2013 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

McGraw-Hill/I rwin
Copyright 2013 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, I nc. All rights reserved.
Social Perception
and Attributions
Chapter Seven
7-2
Learning Objectives
LO.1 Describe perception in terms of the
information-processing model.
LO.2 Summarize the key managerial implications of
social perception.
LO.3 Discuss the process of stereotype formation.
LO.4 Summarize the managerial challenges and
recommendations of sex role, age, racial,
ethnic, and disability stereotypes.
7-3
Learning Objectives (cont.)
LO.5 Describe and contrast the Pygmalion effect,
the Galatea effect, and the Golem effect.
LO.6 Discuss how the model of the self-fulfilling
prophecy is expected to work.
LO.7 Explain, according to Kelleys model, how
external and internal causal attributions are
formulated.
LO.8 Contrast the fundamental attribution bias and
the self-serving bias.
7-4
An Information Processing
Model of Perception
Perception
cognitive process that
enables us to
interpret and
understand our
surroundings
7-5
Perception: An Information-
Processing Model
7-6
Stage 1: Selective
Attention/Comprehension
Attention
Process of becoming consciously aware of
something or someone

People pay attention to salient stimuli
Salient
something that stands out from context

7-7
Question?
Beverly has $11,000 for investment. She speaks
with various friends and neighbors to find out what
stocks they have invested in. Beverly can be
described as being on which stage of the social
information processing model?
A.Selective attention; comprehension
B.Encoding
C.Simplification
D.Storage and Retention
7-8
Stage 2: Encoding and
Simplification
Schema
Represents a persons mental picture or
summary of a particular event or type of
stimulus
7-9
Restaurant Schema
7-10
Stage 3: Storage and Retention
Event memory
information about both specific and general
events
Semantic memory
general knowledge about the world, mental
dictionary of concepts
Person memory
information about a single individual or groups
of people
7-11
Stage 4: Retrieval and Response
Decisions are based on:
The process of drawing on, interpreting, and
integrating categorical information stored in
long-term memory
Retrieving a summary judgment that was
already made
7-12
Managerial Implications: Hiring
Interviewers make hiring decisions based
on their impression of how an applicant fits
the perceived requirements of a job and on
the basis of implicit cognition

