Different Perceptions According to the Individual

What is an example of a situation in which the same sensations may produce different perceptions from one individual to another?

Sensation and perception are two separate things, but they do go hand in hand. For example, one person might smell a rose and perceive it as being a beautiful smell, while someone else may think of nausea (Same sensation, different perception).

I went shopping with my mother in law a while back. She was looking for something in an electronics department. The employee who came to us to offer his help was Asian.

I started joking around with the guy (as I'm not a shy person and I'll talk to just about anyone!). My mother in law, wanting to joke as well, said to the guy that she used to buy Chinese kids in school for 10 cents!!! When I heard this my mouth dropped and I turned red with embarrassment. I was shocked. The guy was Asian, cos of his parents, but he was just as American as me! He was born and raised here, and his heritage doesn’t make him any less a citizen on America.

My perception on this was that comment was rude. I was offended by it. I talked about it with my mother in law when we got out of the shop and she thought she'd been funny! She said to me that it was true, that they really did do that. She then talked about them in that time not knowing any better, etc. Oh and by the way, the employee of the shop was laughing, and did not seem as offended as me.

So as you can see, how you were raised effects the perception, just like the age factor. Sex affects perception too. Attributions (internal or external) also affect perceptions. I'm the kind of person who takes things personally, so I was offended. My mother in law is very open-minded, and speaks her mind without think twice about it. She thought that her comment was perfectly acceptable and humorous.

Do you perceive the situation experienced above as rude or as humorous? Can you think of a situation where you and another both experienced the same sensation but perceived it differently?

By: Emily Maxwell