CHAPTER 3:

LEARNING,
PERCEPTION,
AND
ATTRIBUTION
 Dealing more effectively with
people require knowledge of the
relevant aspects of behavioral
change, specially learning,
perception and attribution.
Whether the individual, manager
or otherwise, will survive or
succeed in the organization will
depend not only with the proper
application of conceptual and
technical skills but also human
skills which could be enhanced
with knowledge of learning,
LEARNING
 Acquiring a complex set of sophisticated skills is a result of
change that comes from learning. An understanding of how
people learn is very important because it will help people
explain ad predict behavior.
 Learning may be defined as a relatively permanent change
in behavior or knowledge due to experience. When a
person behaves differently from what he previously did, it
can be said that there is change in the person’s behavior.
With change there is learning.
 A change in behavior happens due to any or both of the
following:
1. Learning; or
2. Other causes such as drugs, injury, disease and
maturation
 DIRECT
(Observation, Practice, etc.) EXPERIENCE

INDIRECT
LEARNING
(reading,
watching
movies,
etc.)

CHANGE IN OTHER CAUSES

BEHAVIOR (drugs, injury,
(physical or disease, maturation,
change of etc.)
knowledge)

MISCONDUCT
SOCIALLY
APPROPRIATE
BEHAVIOR

Figure 5
LEARNING AND BEHAVIOR
 A change behavior is manifested by outward
action like frequent yawning.
 Behavioral change starts with the mind when it
accepts new knowledge.
 Sometimes, the mind “orders” the body to show
some signs of behavior that is different from the
previous one.
 Sometimes the mind is just plain contented with
the new knowledge and do not make attempts to
“order” the body to show some outward
manifestation of behavior change.
THEORIES OF LEARNING
 Eminent researchers have developed theories that help explains the learning process.
These theories consist of classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and
social learning.

Classical Conditioning
> May be defined as a type of learning in which a stimulus acquires the capacity
to evoke a response that was originally evoked by another stimulus. A stimulus is
something that incites action. An examples of stimulus “ demotion in rank” The
response could be “a law suit”.
Illustration of classical conditioning

ORIGINAL
RESPONSE
STIMULUS

NEUTRAL
STIMULUS

CONDITIONED CONDITIONED
STIMULUS RESPONSE

Figure 6
CLASSICAL CONDITIONING
Operant Conditioning
> may be defined as a type
of learning where people
learn to repeat behaviors that
bring them pleasurable
outcomes and to avoid
behavior that lead to
uncomfortable outcomes.
Social
Learning
May be defined as the process of observing the behavior of
others, recognizing its consequences , and altering behavior
as a result. One of the way by which people learn is through
social contract with other people.
How social learning is achieved:
social learning may be done in three ways namely;
1. By observing what happens to other people;
2. By being told about something; and
3. Through direct experience.
PERCEPTION THE ENVIRONMENT
PEOPLE
PLACES
OBJECTS
> May be defined as the process EVENTS

by which people select, organize,

interpret, retrieve, and respond to
information from their
environment.

INFORMATION

PEOPLE

SELECT
ORGANIZE
INTERPRET
RETRIEVE
RESPOND

Figure 8
THE PROCESS OF PERCEPTION
FACTORS INFLUENCING PERCEPTION

The Perceiver The Target

The person who perceives the target is the The person, object, or events that is perceived
perceiver. His perception of the target is by another person is the target. Perception may
influenced by factors that are unique to him, like be modified by another the following factors
the following; which are typical characteristics of targets:
1. his past experience 1. Contrast
2. his needs or motives 2. Intensity
3. his personality 3. Figure-ground separation
4. his values and attitude 4. Size
5. Motion
Repetition or novelty

The situation
 The perception is also affected by the
surrounding environment
 The situational factor that affect
perception are: time, work setting, and
social setting
 *Past experience
PERCEIVER *Needs or motives
FACTORS *Personality
*Values and attitude

PERCEPTION

*Contrast
*Intensity
*Time
*Figure-ground separation TARGET SITUATION *Work setting
*Size FACTORS FACTORS *Social setting
*Motion
* Repetition or novelty

Figure 9
FACTORS INFLUENCE PERCEPTION
ATTRIBUTION
 The process by which people ascribe causes to the behavior
they perceive.
Common Attribution Errors

The Fundamental Attribution Error The Self Serving Bias

Tendency to underestimate the Type of attribution error whereby
influence of external factors and people tend to attribute their
overestimate the influence of internal achievements to their good qualities,
or personal factors in the behavior of whereas they attribute their failures
others to adverse factors within the
environment
FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE ATTRIBUTION

Distinctiveness Consistency
The considertion given to This refers to the measure of
how consistent a persons whether an indiidual
behavior is across responds the same way
across time

Consensus
This refers to the likelihood
that all those facing the same
situation will have similar
response
SHORTCUTS IN FORMING IMPRESSION
OF OTHERS

“Selective
Perception” “Halo Effect” “Contrast Effect”
Happens when a person Occurs when one attribute Occurs when individuals
selectively interpret what of a person or situation is characteristics are
he sees on the bsis of his used to develop an overall contrasted with those of
interest impresion of the person or others recently
situation encountered, who rank
higher or lower on the
same characeristics.

“Protection” “Stereotyping”

Attributing ones own Judging someone on the

thoughts, feelings, or basis of ones perception of
motives to another the group to which the
person belongs.
THANK YOU!!!
 Prepared by;
Abubacar, Sohanie
Mauna, Jehanne
Umpar, Abdulcader