Implicit cognition
represents any thoughts or beliefs that are
automatically activated from memory without our
conscious awareness.
7-13
Managerial Implications:
Performance Appraisal
Important for managers to accurately
identify the behavioral characteristics and
results indicative of good performance
Characteristics serve as the benchmarks for
evaluating employee performance
7-14
Managerial Implications:
Leadership
Good leaders exhibit the following
behaviors:
Assigning specific tasks to group members
Telling others they had done well
Setting specific goals for the group
7-15
Question?
Which of these is (are) managerial implication(s) of
perception?
A.Interviewers with racist and sexist schemata can undermine
the accuracy and legality of hiring decisions.
B.Faulty schemata about what constitutes good versus poor
performance can lead to inaccurate performance appraisal,
which can erode work motivation, commitment, and loyalty.
C.Research demonstrates that employees' evaluations of
leader effectiveness are influenced strongly by their
schemata of good and poor leaders.
D.All of these.
7-16
Stereotypes: Perceptions
about Groups of People
Stereotype
An individuals set of beliefs about the
characteristics or attributes of a group
Not always negative
May or may
not be accurate
7-17
Stereotypes: Perceptions
about Groups of People
It is important to remember that stereotypes are a
fundamental component of the perception process
and we use them to help process the large
amount of information that bombards us daily.
It is not immoral or bad to possess stereotypes
Inappropriate use of stereotypes can lead to poor
decisions
7-18
Stereotyping Process
1. Categorize people into groups according
to various criteria
2. Infer that all people within a category
possess the same traits
3. Form expectations of others and interpret
their behavior according to our stereotypes
7-19
Stereotyping Process
4. Stereotypes are maintained by:
Overestimating the frequency of stereotypic
behavior exhibited by others
Incorrectly explaining expected and
unexpected behaviors
Differentiating minority individuals from oneself
7-20
Commonly Found Perceptual Errors
7-21
Sex-Role Stereotypes
Sex-role stereotype
the belief that differing traits and abilities make
men and women particularly well suited to
different roles
7-22
Sex-Role Stereotypes
1. People often prefer male bosses
2. Women have a hard time being perceived
as an effective leader
3. Women of color are more negatively
affected by sex-role stereotypes than white
women or men in general
7-23
Age Stereotypes
Age stereotypes reinforce age
discrimination because of their negative
orientation.
Long-standing age stereotypes depict older
workers as less satisfied, not as involved
with their work, less motivated, not as
committed
7-24
Age Stereotypes
Research shows that as age increases so
does employees job satisfaction, job
involvement, internal work motivation, and
organizational commitment.
Moreover, older workers are not more
accident prone.
7-25
Racial and Ethnic Stereotypes
Micro aggressions
represent biased thoughts, attitudes, and
feelings that exist at an unconscious level
Stereotype threat
refers to the predicament in which members of
a social group must deal with the possibility of
being judged or treated stereotypically, or of
doing something that would confirm the
stereotype.
7-26
Managerial Challenges and
Recommendations
An organization first needs to inform its
workforce about the problem of stereotyping
through employee education and training
Managers need to identify valid individual
differences that differentiate between
successful and unsuccessful performers.
Remove promotional barriers for men and
women, people of color, and persons with
disabilities
7-27
Self-Fulfilling Prophecy:
The Pygmalion Effect
Self-fulfilling prophecy
someones high expectations for another
person result in high performance for that
person
Also known as Pygmalion effect
7-28
A Model of the Self-Fulfilling
Prophecy
7-29
Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
Galatea effect
occurs when an individuals high self-
expectations for him- or herself lead to high
performance
Golem effect
a loss in performance resulting from low leader
expectations
7-30
Putting the Self-Fulfilling
Prophecy to Work
1. Recognize that everyone has the potential to
increase his or her performance.
2. Set high performance goals.
3. Positively reinforce employees for a job well
done.
4. Provide frequent feedback that conveys a belief
in employees ability to complete their tasks.
5. Give employees the opportunity to experience
increasingly challenging tasks and projects.
7-31
Putting the Self-Fulfilling
Prophecy to Work
6. Communicate by using facial expressions, voice
intonations, body language, and encouraging
comments that reflect high expectations.
7. Provide employees with the input, information, and
resources they need to achieve their goals.
8. Introduce new employees as if they have
outstanding potential.
9. Encourage employees to stay focused on the
present moment and not to worry about negative
past events.
10.Help employees master key skills and tasks.
7-32
Causal Attributions
Causal Attributions
suspected or inferred
causes of behavior
7-33
Performance Charts
7-34
Kelleys Model of Attribution
Behavior can be attributed either to:
Internal factors within a person (such as
ability) or to:
External behavior within the environment
(such as a difficult task)
7-35
Kelleys Model of Attribution
Consensus
involves a comparison of an individuals
behavior with that of his peers.
Distinctiveness
involves comparing a persons behavior on one
task with the behavior from other tasks.
Consistency
determined by judging if the individuals
performance on a given task is consistent over
time.
7-36
Question?
Francesca has had stable performance and
high quality from one task to another. This
refers to:
A.Low consensus.
B.High distinctiveness.
C.High consensus
D.Low distinctiveness.

7-37
Attributional Tendencies
Fundamental attribution bias
Reflects ones tendency to attribute another
persons behavior to his or her personal
characteristics, as opposed to situational
factors.
Self-serving bias
Represents ones tendency to take more
personal responsibility for success than for
failure.
7-38
Managerial Implications
One study revealed that managers gave
employees more immediate, frequent, and
negative feedback when they attributed their
performance to low effort.
A second study indicated that managers
tended to transfer employees whose poor
performance was attributed to a lack of
ability.
7-39
Managerial Implications
Men and women have different attributions
regarding the causes of being promoted
Managers tend to disproportionately
attribute behavior to internal causes that can
result in inaccurate evaluations of
performance, leading to reduced employee
motivation
7-40
Video Case: Andre Thornton
What attributes or experiences help Andre
Thornton in being successful at GPI?
In what ways can Thornton serve as an example
for all minority individuals?
Does GPIs size help or hinder them in serving the
needs of their clients?
Can you draw correlations between sports and
business? What are they?