The perceptual process is polluted, especially in the interpretation and evaluation stages, by these influences:
Implicit Personality Theory
If someone shows characteristics in some areas, it's assumed they have similar characteristics as well. For the Lexus boosting Latina, she was evaluated as bad because of her context. Finish this sentence - Young Latinas in Vegas are _______________. Chances are the verbs to follow are as negative as the behavior of breaking into a car. If you don't view that behavior as negative, the implication may go neutral or positive.
If we perceive someone as witty, charming, and smart, according to the theory, we may also see them trustworthy. Assumptions are created based on a little or limited information. Ted Bundy was witty, charming and smart.
The Primacy-Recency Effect
This is an influence based on first or last impressions. We don't give the benefit of the doubt that the person has somehow changed since the impression. This is an influence that plays out in the temporal context.
My first impression of the young mother was dead wrong.
My first impression of the young mother was dead wrong.
Attribution
This is an influence of assigning motive to action. The young woman's action was trying to get her car open after locking her keys and her newborn baby inside it. She did so by trying to break into the car with a device. I assigned a motive to this action.
Keeping these influences in check means developing a psychological noise that recognizes the process and deals with the influences, making the evaluation more valid.
Keeping our own judgements at bay is imperative when assessing what may be a threat. The temporal context permitting, the more information we gather without preconception or prejudice, the more apt we are in finding meaning in nonverbal manifestations that speak contrary to existing contexts. Remember, the idea here is to recognize and engage threatening behavior before it may escalate to violence.
Keeping these influences in check means developing a psychological noise that recognizes the process and deals with the influences, making the evaluation more valid.
Keeping our own judgements at bay is imperative when assessing what may be a threat. The temporal context permitting, the more information we gather without preconception or prejudice, the more apt we are in finding meaning in nonverbal manifestations that speak contrary to existing contexts. Remember, the idea here is to recognize and engage threatening behavior before it may escalate to violence.
