Perceptual side of communication: psychological content

It may seem that in the process of communication people exchange exclusively information - one asks a question, the second answers, and so on constantly. However, this understanding of communication is fundamentally incorrect and cannot be complete. In order to express this concept more comprehensively, psychologists introduced the term “perceptual side of communication.” We propose to consider it, based on the book by Galina Mikhailovna Andreeva “Social Psychology”.

The perceptual side of communication is the process of mutual perception and cognition of communication partners and the establishment of mutual understanding on this basis. This means that people do not treat each other as sources of information - there are a dozen more factors by which they evaluate the interlocutor as a person.

Why can’t dialogue be viewed from the point of view of a simple exchange of information? There are several reasons for this.

Firstly, dialogue cannot be considered only as the sending of information by one person and its reception by another, because when a person utters a phrase, he is primarily (rather subconsciously) guided by the motives, goals and attitudes of the interlocutor.

In the process of dialogue or interaction, there is an active exchange of information. After all, people do not just dryly exchange meanings, but at the same time strive to develop a common meaning. It is not enough to simply accept information; it also needs to be comprehended and understood. To some extent, dialogue is a joint process of developing an understanding or solution.

Secondly, two reference machines, exchanging information, cannot influence each other, while living people can. Almost every phrase is intended to influence the interlocutor in some way.

Accordingly, the effectiveness of communication is determined by the extent to which this impact was achieved. During the dialogue, the types of relationships constantly change, which certainly cannot be said about reference machines.

Thirdly, interlocutors will only begin to influence each other when both have a unified system of codification and decodification. Or simply – speak the same language.

First, a little information that will be useful in further understanding: a communicator is a person sending information, a recipient is receiving it. It is important to have a unified system of codification and decodification, at least because during the conversation the recipient and the communicator constantly change places. And this is only possible if the signs and meanings of information units are clear to both participants.

Moreover, the phrase is not always equal to the direct meaning of the words. For example, a wife says to her husband, “I just bought some light bulbs,” which he should interpret as, “Go and replace the burnt out light bulbs.”

Fourthly, when communicating between people, communication barriers may arise. They can lead to a distorted message, so you risk wasting your time by getting the information across incorrectly, causing confusion and misunderstanding.

Examples of communication barriers:

Use of jargon: Difficult, unfamiliar or technical words and terms.
Emotional barriers and taboos. Some people find it difficult to express or perceive their thoughts because certain topics may be off-limits.
Lack of attention, interest or value to the recipient.
Differences in perception and point of view.
Physical disabilities such as hearing or speech problems.
Physical barriers to nonverbal communication: The inability to see and “read” cues, gestures, posture, and general body language can make communication less effective. Phone calls, text messages, and other technology-based communication methods are often less effective than face-to-face communication.
Language differences and difficulty understanding unfamiliar accents.
Expectations and prejudices that can lead to false assumptions and stereotypes. People often hear what they want to hear rather than what they are actually told, so they come to the wrong conclusions.
Cultural differences. Social interaction norms vary greatly across cultures, as do emotional expressions.
Different worldviews, worldviews, attitudes.
Political, social, religious and philosophical differences.

The problem with communication barriers is that they cannot be completely avoided. That is, before your message is assimilated by the recipient, it will be filtered in his consciousness at various levels.

Perceptual side of communication

Communication as the exchange of information (communicative side of communication) Communication as interaction (interactive side of communication) Communication as people’s perception of each other (perceptual side of communication)

Social perception is people’s perception, understanding and evaluation of social objects (other people, themselves, groups, social communities, etc.). The term social perception was introduced by the American psychologist J. Bruner.

It was found that the perception of social objects has a number of specific features that qualitatively distinguish it from the perception of inanimate objects. First, the social object (individual, group, etc.) is not passive and indifferent towards the perceiving subject, as is the case with the perception of inanimate objects. By influencing the subject of perception, the perceived person seeks to transform the idea of himself in a direction favorable to his goals.

Secondly, the attention of the subject of social perception is focused primarily not on the moments of image generation as a result of the reflection of perceived reality, but on semantic and evaluative interpretations of the object of perception, including causal ones (casual attribution)

Mechanisms of the perceptual side of communication:

Identification is an assumption about the inner world of a partner, based on an attempt to put oneself in his place.

Empathy is compassion, the empathy of a partner is an emotional response to the problems of another person, an understanding of the partner’s inner world.

Reflection - involves awareness of the individual, how he is perceived and understood by his partner. Stereotype - a simplified or distorted idea that a person develops under the influence of existing opinions in society.

