Chapter 4

Perceptions, Attributions, and

Emotions

Organizational Behavior 1 Chapter 4

 Perception, attribution, and emotion
are not concepts a manager can
directly access or fix in others.
Managers need an understanding of
how these factors impact a person’s
view of the work environment.

Organizational Behavior 2 Chapter 4

 Perception
 The cognitive process by which an individual
selects, organizes, and gives meaning to
environmental stimuli.

 Through perception, individuals attempt to

make sense of their environment and the
objects, people, and events in it.

Organizational Behavior 3 Chapter 4

 The Perceptual Process: An Individual
Interpretation
Person’s Perceptual Process: Observation,
Selection, and Translation Response
Observation Selection Translation
• Sight • Attitudes
Work • Intensity • Stereotyping
• Hearing
Environment • Size • Self-concept • Feelings
• Taste
Stimuli • Impatience • Emotions
• Smell • Motivation

Organizational Behavior 4 Chapter 4

 Perceptual Grouping
The law of nearness – all other
things being equal, stimuli that are
near each other tend to be grouped
together

Organizational Behavior 5 Chapter 4

The law of similarity – stimuli that
are similar in size, color, shape, or
form tend to be grouped together.

+ + + + + + +
- - - - - - -
$ $ $ $ $ $ $

Organizational Behavior 6 Chapter 4

The law of closure – the tendency
to complete a figure, so that it has
a consistent overall form

Organizational Behavior 7 Chapter 4

 Figure and Ground
The law of figure and ground – the
tendency
. to group sensations into
figures and backgrounds

Organizational Behavior 8 Chapter 4

Perceptual Grouping: Causes of Inaccuracies
and Distortions

Selective
Stereotyping & Divided
Attention

Similar-To-Me
Halo Effect
Errors

Situational Needs and Attribution

Factors Perceptions Theory

Organizational Behavior 9 Chapter 4

 Stereotyping
 A way of categorizing individuals (or events,
organizations, etc.) on the basis of limited
information or observation

 Prejudice – a stereotype that refuses to change

when presented with information indicating the
stereotype is inaccurate

Organizational Behavior 10 Chapter 4

 Selective and Divided Attention
Selective Attention refers to the fact
that people give some messages
priority and puts others on hold.

Divided Attention occurs when a person

must divide his or her mental effort
among tasks, each of which requires
some amount of attention.
Organizational Behavior 11 Chapter 4
 Halo Effect
 Occurs when a person allows one important and
noticeable characteristic of another person to bias
the evaluation, perception, or impression of that
person.

 A manager’s entire approach to making judgments

based on a single, obvious characteristic has to be
cautiously reviewed

Organizational Behavior 12 Chapter 4

 Similar-to-Me Error

People use themselves as benchmarks in

perceiving others. One’s own
characteristics may affect the
characteristics identified as present or
lacking in others.

Organizational Behavior 13 Chapter 4

 Situational Factors

The press of time, the attitude of the

people a person is working with, and
other situational factors all influence
perceptual accuracy.

Organizational Behavior 14 Chapter 4

 Needs and Perceptions

Perceptions are influenced significantly by

needs and desires.
People usually see what they want to see.

Organizational Behavior 15 Chapter 4

 Attribution Theory

 Concerned with the process by which

individuals interpret events around them
as being caused by a relatively stable
portion of their environment

 Attempts to explain the why of behavior

Organizational Behavior 16 Chapter 4

 The Attribution Process
Reinforcement
Event Analysis of or modification Choices
what caused of previous regarding
the event assumptions future
of causality behavior

Example:
I received Hard work Since I value
I received a these
the raise leads to
raise because I rewards in rewards, I
will continue
am a hard this
to work hard
worker organization
in the future
Organizational Behavior 17 Chapter 4
 Internal and External Attributions

Distinctiveness Consistency Consensus

Does this person Does this person Do other people
behave in this same behave in this same behave in this same
manner in other manner at other manner?
situations? times?

YES YES NO INTERNAL

Low Distinctiveness High Consistency Low Consensus ATTRIBUTION

NO NO YES
EXTERNAL
High Distinctiveness Low Consistency High Consensus
ATTRIBUTION

Organizational Behavior 18 Chapter 4

 Impression Management
 The attempt to influence others’ perception e.g.,
managers manage impressions by:
– how they talk
– their overall style
– their office location and furniture
– the individuals they select as employees
 Employees, job candidates, external stakeholders,
and organizations engage in impression
management

Organizational Behavior 19 Chapter 4

 Impression Management Tactics of
Individuals:

1. Ingratiation – seek to be viewed

positively by flattering others or offering to
do favors for them
2. Self-promotion – tout their abilities and
competence

Organizational Behavior 20 Chapter 4

3. Exemplification – seek to be viewed as
dedicated by going above and beyond the
call of duty
4. Supplication – seek to be viewed as
needing help because of limitations
5. Intimidation – seeks to be viewed as
powerful and threatening

Organizational Behavior 21 Chapter 4

 Emotions
 A person’s emotion – a state characterized by
physiological arousal and changes in facial
expressions, gestures, postures, and subjective
feelings
 Emotional expressions are visible or audible
signs of what a person is feeling
 Emotions are important in understanding the
behavior and attitudes of people
 Emotions are difficult to determine with any
degree of accuracy
Organizational Behavior 22 Chapter 4
 Emotions

Broader emotions include…

– Aggression
– Love
– Fear
– Remorse
– Optimism

Organizational Behavior 23 Chapter 4

 Expressions
 Emotional expressions are innate
– Other facial expressions are learned and/or unique to a
national culture:
China: sticking out your tongue means surprise
US: sticking out your tongue is a sign of disrespect
 Expressions of fear, anger, happiness and sadness are
universal
– How often they are expressed varies in different
cultures.
– Women are more emotionally expressive than men
Organizational Behavior 24 Chapter 4
 Universal Primary Emotions

 Fear  Anger
 Surprise  Joy
 Sadness  Anticipation
 Disgust  Acceptance

Organizational Behavior 25 Chapter 4

 Body Language

 Kinesics “Body Language”: is the study of

communication through body movement, posture,
gestures, and facial expressions

Organizational Behavior 26 Chapter 4

 Body Language: Mimicking
 The “chameleon effect”
– People often unconsciously mimic the postures,
mannerisms, and facial expressions of other people
– If another person copies your gestures and postures,
you are more likely to like him.

Organizational Behavior 27 Chapter 4

 Emotional Labor

The management of your emotions to keep

them under control
In organizations, emotional labor may
involve:
– enhancing, faking, or suppressing
emotions
– modifying the emotional expression
Organizational Behavior 28 Chapter 4
Emotional labor is stressful and may cause
burnout
Individuals manage their emotions through:
– Surface acting – where one regulates his
or her emotional expressions
– Deep acting – where one modifies
feelings in order to express a desired
emotion

Organizational Behavior 29 Chapter 4

 Emotional Intelligence (EI)
 A combination of skills and abilities such as self-
awareness, self-control, empathy, and
sensitivity to the feelings of others.
 An Illusive Construct
 Intelligence is a goal-directed mental activity
marked by efficient problem solving, critical
thinking, and abstracting reasoning.

Organizational Behavior 30 Chapter 4

 Emotional Intelligence and career success
 Even if EI is important for career success, it
works in conjunction with other factors…
– Integrity
– Persistence
– Passion
– General intelligence
 Over the course of a career, EI increases

Organizational Behavior 31 Chapter 4