Human Perception

Richard Dawkins, famous British ethologist, biologist, and author, stated, "after sleeping through a hundred million centuries we have finally opened our eyes on a sumptuous planet...to work at understanding the universe and how we have come to wake up in it” (thinkexist.com).

Dawkins points out that for a moment in Earth's history humans were given a chance to live in a world, which other species had the ability previously. Yet, humans have the innate ability to consciously create meanings about the world. For people to understand the world around them, they must perceive the reality that surrounds them. Perception allows us understand the world through selecting, organizing, and interpreting information. Yet, even though this process seems simple because it depends on the experiences of the person, the outcome of one's perception varies greatly. What does this mean about communication? As Julian Wood (2010) states, "perception shapes how we understand others' communication and how we ourselves communicate" (p. 68). Therefore, in order to be effective an effective communicator I have to learn how myself and others and perceive the world to increase understanding.

Sometimes when I am completing schoolwork, I turn on the television. This is habitual since most of the time I do not watch it but instead focus on my work. However, sometimes something interesting catches my attention from the television. Usually, it is an unexpectedly loud noise or the narrator says something out of the ordinary. For example, Old Spice's newer commercials feature a man who utters the weirdest things while the scene switches constantly. Generally, this process is considered selection which is taking information from the surroundings through the fi...

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...previous experiences. Problems in perception do not only happen with stereotypes but with every step in perception. During selection, one might exhibit selective distortion, where they only pay attention to information that fit their beliefs. This can cause them to miss important information. Likewise, in the interpretation stage, a person may have a self-serving bias, which is when someone attributes a good thing to themselves and blame bad things on something else. All of these problems make communication more challenging.

Therefore, it is in my best interest to understand the many issues in my perception process in order to be an effective communicator. As I continue to engage others, I will continually monitor my thoughts to see how well I am actively listening and to consider how people interpret their world to ensure misunderstandings remain at a minimum.