Exam 4: Interpersonal Perception

Many people believe strongly in the notion that "seeing is believing." However, research has shown that perceptual sets can cause people to "see" things that aren't really there, or not to see things that are. Why do you think people have so much confidence that what they see reflects reality? Is it simply because they are ignorant of the research, or do you think most people would continue to think that "seeing is believing," even if they were aware of perceptual sets? Defend your answer with reasoned arguments.

Which of the following processes is at work when we are able to recall only information that confirms our existing stereotypes?

Overattribution is essentially the same thing as the primacy effect.

Physiology exerts several effects on interpersonal perception.

Rick and Jamie recently started dating. To commemorate their first month as a couple, Rick surprised Jamie when he picked her up at work in a rented limousine with floor-level tickets to a concert. After the show, Rick was very upset because Jamie would barely speak to him. Jamie was also upset because she was planning on surprising Rick with a quiet dinner at home. After two days of angry fighting, the couple broke up. What was likely at the root of this conflict?

A fellow student in one of your communication classes, Rose, starts acting particularly nice to you in the weeks leading up to the first exam. Classmates have frequently treated you this way in the past in the hope that you will help them study. As a result, you are suspicious of Rose's motives. In this scenario, you are likely basing your suspicions on:

Angela had just been promoted to department chair at the college where she taught. Although she treated everyone the same, several of the male professors in the department were put off by Angela's requests. As a result, the female professors thought of Angela as fair and equitable in her treatment, but the male professors began resenting her and openly challenging her position on several issues. The male professors probably treated Angela that way because:

People "see" faces in all sorts of natural phenomena, including clouds, tree bark, and even rocks on Mars. That is an example of which perception-making process?