Frequently Used Shortcuts To Judge Others

FREQUENTLY USED SHORTCUTS TO JUDGE OTHERS:
Selective perception is a form of bias that causes people to perceive messages and
actions according to their frame of reference. Using selective perception, people tend to
overlook or forget information that contradicts their beliefs or expectations.
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Credit: Quinn Dombrowski CC-BY-SA 2.0

FULL ANSWER
There are two types of selective perception. Perceptual vigilance refers to people
noticing stimuli such as advertising or news reports that are significant to them. For
example, someone considering buying a certain brand of car is more likely to notice ads
about that car than someone who is neutral to the brand. In contrast, perceptual
defense refers to people creating a barrier to screen out stimuli they find threatening or
unpleasant. For example, a smoker might filter out a photo of a diseased lung.
The halo effect is a type of cognitive bias in which our overall impression of a person influences
how we feel and think about his or her character. Essentially, your overall impression of a person
("He is nice!") impacts your evaluations of that person's specific traits ("He is also smart!").
One great example of the halo effect in action is our overall impression of celebrities. Since we
perceive them as attractive, successful, and often likable, we also tend to see them as intelligent,
kind, and funny.
Stereotyping is defined as an "oversimplified, usually pejorative, attitude

people hold toward those outside one's own experience who are different.
They are a result of incomplete or distored information accepted as fact with A
stereotype is simply a widely held belief that an individual is a member of a
certain group based on charcteristics. Due to the process of
overgeneralization within social perception, stereotyping leads to a great deal
of inaccuracy in social perception.
Sex, race, age, sexual orentation, religion and physical ability are various
catagories which exist in stereotyping. The most prevalent and controversial
forms are sex and race.
The Williams and Best gender study from 1992 found that within 30 different
countries, males were typically characterized as adventurous, powerful,
domineering and independent. Females, on the other hand, were
characterized as sentimental, submissive and superstitious (5). Racial studies
have found that descriptions such as Jews are shrewd and ambitious, African-
Americans have special musical and athletic ability and Germans are
methodical and efficent, are commonly used to label these ethnic groups.
Slowly, society has been making a slight transition away from stereotyping.
Unfortunately it is a difficult process, especially since we rely on second-hand
sources for our information for the majority of our knowledge. The main outlet
of second-hand information is the mass media(7). As a result of depending
largely on the second-hand source of mass media, mass media in turn plays a
major role in determining the content of our culture. Stereotyping is a product
of culture, therefore, mass media have a strong influence in supporting and
tearing down stereotypical characteristics
FIRST IMPRESSION:
The contrast effect is a phenomenon where people perceive greater or lesser differences than are
actually present as a result of prior or simultaneous exposure to something with similar base
characteristics, but different key qualities. In a simple example of how the contrast effect works with
vision, a researcher can present a subject with a dark square and a light square, each enclosing a
smaller square. Even if the smaller squares are actually the same color, the contrast effect will lead
the viewer to think the square against the dark background is lighter than the one against the light
background.
Visual perception is not the only thing the contrast effect can skew. This can also occur with
human cognition, in an example of a cognitive bias. A teaching assistant might grade a mediocre
essay more harshly after reading a very good writing sample, for example. People can utilize this
effect in sales. A coffin salesperson can show people the same medium-range coffin in the midst of
low-end products and high-end products, and they will perceive it differently depending on the
surrounding comparison samples. This may encourage people to spend more than they would
otherwise.
In the positive contrast effect, people will perceive something as better than it is as a result of
exposure to a worse comparison sample, while in the negative version, people will think something
is worse because they have a better comparison sample. This cognitive bias is extremely difficult to
overcome, as it is naturally engrained in the brain and the way people think about and perceive the
world around them.
PROJECTION
To understand perception is projection consider the filtering process of generalisation. In an

earlier example we considered the usefulness of generalisation when looking at a door, and
how we might use the generalisations we made about one door as an efficient method of
understanding how all doors work.
When we come to another door rather than re-learning the concept and it's function afresh
we refer to the map we made earlier and apply that map or project it onto this new door.
Thus we believe this new door is just like the door in our map, that it has the same
properties and will behave in exactly the same ways.
Implicit Personality Theory Definition

An implicit personality theory refers to a persons notions about which personality
characteristics tend to co-occur in people. Can one assume, for example, that a person
with a sense of humor is also intelligent? Is a charming person likely to be honest or
dishonest?
Is a leader someone likely to be friendly or aggressive? Implicit personality theories guide

the inferences that social perceivers make of other people. For example, if a perceiver
sees someone act in an energetic style and presumes that energy is linked to intelligence,
then the perceiver will likely infer that the other person is intelligent.
SELF FULL FILLING PROPHASY:

A self-fulfilling prophecy is a belief that comes true because we are acting as if it is
already true. New Agers call this The Law of Attraction (see, for example, Rhonda
Byrnes 2006 self-help book The Secret), but theres really nothing mystical about it. Our
expectation that we will see a particular outcome changes our behavior, which shapes
the way others see us. In turn, others provide the feedback weve set ourselves up to
get, which serves to reinforce the original belief.
Lets say, for example, that Im going to a party where I dont know many people. If I
believe I dont make a good first impression, or I worry that nobody will talk to me, I will
probably enter the party acting awkward, anxious, and standoffish. In turn, people are
likely to interact with me with less enthusiasm, or they may ignore or shun me. Which
only reinforces my belief that Im not good with people I dont know.
If, by contrast, I enter the party believing that Im good with people I dont know and
expecting to make new friends, Im likely to be outgoing, engaging, and less apt to take
a cold shoulder personally. As a result, people will likely respond amiably to my
friendliness and I may indeed make new friends.
So that old fake it til you make it advice is pretty darn good advice.
Though many writers are solitary creatures, we are just as susceptible to self-fulfilling
prophecies as anyone else. Our behaviors towards others impact others behaviors
toward us.
Lets take the querying process, for example. Lets assume youve completed a project
and had it vetted by trustworthy beta readers, and now its as polished as you know how
to make it. Lets also assume that you know how to write a decent, professional query
letter.
If you believe your project is strong and feel confident about it, you will probably write a
strong, confident letter. More importantly, you will be motivated to find reputable agents
who will be interested in your project and tenacious about sending out your queries. If,
by contrast, you are uncertain about your project and its merits, you may have trouble
writing an upbeat, engaging letter. Each rejection will punch holes in your resoluteness,
and youll spend far more time worrying about whats wrong with your story (or your
query) than you will actually striving to get your project out there.

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FREQUENTLY USED SHORTCUTS TO JUDGE OTHERS:

Credit: Quinn Dombrowski CC-BY-SA 2.0

Stereotyping is defined as an "oversimplified, usually pejorative, attitude

To understand perception is projection consider the filtering process of generalisation. In an

Implicit Personality Theory Definition

Is a leader someone likely to be friendly or aggressive? Implicit personality theories guide

SELF FULL FILLING PROPHASY:

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