Chapter 2

Perception & Emotions

Chapter 2, Nancy Langton and Stephen P. Robbins, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Third Canadian Edition 2-1
Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education Canada
 Chapter Outline

• Perception Defined
• Factors Influencing Perception
• Perceptual Errors
• Why Do Perception and Judgment Matter?
• Emotions

Chapter 2, Nancy Langton and Stephen P. Robbins, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Third Canadian Edition 2-2
Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education Canada
 Perception
1. What is perception?
2. What causes people to have different perceptions of
the same situation?
3. Can people be mistaken in their perceptions?
4. Does perception really affect outcomes?
5. Can emotions help or get in the way when dealing
with others?

Chapter 2, Nancy Langton and Stephen P. Robbins, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Third Canadian Edition 2-3
Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education Canada
 Perception

• What Is Perception?

• Why Is It Important?

Chapter 2, Nancy Langton and Stephen P. Robbins, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Third Canadian Edition 2-4
Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education Canada
 Why We Study Perceptions
• To better understand
• We don’t see reality. We interpret
• The attribution process guides our behaviour,

Chapter 2, Nancy Langton and Stephen P. Robbins, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Third Canadian Edition 2-5
Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education Canada
 Factors that Influence Perception
The Situation The Perceiver

• Time • Attitudes
• W ork setting • Motives
• Social setting • Interests
• Experience
• Expectations

Perception

The Target

• Novelty
• Motion
• Sounds
• Size
• Background
• Proximity

Chapter 2, Nancy Langton and Stephen P. Robbins, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Third Canadian Edition 2-6
Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education Canada
 Perceptual Errors

• Attribution Theory
• Selective Perception
• Halo Effect
• Contrast Effects
• Projection
• Stereotyping

Chapter 2, Nancy Langton and Stephen P. Robbins, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Third Canadian Edition 2-7
Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education Canada
 Attribution Theory

• When individuals observe behaviour, they

attempt to determine whether it is internally or
externally caused.
– Distinctiveness
– Consensus
– Consistency

Chapter 2, Nancy Langton and Stephen P. Robbins, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Third Canadian Edition 2-8
Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education Canada
 Attribution Theory

• Fundamental Attribution Error

– The tendency to underestimate external factors.
• Self-Serving Bias
– The tendency to attribute one’s successes to
internal factors.

E.g.Athletes win a game and attribute their win to hard work and practice.

Chapter 2, Nancy Langton and Stephen P. Robbins, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Third Canadian Edition 2-9
Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education Canada
Does This Scenario Sound Familiar?
Jimmy returns home from work, and upon opening the front
door his wife happily greets him and inquires about his day.
Instead of greeting his wife, he yells at her, “Leave me
alone!” Why did Jimmy yell at his wife?
How would someone committing the fundamental attribution
error explain his behavior?
The most common response is that he is a mean, angry, or unfriendly
person (his traits).
This is an internal or dispositional explanation. However, imagine that
Jimmy was just laid off from his job due to company downsizing.

Would your explanation for his behavior change?

Your revised explanation might be that he was frustrated and

disappointed for losing his job; therefore, he was in a bad mood (his
state). This is now an external or situational explanation for his
behavior.
 Perceptual Errors

• Selective Perception
– People selectively interpret.
• Halo Effect
– Drawing a general impression
• Contrast Effects
– A person’s evaluation

Chapter 2, Nancy Langton and Stephen P. Robbins, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Third Canadian Edition 2-10
Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education Canada
 Perceptual Errors
• Projection
– Attributing one’s own characteristics
• Stereotyping
– Judging someone
• Prejudice
– an assumption or an opinion based on someone's
race, gender, nationality, social status, sexual
orientation, or religious affiliation

Chapter 2, Nancy Langton and Stephen P. Robbins, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Third Canadian Edition 2-11
Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education Canada
 Why Do Perceptions and
Judgment Matter?
• Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
– A concept that proposes a person will behave in
ways consistent with how he or she is perceived
by others.

Chapter 2, Nancy Langton and Stephen P. Robbins, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Third Canadian Edition 2-12
Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education Canada
 What Are Emotions?
• Two related terms:
– Emotions
• Intense feelings
– Moods
• less intense than emotions

Chapter 2, Nancy Langton and Stephen P. Robbins, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Third Canadian Edition 2-27
Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education Canada
 Choosing Emotions: Emotional
Labour
• When an employee expresses organizationally-
desired emotions during interpersonal
interactions.

Chapter 2, Nancy Langton and Stephen P. Robbins, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Third Canadian Edition 2-28
Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education Canada
 Emotional Intelligence

• Noncognitive skills, capabilities, and competencies

that influence a person's ability to interact with others.
• Five dimensions
– Self-awareness
– Self-management
– Self-motivation
– Empathy
– Social skills

Chapter 2, Nancy Langton and Stephen P. Robbins, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Third Canadian Edition 2-29
Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education Canada
 Negative Workplace Emotions

• Negative emotions can lead to negative

workplace behaviours:
– Production
– Property
– Political
– Personal aggression

Chapter 2, Nancy Langton and Stephen P. Robbins, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Third Canadian Edition 2-30
Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education Canada
 Summary and Implications

1. What is perception?
– Perception is the process by which individuals
organize and interpret their impressions in order
to give meaning to their environment.
2. What causes people to have different
perceptions of the same situation?
– Perceptions are affected by factors in the
perceiver, in the object or target being
perceived, and in the context or situation.

Chapter 2, Nancy Langton and Stephen P. Robbins, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Third Canadian Edition 2-31
Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education Canada
 Summary and Implications

3. Can people be mistaken in their perceptions?

– Shortcuts, such as attribution theory, selective
perception, halo effect, contrast effects,
projection, and stereotyping are helpful and
even necessary, but can and do get us in trouble.
4. Does perception really affect outcomes?
– Perceptions often affect productivity more than
the situation does.

Chapter 2, Nancy Langton and Stephen P. Robbins, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Third Canadian Edition 2-32
Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education Canada
 Summary and Implications

5. What is personality and how does it affect behaviour?

– Personality helps us predict behaviour.
– Personality can help match people to jobs, to some
extent at least.
6. Can emotions help or get in the way when we’re
dealing with others?
– They can hinder performance, especially when emotions
are negative.
– They can also enhance performance.

Chapter 2, Nancy Langton and Stephen P. Robbins, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Third Canadian Edition 2-33
Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education Canada