Or is reality perception? Intriguing dilemma, but one that we have to be aware of when dealing with communicating, connecting and reducing conflict with others.
We receive information from our surroundings and experience them through our senses. In turn our brain has to encode this information such that it makes sense. In fact, our brain will use heuristic methods to speed up the process of finding a satisfactory solution via mental shortcuts based upon the physics and statistics of the natural world, to make the” best guess” about the nature of reality. These “best guesses” are what our brain uses as “filler” to make perception possible. However, our brain is not fool proof.
Edward Adelson, Professor of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT, produced this unique checkerboard illustration.
Which square is darker, A or B?
Most participants would say that square A is darker than square B. However, they are actually the same exact shade of gray! So in this case our brain’s perception is not reality.
Similarly our memories are pieced together based upon what seems most likely given our current knowledge of the event. So if your knowledge is incomplete, incorrect, or you just ”don’t know what you don’t know” then you are going to have a very faulty reality!
A famous researcher named Elizabeth Loftus began studies of the “misinformation effect” as far back as the early 1970’s. Her studies have revealed that people can easily be “tricked” into remembering events that never occurred.
In one example, participants viewed a simulated automobile accident at an intersection with a stop sign. After the viewing, half the participants received a suggestion that the traffic sign was a yield sign. When asked later what traffic sign they remembered seeing at the intersection, those who had been given the suggestion tended to claim that they had seen a yield sign. Those who had not received the phony suggestion were much more accurate in their recollection of the traffic sign.
Well the only way we can strive to make perception equal to reality is through continual diligence at working to improve our knowledge of the situation, constantly striving for additional data or metrics to help ensure that it just isn’t our brain’s perception of reality….in other words “keep learning”.
Did you know that everyone views that world around them in at least six different ways – through their Perceptions of;
- Thoughts
- Opinions
- Emotions
- Inaction (Reflections)
- Reactions (likes and dislikes)
- Actions
These six unique perceptions where discovered by Dr. Kahler and applied to the Process Communication Model®. Not only are these the filters by which we experience the world, these Perceptions become the way we contact others and how they prefer that they contact us.
Understanding these Perceptions in others and ourselves is instrumental in effective communication and leadership with others. It’s a learnable skill that can drastically improve your ability to assess, connect, motivate, and reduce conflict with those around you.
So your Perception is just as real to you as another’s Perception is to them. So which one is reality?
very nice thoughts pl;tks
Dave,
Wonderful article. While people think their perception is reality so they think they are making smart decisions. Their filters ignore too many new realities. Getting ourselves to recognize our blind spots and overcome them is critical to our success.
Mary
Thanks for sharing Mary. Our unique perception is so real to us that we feel so compelled to impose it on others. However, if we realize that our perception could have the possibility of being inaccurate and we actively solict others we will drastically improve our situational awareness.