COMM 222 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Fundamental Attribution Error, Subjective Constancy, Dispositional Attribution

• School: Concordia University
• Department: Commerce
• Course: COMM 222
• Professor: Barbara Reda

Document Summary

Perception - interpreting sense msgs to provide order and meaning to environment. Components of perception: perceiver, target being perceived, situational context where perception occurring. Experience (especially influential), needs, and emotions can affect perceptions of target. Perceptual defence - tendency for perceptual system to defend perceiver against unpleasant emotions. Perceiver does not or cannot always use all the information provided by the target. Reduction in ambiguity might not be accompanied by greater accuracy. Most important effect that the situation can have is to add information about the target. Social identity theory - states that people form perceptions of themselves based on their personal characteristics and memberships in social categories. Hence, sense of self composed of personal identity and social identity. Personal identity: based on our unique personal characteristics. Social identity: based on our perception that we belong to various social groups. Prototype: embodies the most typical attributes of that category.