Perceptions

Perceptions

1. Terms/Vocabulary

   • Perception: the process of selecting, organizing, and interpreting information.
   • Schemata: Databases of stored, related information that we use to interpret new experiences.
   • Salience: The degree to which something attracts our attention in a particular context.
   • Punctuation: refers to the structuring of information into a timeline to determine the cause and effect of our communication interactions.

2. The Process of Perception

   • Selecting: The first part of the perception process, in which we focus our attention on certain incoming sensory information.
     • Organizing: The second part of the perception process, in which we sort and categorize information that we perceive based on innate and learned cognitive patterns.
       • Interpretation: The third part of the perception process, in which we assign meaning to our experiences using mental structures known as schemata.