Erikson, J. Brooks-Gunn and Jean Piaget. Furthermore, one's self perception can also be influenced by the clothes that one wears. For instance, Hajo Adam found that when participants wore what they thought was a doctor's lab coat, they gained better attention skills. [2] Theories of the development of the self concept[edit] M. Lewis's Existential and Categorical selves[edit] Lewis (1990) believed that there were two key aspects of the self-concept; the existential self and the categorical self. Lewis argued that the existential self is the most fundamental aspect of the self-concept. The existential self is the awareness of being your own unit separate from everything else. When children develop their existential selves they become aware of themselves as individuals, separate from all other things they can see around them. Children who have developed their existential selves can grasp the concept that they are continuous beings who will continue to exist despite changes across situations and environments. The existential self appears between two and three months of age. Lewis (1990) believes that the existential self may present so early because of the connection the child has to the world. For example, babies might notice that the TV screens change consistently yet the rooms the televisions are in, as well as they themselves, do not change. Lewis described the categorical self as developing post-existential self once children gather an understanding of themselves as a separate entities in the world. The development of the categorical self allows children to identify themselves as having observable qualities and assets. A child will learn to identify her- or himself as a boy or a girl, or 2 years old versus three years old, qualities that can be experienced and that have specific aspects. At first, children only link basic and tangible qualities like age and gender. But as children grow older their categorical selves begin to include evaluations from others, comparisons and internal, psychological attributes. Lewis (1990).[3] Carl Roger's Components of the Self-Concept[edit] Rogers (1959) took a humanistic approach to the self-concept. He argued that the self-concept is constructed from three different components that he called self-esteem (or self-worth), self-image and the ideal self. These three components of the self-concept are always unique and specific to each person. Rogers believed that we will evaluate our self-worth higher if our self-image and ideal-self are harmonious. When an individual acts in a way that is not fitting with the self-image, Roger's believes them to be in a ‘state of incongruence'. Self-Image[edit] Self-image is a compilation of the things seen in oneself whether they be internal, external or social attributes. In simple terms, self-image is what an individual sees in his- or herself. Self-image is not based on reality but rather on the individual's perception. This is why many anorexic women believe themselves to be overweight when they are, in reality, grossly underweight. Self-image is influenced by many aspects of an individual's personal and social life including, parents, friends, anxiety, stress etc. Rogers (1959). A study done in China attempted to see the relationship between body image depression and self regard. The results showed that self regard is negatively impacted by an overall body image depression. Girls scored lowered than boys and students who lived in the city scored lowered compared to the ones who lived in the country side. [4] Ideal Self[edit] The ideal self is the evaluation of what an individual would like to be. In simpler terms, it is the mental model of your “perfect” self. (Rogers, 1959). Often, the ideal self is not aligned with the individuals' capabilities in their current situations. This creates incongruity between the ideal self and the self-image. It is unusual to achieve complete congruence. (Rogers, 1959). Self-Esteem and Self-Worth[edit] Self-esteem is the assessment of one's own self-worth. In other words, it's the importance or value one attributes to oneself. When assessing one's own self-esteem, the evaluation can be positive, which indicates higher self-esteem, or negative, indicating low self-esteem. (Rogers, 1959) High self-esteem has been associated with optimism, confidence and self-acceptance, whereas low-self esteem has been linked to pessimism, consistent worrying and a deficiency in confidence. (Rogers, 1959).[5]

Bias[edit]

Social bias is defined as "prejudicial attitudes towards particular groups, races, sexes, or religions, including the conscious or unconscious expression of these attitudes in writing, speaking, etc (social)." There are many different causes and many theories behind any one of the many effects of Social Bias. Some of the major effects are Self Dunning-Kruger Effect – Describes an effect by which people may perform badly at a task, but lack the mental capability to evaluate and recognize that they have done poorly (Hawes). Egocentric Bias – The tendency to give more credit to ourselves from positive outcomes than an observer. Overconfidence Bias – Overestimating one's own confidence (part of the Dunning-Kruger Effect). Forer Effect (Barnum Effect) – Placing high belief in a general description thinking it was meant specifically for an individual, aka horoscopes Group Status Quo Bias – Tendency to favor certain circumstances because they are familiar. Ingroup Bias – Behaving a certain way to become more favorable in a group Stereotyping – Attributing traits to people based on certain traits of the group. Interaction Halo Effect – Tendency to believe in the nature of a person (good/bad) based on general traits of people False Consensus – Assuming others agree with what we do (even though they may not). Projection Bias – Assuming others share the same beliefs as us. Actor-observed Bias – Tendency to blame our actions on the situation and blame the action of others based on their personalities See also[edit]

Interpersonal perception Joint attention References[edit]

^ Jump up to: a b McDonald, Bornhofen, Shum, Long, Saunders, & Neulinger, 2006 Jump up ^ Blakeslee, Sandra. "Mind Games: Sometimes a White Coat Isn’t Just a White Coat". The New York Times. Retrieved 9/19/13. Jump up ^ Lewis, M. (1990). Self-knowledge and social development in early life, Handbook of personality, 277-300. Jump up ^ Yabing, Gao; Wenbo, P., Bowei, L., Lihua, Z., & Lihong, Y. (26 Feb 2007). "A Study on the Relationship between Body Image Depression and Self-regard of High School and College Students". Psychological Science (China) 29 (4): 973–975. Retrieved 3 April 2013. Jump up ^ Rogers, Carl. (1959). A Theory of Therapy, Personality and Interpersonal Relationships as Developed in the Client-centered Framework. Psychology: A Study of a Science; Formulations of the Person and the Social Context, 3, 235-246. Jump up ^ Erikson, E. (1966). Eight ages of men. International journal of psychiatry, 2, 281-300. Sources[edit]

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