Anthropological stereotypes are stereotypes of appearance.

Social stereotypes are professional and status-role assumptions about the psychological qualities of an individual.

Emotionally aesthetic stereotypes are judgments about psychological qualities based on physiological attractiveness.

Projection is a mechanism that manifests itself in the conscious or unconscious endowment of another person with qualities inherent in the subject himself.

Causal attribution is the attribution of causes. A mechanism for explaining the reasons for another person’s behavior based on one’s own observations.

Feedback in communication.

Communication cannot be reduced to simple transmission of information. In order to be successful, it necessarily involves feedback - the subject receiving information about the results of interaction

Individual features of a person’s physical appearance (face, arms, shoulders), postures, gestures, intonations act as carriers of information that should be taken into account when communicating. The face of the interlocutor or listener is a particularly informative carrier of feedback signals.

Often a fairly complete picture of the subject’s perception is given by his actions.

When interacting interpersonally, it is important to be open and sincere. A person interested in better understanding his relationships with others should be interested in the reactions of other people to his actions in specific situations, and take into account the true consequences of his behavior

Feedback is also a message to another person about how I perceive him, what I feel in connection with our relationship, how his behavior makes me feel. Giving and receiving feedback requires not only the skills, but also the courage.

Properties and processes

Perception has characteristic properties:

objectivity,
structure,
integrity,
selectivity,
constancy,
apperception (the so-called dependence on past life experience),
volume and its limitations.

Perception consists of several sequential perceptual processes:

detection,
distinctions,
identification,
categorization,
recognition,
identification.

Thus, we conclude: the perceptual process is a perception process that allows us (and not only people, but also animals) not just to passively contemplate the environment, but also to evaluate it, to perceive it in development and as a possibility of using this or that subject.

By the way, the use of surrounding objects as tools is one of the initial signs of human thinking.

According to psychologist B. Ananyev, sensory-perceptual processes (he was the first to introduce such a term) are a chain from the senses to a person’s consciousness, and the mechanism of this activity depends on his experience, images fixed in consciousness and even the range of motor functions.

Functions and purpose

The functionality of perception includes knowing oneself and a partner, organizing joint actions, and establishing an emotional relationship.

Perceptual communication is based on three components: subject, object and the process of perception. Perception research is based on two components:

content side (characteristic features of subjects, objects of perception);
procedural part (analysis of the mechanisms and effects of perception).

The content part is the attribution of character traits, reasons for behavior, and role in communication to the object. The procedural side reveals the mechanisms of awareness and the effects of perception (novelty, primacy, stereotypes).

Concept and classification

Perception (perception) is a diverse process of reflecting phenomena or objects when they directly affect the human senses.

Accordingly, according to the influence of phenomena or objects on certain human sensory organs, types of perception are classified :

visual,
auditory,
olfactory and others

The matter around us exists in the sphere of space, time, movement and direction, and perception is also classified according to these characteristics.

Moreover, we are able to perceive space by distinguishing the sizes of objects at different distances. We understand that a distant object seems smaller in size than the same one that is next to us. But we still perceive them as the same.

Finally, depending on the complexity of the perception process, it is divided into instantaneous (in science it can be defined as simultaneous) and gradual (it is also called successive).

Perceptual component

This component allows you to correctly interpret the appearance and behavior of your interlocutor.

Based on the information received, a conclusion is drawn about the personality characteristics and reasons for actions.

Without perception, communications would be quite superficial and ineffective. A person would perceive only the “external picture” - the image of the opponent and his words.

Real thoughts, motives of behavior, hidden experiences and much more would escape attention. It is thanks to social perception that it becomes possible to accurately perceive surrounding objects and build effective interaction with them.

This component is fully manifested when a person is free from stereotypes, predetermined attitudes and beliefs. They interfere with an objective assessment of a partner and in advance form a certain image in the mind, which is often far from reality.

It is also important not to rush to a conclusion and give yourself time to form a reliable assessment. Often people make erroneous conclusions about the interlocutor with whom they communicated for a fairly short time

A person’s personality can be correctly assessed only by obtaining comprehensive information about him and observing him in different life situations.

The perceptual component allows you to change an already established opinion about an individual.

Sometimes people meet a person they knew well in the past and are surprised to discover significant changes in his character.

Such an opportunity to abandon the initial assessment that was formed earlier appears as a result of understanding and accepting those characteristics of the interlocutor that are observed in him at the current moment in time.

