Perception

Perception 1

Perception and Decision Making

Megan Owens

Professor Eutsler

February 23, 2009

Perception, as stated in the interaction module is a process by which people organize and interpret their sensory impressions in order to give meaning to the world around them. However, what one perceives can be very different from actual reality. So when it comes to decision making in a business, one must consider all of the options given to them. They have to consider how it would affect the business, would it improve sales or steady them. A major decision like designing a luxury car can make or break the company. For instance if a manger is looking to hire a design team then he/she would look into background information. Which person has done this kind of work before and for how long, there’s so much to think about while making an important decision like this.

Some factors that might influence a person’s perception could lie in the perceiver or in the context of the situation. Personal characteristics such as personality, beliefs, attitudes, and motives could affect the way a person

Perception 2

perceives another individual. It’s actually a very normal reaction for people; many people base their decision on personal characteristics rather then actual facts or experience. If I wore jeans, a tee shirt, and tore up shoes to a local carnival people wouldn’t think any thing of it. However if I work that same outfit to a rehearsal dinner people would look at me like a bum off the street. They would judge me on what I was wearing, not by who I am and what I have to offer.

What the book means by context of the situation is what I had mentioned in the above paragraph. My attitude didn’t change, nor did my interest or beliefs; but because I was placed in two different situations one might have a different perception of me during the carnival then one might have at the rehearsal dinner.

During the simulation I had to...