IntroIndividuals and family systems receive info through four processes: 1) perceiving, 2) spacing, 3) valuing and 4) decidingThese are important because it is through modifications and changes of these that individuals and families adapt to their environmentPerceivingA fundamental process of gathering information.Individual’s and family’s info about the world comes from perceivingPerception – the process of meaningfully organizing sensations, or the process of how we assemble sensations into a usable “picture” or model of the worldAs we perceive events, the brain selects, organizes and integrates sensory informationAUTOMATIC processes that we are rarely aware ofPerceiving – is an active process of interpreting and giving meaning to the environmentA perception contains a feeling and a real wonder for lifeFor a person to describe a state of nature, perception MUST take placeA low level of info reception in humans is percept, the physical receipt of information about a state or situation that is occurringVisual perceptions ex: involve the sensing of light and dark images by the eyeMeaning emerges as info passes through our filter systems. Your physical state is based on a sensory stem: sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell are the first set of filtersWe have lenses through which we view the worldThis filtering process involves (1) physical, (2) social and (3) individual factorsOur filtering system reflects our past experiences and current situationsThese perceptions become the meanings, beliefs and values that influence individual and family actions and decision-makingWhat is Perceiving?Physical FactorsPerceiving is a processInfo or input from the environment is received through the body’s physical sensory mechanismsThe input forms an image and is interpreted for understandingThis is a mode of intellectual functioning that consists of two basic processes: (1) organization and (2) adaptation(1) organization – the underlying systematic pattern of relationships that characterize the human mindmakes it possible for the mind to interpret and process the input it receives(2) Adaptation – the external process that is possible because of the underlying organization. Adapts in two ways: (1) assimilation and (2) accommodation(1) Assimilation – the process where the mind receives an information input from the environment. There is existing knowledge of the info, an already familiar pattern exists. It is KNOWN. The person takes in info and can identify and place it in an existing category.(2) Accomodation – the complementary process when the environment influences the person and prompts the mind to change its internal functioning in terms of the external world. One sees something that does NOT fit into an existing category. Creates a NEW category.Ex) kid sees an animal that resembles a dog but it’s not a dog. Makes a new CAT category.These two processes are related to each other as the mind seeks to keep things in balance and growth (quantitative change) and development (qualitative change) proceed through equilibriumdisequilibriumequilibriumdisequilibriumSocial FactorsOur perceptions are also filtered through the social system or how we use language, the accepted way of seeing and describing thingsWe share common meanings for symbolsEx) cultural background—language, geographic area, customs, beliefs and attitudesThe way we speak limits and influences the meanings we can establishEx) eskimos have >20 words for snow so they have MANY more ways of perceiving, describing and talking about snow than others who have one word to describe snowIndividual FactorsInfluence a person’s meanings and interpretation processesRefer to representations and interpretations we create for our meanings based on our OWN personal historyEx) some people view world as three dimensional while others see it flatEVERYONE HAS A UNIQUE WAY OF VIEWING WORLDThe Process of PerceptionPerception is influenced by the environment in which an event occursPerson both receives and acts on the stimulusThrough their own understanding of perceptions, people create an internal map or picture of the worldCognitive (mental maps) – images about an area or environment developed by an individual on the basis of information or impressions which the individual receives, interprets, codes and storesPictures in our mind.We use these in organizing our daily activities like selecting destinations and the sequence in which they will be visited, deciding on routes of travel, recognizing where we are in relation to where we want to beInclude the emotional meaning of the settingFeeling and thinkingCiompi’s formulation says the mind is an ordered complex of affective and logical relational structuresThe internalized patterns of thought, feeling and behavior, with inseparable cognitive (thinking) and affective (feeling) componentsPerception is different for those hearing or vision impairedAge is important as wellYounger kids may draw their house and two neighbors when asked to draw neighborhood10 year old may draw the hood as the square block and surrounding area placing the home and surrounding housesLearningWithout exposure to new experiences, individuals have little opportunity to expand their perceptions or learn and develop skills to adapt to new situationsPeople show declining ability to solve problems when this happensPersonalityBehavior is highly influenced by whether people see themselves as adequate in a situationPrevious experiences of success and acceptance help develop a positive self-perception, while rejection/failure contribute to negative self-perceptionField independent people are highly sensitive to stimuli from their own bodies, irrespective of outside environmental stimuliPereceive themselves as highly differentiated from their environment and tend to remain independent of itRelatively unaffected by authority and are guided by their own needs and valuesField dependent persons are very sensitive to the environment and rely on others for guidanceInternally directed people perceive themselves as being able to control a situationActive in changeExternally directed people often believe fate has preordained what will happenInactive in changeCharacteristics that organize the formation of a perception1. ProximityEx) students sitting together in a class are perceived as members enrolled in the class2. SimilarityEx) All dogs are classified as dogs whether the breeds are different3. ContinuityEx)
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