Aspects

Perception first appears at the stage of visual analysis of the communication object. Thus, physiognomy claims that there is a connection between an individual’s facial features and his psychological characteristics. Based on an assessment of the interlocutor’s appearance, the first assumptions are made regarding his inner world and behavior.

Then some emotional contact is formed. If the conversation has an unpleasant context, a negative perception of the opponent may well be formed. And vice versa.

In the process of communication, people observe their partner’s speech, facial expressions, gestures, and habits, receiving verbal and nonverbal information about his personality.

Functions of social perception

Social perception is a complex process during which people understand and evaluate the social objects around them (people, groups, communities).

As a result of such a process, certain stable images are formed in the individual’s consciousness.

Briefly about the main functions of perception:

Knowing yourself. Awareness of oneself through other objects. It is during social interaction that a person receives information about himself and food for thought. Often, the perception of the personality of the interlocutor helps to determine those inherent aspects of him that resonate in his own mind. As a result, a person reveals his hidden needs, desires, and doubts.
Knowing your partner. You can get to know a person, understand his views and beliefs only through communication at the perceptual level. This is the only way to get reliable information about someone.
Gaining trust, establishing and effectively developing contact is possible only as a result of perceiving the opponent’s personality.
Human activity is impossible without communication. Comradely, friendly, friendly, love relationships are impossible without communication.

Organization of joint activities. Understanding or acceptance by subjects of each other’s social relations is the basis for the further construction of joint activities. A clear understanding of the motives, attitudes and values of a partner allows you to develop a model of effective interaction with him. If we are talking not about the interaction of individuals with each other, but about relationships in a group, then the role of social perception only increases. The joint activities of group members become effective only when they are all able to accept or understand each other’s attitudes.

Building mutual understanding. In the process of communication, people achieve mutual understanding, which is the cementing factor of any social relationship (family, romantic, business, etc.).

Finding common points of interests, identifying common views and beliefs allows you to find a compromise and enjoy joint activities.

Establishing emotional relationships. Man is an emotional being, so any social interaction evokes certain emotions in him. When people come into contact, they form certain emotional relationships: sympathy, hostility, rejection, joy, etc.

Phenomena (effects) of interpersonal perception

Primacy. The idea is that if there is conflicting information after meeting an individual, the facts obtained earlier are perceived as more significant. It is they who influence the formation of a general idea of the stranger’s personality.

Extremes. Objects located on the edge are remembered better than those located in the middle.
Novelty. In the case of the perception of a familiar person, data obtained later takes on greater significance.
Halo. It is the formation of a unique belief associated with the observed through the purposeful attribution of a number of characteristics to it, that is, the learned facts are superimposed on the initially existing image. Thus, a general positive impression contributes to a positive assessment of the known and unknown qualities of an object, while a negative attitude towards it gives rise to deliberately negative assessments.
First meeting. Assumes a stable conclusion about a person that arose after initial communication. This is especially relevant when future opinions about an individual contradict the existing prototype.
Projections. In general, people tend to attribute their positive qualities to a pleasant interlocutor, and their own negative qualities to an unpleasant interlocutor.
Average error. The tendency to soften the assessment of the most striking characteristics of an individual to the statistical average.
Barnum. Perception of assessments of one's identity as truly true if they are presented through the prism of a scientific, ritual or magical context.
Boomerang. The information that is presented to the audience causes the opposite effect to the expected one. This is possible when the subject reporting the fact is unpleasant to the group or when its members do not trust the source of the data.

Mechanisms of social perception

The perceptual side of communication includes several important tools that allow you to establish effective interpersonal interactions.

Reflection

This is the ability to analyze your actions, draw conclusions from what happened and see possible ways of developing the situation. In building communication, it is relevant at the moment when we are trying to visualize the impression we make on our opponent. The result may or may not meet expectations.

To reflect means to be able to look at the process from the outside, analyze what is happening and try to get to the essence of the problem through rational understanding.

Identification

Identifying oneself with the interlocutor, trying to put oneself in his place and look at the problem through the prism of his perception. This mechanism allows you to better understand and accept the speaker’s position.

Empathy

Represents the ability to empathize and sympathize. The more subtle a person’s mental organization is, the more developed his empathy is. Such people can analyze the internal state of their opponent simply by observing his behavior.

Anthropological, social and aesthetic stereotyping

An assessment of an individual's psychological characteristics is based on various stereotypes. Thus, many believe that deep-set eyes indicate toughness and secrecy, and weak hands indicate a lack of hard work.

Personal status, financial situation, and external attractiveness are also taken into account.

