The first step in the perception process is

            In this chapter, I learned the most about the perception process. The perception process consists of four steps: selection, organization, interpretation and negotiation. In the third chapter of our textbook, it defines selection as the stimuli that we choose to attend to. This is the part of perception where we block most other stimuli and focus on the ones that stand out most to us. The second step in the process is organization. This is defined as the step when we arrange the information that we have selected in a meaningful way. In our brains, we have ‘files’ where we store things that we have learned. This is the point in the process when we decide where each stimuli goes. This is also the step in which stereotyping is categorized.  The third step is interpretation. The book defines interpretation as the time when we interpret things in a way that makes sense to us in some sort of way. The final step is negotiation. Negotiation is a big part of sense-making that occurs between and among people that have an influence on each other when they try to reach a shared perception. Each person can interpret the same stimulus in different ways as well as organize them differently. Perception is different for every person.  

                The story in this chapter is “Looking at Diversity” (104). It is about a man who has had issue with the perception process since he was a little boy because he had a disorder. ADD, or attention deficit disorder, causes people to be inattentive, easily distracted, very impulsive and sometimes even hyperactive. This story states many of the issues that ADD kids face until they receive help for it. Jason said that he was singled out for not paying attention in class and he would often times blurt out whatever was on his mind. This showed me how important the perception process is and how often we take it for granted. It also explained to me how the process actually works. If you couldn’t select certain stimuli then you wouldn’t be a good communicator. That also goes for the other steps in the process. ADD proves that each and every person perceives things differently.

                 In this video by Jenna Marbles, it is evident that it is stereotypical of boys. Stereotyping is a part of the organization process. Stereotyping is making judgments and assumptions against members of groups in which they fit. An example is what girls do in the morning while they are getting ready for the day in the bathroom. Jenna Marbles has many videos pertaining to stereotypical thoughts. This pertains to the process of perception because we select things that are similar to what we already know or things that we have seen before. When we organize these things into groups, we generalize that they are all the same when they are in the same file. When we generalize, nothing is hurt however when we overgeneralize we are stereotyping.

                I learned a lot from this chapter. I now understand why each person thinks about things differently. This helps me to see things from another person’s point of view when often times I would not understand why they didn’t see it my way. The story in this chapter helps me understand my friends that have ADD or ADHD.

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