How we see the world is not as simple as our brain processing everything that we see. When we see something, we tend to pick up on some details whilst missing some because there is too much information for the brain to process. The perceptual set will be discussed to learn more about this.
- We will start with learning how to define perceptual set in psychology whilst also covering some examples of perception set.
- Moving along to learn about the determinants of perception sets.
- To finish off, we will take a look at some perceptual set experiments.
Fig. 1 - The brain is biased as it is selective of what information it processes to prevent overload from occurring.
Perceptual Set: Definition
Allport (1955) defined a perceptual set as 'a perceptual bias or predisposition or readiness to perceive particular features of a stimulus.' A perceptual set, therefore, refers to a tendency to perceive certain aspects of what we see while ignoring others, a state of readiness to perceive certain items over others.
The perceptual set theory highlights that perception is selective; we make inferences and interpretations of what we see based on schemas and current actions.
Our previous knowledge and context make us likely to exaggerate some aspects of what we see and ignore others.
Schemas are frameworks that organise our previous knowledge and help us understand and interpret new information based on that. Examples of schemas are stereotypes, expectations of how people typically behave in different social roles or the memory of a first date.
Perception Set: Examples
A perception set is an example of top-down processing. Researchers have proposed two approaches that explain how the brain processes information. The bottom-down processing theory suggests that we receive sensory information from the environment, and the determining factor of perception is how we interpret the received information. Whereas, top-down processing involves the brain processing and interpreting incoming sensory information using our past knowledge, thoughts, and expectations.
Your previous knowledge of English and expectations about what this sentence means allow you to read it even when it doesn't include any vowels.
M*RY H*D * L*TTL* L*MB
Perception sets are an example of top-down processing, and both of these cognitive abilities have a biased nature resulting from previous knowledge we have learned.
Determinant of the Perceptual set
Schemas determine and influence our perceptual set, which is shaped by various contextual factors like culture, motivation, emotions, and expectations.
Culture
Schemas are often shaped by culture. We are likely to adopt beliefs consistent with our cultural context. What we hear from the people around us and the media growing up shapes our view of the world.
Fig. 2 - Culture affects our perception of information.
Suppose you grow up in a culture that respects and admires older people. In that case, you are more likely to perceive older people you encounter as more knowledgeable, trustworthy or even as an authority.
Motivation
Motivation, our goals and objectives affect how we perceive objects.
If you aim to throw an object at someone, you will perceive an orange as a potential missile. If your goal is to be viewed as a classy person of high social status, you may perceive overpriced branded clothes to be more valuable than you would otherwise.
Emotion
We perceive the world through the lens of our current emotions. Our emotions change how we perceive the costs and benefits of different actions. Therefore, when we are in a bad mood, actions that require effort can be perceived as more of a burden than when in a good mood.
A song might appear sadder if we listen to it while sad. Or, if you're already nervous, a small problem, such as not being able to find an important document, can appear to be a huge deal. But if you encounter the same issue while in a better mood, you may perceive it as something you can easily overcome.
Expectation
People see what they want to see. Expectations are created by past experiences and also influence what we pay attention to and aspects of the visual field we select to perceive.
If you're crossing the street you know from your past experiences to focus on changing street lights and watching for cars, you might miss a familiar face crossing by.
We often filter out things we don't expect to see.
Suppose we expect to fail when delivering an important presentation. In that case, we'll pay more attention to any signs that confirm it, for example, seeing someone in the audience yawn or feeling our palms swear. Still, we might also miss all the evidence that proves otherwise - people in the audience that are paying attention and seem interested.
Perceptual Set Experiments
Let's take a look at some perceptual set examples that have been investigated in lab settings!
Culture
Hudson (1960) investigated cross-cultural differences in perceiving depth cues in pictures. In the study, researchers showed participants a picture of a hunter attacking an antelope standing close to him; the picture also included an elephant standing on a hill far behind the hunter. Even though the elephant was far, it appeared between the hunter and the antelope.
The study found that White people and native black South African people differed in how they perceived the picture. White people were more likely to perceive depth; the results suggest that cultural differences affect perceptual set.
Motivation
Gilchrist and Nesberg (1952) investigated how a strong motivation to eat affects participants' perception of images of food. Researchers showed participants who had not eaten for 20 hours and participants who had eaten pictures of food. The same picture was shown again, but with reduced brightness. Participants were then instructed to readjust the brightness of the picture to match the original image they were shown.
Hungry participants overestimated how bright the image originally was, which made researchers conclude that when we are hungry, images of food seem brighter.
Hunger is an example of a motivator.
Emotion
Riener et al. (2011) investigated how mood influences perception. The researchers induced a sad mood in participants by asking them to describe a sad life event they had experienced or to listen to a sad song. An image of a hill was shown to participants, and they were asked to estimate how steep it was.
Participants in a sad mood viewed a hill significantly steeper than happy ones. The researchers concluded that participants who were in a worse mood perceived climbing the hill as more of a burden and therefore judged it to be steeper.
Expectation
Bruner and Minturn (1955) investigated the effects of expectations on our perception. In the study, participants were asked to note down what letters or numbers were flashed on a screen. The stimuli were only shown briefly (30 milliseconds at first, and then the duration increased with each trial). Throughout the trials, an ambiguous figure was shown. The ambiguous figures could have easily been interpreted as a 'B' or '13'. The participants were split into two groups:
- Group 1 was shown numbers before the ambiguous figure, suggesting 13 would be perceived as the number.
- Group 2 was shown letters before the ambiguous figure, suggesting 13 would be perceived as the letter B.
When expecting to see a letter, the ambiguous figure was recognised as the letter B. And when expecting a number, participants interpreted the ambiguous figure as the number 13.
Fig. 3 - Illustration of stimuli based on Bruner and Minturn (1955).
Perceptual Set - Key takeaways
- Perceptual set refers to a tendency to perceive certain aspects of what we see while ignoring others.
- The perceptual set theory highlights that perception is selective; we make inferences and interpretations of what we see based on our schemas.
- Perceptual set is an example of top-down processing; both of these have a biased nature and rely on our previous knowledge.
- Research has identified examples of determinants of the perceptual set as culture, motivation, emotions, and expectations.
Explanations 
Exams 
Magazine 