Attraction

An assessment of an individual that is based on a stable, long-lasting positive feeling towards a partner. It promotes the formation of closer interpersonal connections: friendship, love, affection.

Casual attribution

Interpretation of phrases and actions of the interlocutor based on personal assumptions and previous experience. This is an attempt to find out the reasons for this or that behavior, but not through observation and obtaining information, but based on one’s own prejudices and conclusions.

This is interesting: A letter to a loved one after a quarrel: a thorough look at the issue

First impression mistakes

Information enters the human consciousness from three sources:

Visual perception, which forms a complex of visual images.
An auditory source formed by a combination of sounds.
The kinesthetic channel of management perception, built on sensations.

Important! Individual subjects of society are able to perceive and process data, focusing on three data sources. However, one channel is a priority; on its basis, the main perception, formation of thoughts, memories occurs

Modality (qualitative characteristics of sensations) in people (visual, auditory and kinesthetic, respectively) is formed individually.

Inequality

It arises against the background of a superior parameter that is subject to a positive assessment, or, conversely, if the subject is superior to the object of communication, the second is underestimated.

Attractiveness factor

An important factor is whether you like the appearance of the interlocutor. Under the influence of one factor, there is an overestimation or underestimation of the partner’s properties. With a positive perception of external parameters, there is a high probability of perceiving a person as an intelligent, interesting person.

Distorted perception of the interlocutor

Attitude factor

Social science says that people who have a kinder attitude seem better than those who have a bad attitude. Positivity generates a strong tendency to attribute positive qualities; as soon as the negative is included, the person will stop noticing the characteristic features of the partner and will begin to highlight the negative ones.

Errors in forming first impressions are called the halo effect, which is triggered by a number of reasons: prospect superiority, attractiveness and attitude.

Perception in philosophy

Perception in philosophy is sensory understanding, the reflection of things in consciousness through the senses. This concept has several categories:

Internal perception by which a person is aware of where his limbs are, whether he is sitting or standing, whether he is depressed, hungry or tired.
External perception, which uses vision, hearing, touch, smell, taste.
Mixed perceptions that manifest themselves through emotion or caprice.

The interactive side of communication

The interactive side of communication

consists in the regulation of behavior and the direct organization of joint activities of people in the process of their interaction. The concept of interaction is used in two ways: firstly, to characterize the actual real contacts of people (actions, counteractions, assistance) in the process of joint activity; secondly, to describe the mutual influences (impacts) on each other in the course of joint activities.

Interpersonal interaction

1) in a broad sense - accidental or intentional, private or public, long-term or short-term, verbal or non-verbal contact of two or more people, resulting in mutual changes in their behavior, activities, relationships and attitudes;

2) in a narrow sense - a system of mutually determined individual actions connected by a cyclical causal dependence, in which the behavior of each participant acts as both a stimulus and a reaction to the behavior of the others.

The structure of any interaction, according to N.V. Kazarinova, includes the following elements:

roles of interaction participants;
set and procedure;
rules and regulations governing the interaction and nature of the relationships between participants.

Behavioral flexibility

— the presence of an assortment of ways to respond, the ability to choose a method of action. It gives you more opportunities to influence the situation.

Situations for using behavioral flexibility

when planning an action – allows you to identify a number of possible approaches;
when difficulties or factors arise that were not taken into account in advance;
when a situation arises that other people have successfully dealt with, use their experience.

Perceptual side of communication

What is the perceptual side of communication?

Perception is a person’s reflection at the cognitive level of the objects and phenomena that he encounters.

The perceptual side of communication, from a psychological point of view, refers to the perception of another person, awareness of the characteristics of another person.

Perception of an opponent can occur through understanding his attitudes, goals, motives and views. In this case, an objective assessment of another person is formed, the properties of which do not overlap with the properties of the cognizing subject himself.

On the other hand, in the process of perceiving the interlocutor, not only his understanding, but also his acceptance can occur. In this case, all values and attitudes are shared and agreed upon by people.

When such acceptance occurs, close interpersonal relationships of various levels arise: affection, friendship, love, etc.

Using the perceptual side of communication, we “read” the other person. The success of communication with an individual depends on the degree of accuracy of the conclusions we come to. Incorrect identification of the interlocutor's identity can provoke misunderstanding and conflict.

Characteristics of the human interaction system

For diagnosis, psychologists use a holistic mechanism of communication elements, which, when establishing contact between one individual and another, are activated simultaneously.
These include:

communication (transfer of information due to necessity or with a previously established connection);
interaction (the moment of direct conversation between people, receiving emotions from each other);
perception (the level of perception when an assessment of the situation occurs within one person, an understanding arises whether such communication will be useful and interesting for him at this stage of interaction).

