Advanced Instructor Course
“It has been said that man is a
rational animal. All my life I have
been searching for evidence which
could support this.” - Bertrand
Russell
The student will be able to define Perception.
The student will be able to list the factors that
affect perception.
The student will be able to discuss how
perception and cognitive learning influence each
other.
The student will be able to discuss how social
environment determines Perception
In Ten Words or Less, Describe the Following:
An Italian Man
An English Butler
A Maine Lobster Fisherman
A Midwest Farmer
A California Girl
A Louisiana Shrimp Fisherman
PARIS
in the
the SPRING
The interpretation of sensory
information based on past
experiences.
The process by which we receive and
interpret information from the world
around us.
Perception is reality
“We see what we want to see,
according to what we believe we
know about it at the time.”
James Burke, The Day the Universe Changed
As humans, we are incapable
of perceiving “true” reality
because of our sensory and
cognitive processes
However we must remember
there is a distinction between
appearances and reality
If one can understand how the
world is perceived and
experienced by another person,
then one can predict that
person’s behavior
We perceive things as complete or
unified. We tend to “fill in” the missing
parts. A great deal of what we
“perceive” is actually inferred.
Receptors – our sensory system provides the means
for getting information
The Brain – interprets information sent by the body’s
receptors
Learning, Emotion, & Motivation – may differ
from culture to culture; Severe emotional trauma;
related to our motives
Perception is a circular process,
from the sensors to the brain
back to sensors and so on
All we know about the
environment is what we have
perceived
Active mental process of acquiring,
remembering, and using knowledge
Evidenced by change in knowledge, making
change in behavior possible
Not directly observable
Each student processes
information differently
This difference must be recognized
to ensure retention
External and environmental experiences
enhance and detract from the cognitive learning
process
Perception impacts cognitive learning in the
same way
Perception is itself an active, information seeking
process
You cannot know anything about the
environment except as you perceive or have
perceived it
In what we learn
In how we remember the past
In what we think about the future
Our social environment determines
what we perceive (and ignore) and
the way in which we cognitively
process that information
People see what they expect
(want) to see, and society is the
source of those expectations
Those expectations are derived
from what is learned through
interacting with each other and
direct personal experiences
Culture causes us to rank our
sensory data
Culture and society differences
are reflected in may different ways
These different perceptions create
boundaries
First and last impressions
The contrast effect
Self-esteem at stake
Personal needs
Ego-enhancing biases & illusions of control
False consensus bias
“Just” world
Many factors influence our
perception, our perception
ultimately influences our ability to
learn
I can make you rise or fall
I can make you a success or a failure.
I can work for you or against you.
I control your feelings and actions.
I can make your heart sing with happiness.
I can make you wretched, dejected or morbid.
I can make you angry or resentful.
I can make you lonely, discouraged or depressed.
I can make you sick and listless.
I can be a shackle, heavy and burdensome.
I can be a prism’s hue, dancing, bright and colorful.
I can be nurtured and grown to be beautiful.
I can never be removed, only replaced.
I am your Attitude…….. your Perception.
Questions?
 Federal Bureau of Investigation: Instructor Development Course, April 1999
 Perception, Attention, Learning, and Memory; National Institute of Mental
Health
 A Sociological Social Psychology: Social Factors Shaping Perception and
Decision-Making; http://www.trinity.edu/-mkearl/socpsy-5.html
 Perception; http://www.a2zpsychology.com/a2z%20guide/perception.htm
 Study Guide for Educational Psychology, 7th ed.; Anita Woolfolk, Elizabeth
Mowrer-Popiel, Prentice Hall, 1999
 Cognitive Learning and Memory, Doug Harris, 1995
 An Odyssey in Learning and Perception, Eleanor J. Gibson, A Bradford
Book, The MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 1991