Perception and Attribution Images
Stereotypes
This is a good example of how people stereotype others.
Perception Vase
This is a classic example of perception. If one focuses on the black sections of the picture, two faces are visible. If one focuses on the white section, a vase is visible. Depending on the viewer, two different images can be seen from this one picture.
Homer Simpson's Brain
Many people who have seen the Simpson's on TV will probably attribute Homer's stupidity to a lack of education or alcohol consumption, but here is proof that he just has a small brain!
Green Man
We attribute this image of a person to be a male. We see this sign mainly on men’s restrooms and it is how we identify which restroom to enter. We attribute the wearing of pants as male and the wearing of a skirt as female.
Cat/Lion
This image displays the power of perception of ones self. As the cliché goes “Perception is reality” If one believes something about themselves, then in their eyes, it is true. This cat believes he is as big and strong and courageous as a lion, and therefore, he is.
Punk's Not Dead
This image shows two people who can be labeled as “punk”. This is reminiscent of the attribution article discussing conformity vs. counterconformity.
Psychology Blot Test
This image is an example of a tool used frequently in psychology. Images such as this can be shown to patients and they are asked what they perceive in this image. This gives the psychologist an idea of what is going on in that patients mind. Depending on the patient, many people can have different perceptions of what they see in these types of images.
Wittgenstein and facial mimicry
Social perception, understood by Wittgenstein as the ability to directly read off emotion and thought from a person’s behavior, has a direct effect on social behavior. As a result, we often do what we see others doing.
An Imaginary Life: Where Do Dead Imaginary Friends Go?
Young children three and four years-old, and many older children (as well as some teenagers), report having imaginary companions. Imaginary friends can provide emotional stability, feelings of competence and a sense of enhanced social perception.
Maureen & Cindy
Maureen and Cindy joined in "holy civil union, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish..." For some people seeing this image and believing that gay marriage is wrong, they may scrunch up their face in disgust and make a mental judgment that their "union" is wrong. For others, they may look at this picture and see it as if they were any other married couple on their special day.
Tiffany
This picture is initially of a very depressed girl stuck in rehab. The caption says, "Tiffany sits in an isolation room at Metropolitan State Hospital, after complaining of feeling ill. 'The reason why I have been self-medicating is because I have nothing,' she said." I assumed that her situation could be attributed to a poor childhood or a history of abuse. After reading the article from the LA Times, I realized that this poor girl suffered from schizophrenia, which is incurable, barely manageable, and not anyone's fault.
Times Are Changing
This image goes to show that times are changing. Usually women are perceived to own the role of housewife and make dinner for their husbands while they work late or complete an education. However, this picture shows the husband happily cooking for his wife.
The Meaning of Lila
This is a precise example of the "Halo Effect": If a person is attractive, we are more likely to believe that they are smart.
Calvin and Hobbes
This is a good example of self-serving bias. When Calvin fails to hit Susie with the snowball, he attributes this failure to external factors such as "miserable luck" or "a cross breeze", not to his own poor throwing ability.
Watterson, Bill. "Calvin and Hobbes" (comic strip excerpt). The Authoritative Calvin and Hobbes: A Calvin and Hobbes Treasury. New York: Andrews and McMeel, 1990. Pg. 27"
Mr. Angry HappyFace
A lot of people put on a "happy face" to cover up their anger and frustration. If we see someone as happy all the time and don't understand that there is underlying anger, we may treat them as if we could not make them angry as easily. Also, as soon as that "happy face" comes off, we realize that this person is much more angry than we had perceived them to be, but may not understand why because we thought they were truly happy to begin with.