These three parties create a system and are the main components of contact. If one of the functions is impaired or works with deviations, it becomes difficult or impossible to establish communication with the person.

He will not be able to convey information correctly or adequately perceive it, and there are also problems in conducting a conversation, building a dialogue, and expressing emotions.

additional literature

Andreev, V.I.
Conflictology: the art of dispute, negotiation and conflict resolution / V. I. Andreev. – Kazan: SKAM, 1992. – P. 81-139.
Bern, E.
Games People Play. Psychology of human relationships. You said hello. What's next? Psychology of human destiny / E. Bern. - Ekaterinburg: LITURE, 2005. - P. 7-53.
Vardanyan, Yu. V.
Psychology of communication: textbook. allowance / Yu. V. Vardanyan, T. V. Savinova. – Saransk, 2003. – P. 15-29.
Cornelius, H.
Everyone can win / H. Cornelius, S. Fair. – M.: Stringer, 1992. – P. 8-210.
Rudensky, E.V.
Fundamentals of psychotechnology of manager communication / E.V. Rudensky. - M.: INFRA-M; Novosibirsk: NGAEiU, 1997. - P. 40-43.

Communication process model

There are several models of the communication process, the most famous of which is Harold Lasswell's concept.

This model originally included five elements, but Lasswell eventually added two more to it, changing the rest slightly. Original model:

Who? (communicator, source of information, that is, the person who transmits information).
What? (message sent by the communicator).
On what channel? (method of transmitting information).
To whom (recipient, recipient - this can be either one interlocutor or a whole audience).
With what effect? (reaction to the message received, assessment of the effectiveness of communication).

Augmented model:

Who? (communicator).
With what intention? (Lasswell considered this question the most important, because without the motives and goals of communication it is impossible to talk about either channels or the target audience - that is, about communication in general).
In what situation? (the situation can be of three types: favorable, neutral, unfavorable).
With what resources? (resources should be understood as the communicator himself, as well as technologies, financial means and methods).
Using what strategy? (Lasswell believed that every communicator should choose a strategy before speaking, and not just leave things to chance).
For what audience? (if you know who your audience or interlocutor is, you can persuade them much more effectively).

How to learn effective communication?

There are many ways and tips to improve your communication skills, but we provide you with the most interesting and effective ones.

Always be aware of the context of what is happening. You need to understand what format your dialogue has:

Social event.
Formal contact at work or at home.
Random episodic meeting.
Asymmetrical situation (in training, leadership).
A game.
Relaxed informal dialogue.

Based on the context, it will be easier for you to choose the right behavior style.

Choose the right behavior style. Each situation dictates its own style of behavior and action. If you misread the context, communication will be difficult.

You have probably seen from the outside how ridiculous a person looks who behaves inappropriately in the context and how dozens of barriers are immediately erected between him and others.

It is believed that there are three styles of behavior: humanistic, manipulative and ritual.

Humanistic is a style that is aimed at mutual study of the ideas of partners, which leads to the emergence of empathy.

Manipulative - you are trying to instill your point of view in another person. It's just a tool that you can use for good or bad.

The ritual style is determined by a certain culture. In American society, it is customary to answer “Wonderful!” to the question “How are you?”

If you correctly understand the context of the situation, and also manage to choose the right behavior, you will significantly increase your chances that your message will be received as intended.

Use transactional analysis. Eric Berne in his book “Games People Play” presents his original view of transactional analysis - a direction that involves regulating the actions of interlocutors by regulating their positions. For Bern, these are the Parent (“I must!”), the Adult (“I want!” and “I must!”) and the Child (“I want!”).

You will communicate effectively with people if your positions coincide. For example, if a person approaches you in the role of an Adult, and you answer him in the same way. If there is a Parent-Adult or Parent-Child interaction, the goal of the conversation may not be achieved.

We wish you good luck!

Did you like the article? Join our communities on social networks or our Telegram channel and don’t miss the release of new useful materials: TelegramVKontakteFacebook

We also recommend reading:

Storytelling
Nonverbal communication
Development of communication skills
How to improve your listening skills
Conversation Techniques
Everyday magic of communication
Social groups: signs, types, functions
The Cycle of Effective Communication
Rules for effective online communications
How to communicate with anyone, anywhere?
7 levels of communication according to A. B. Dobrovich

Key words:1Profiling