Social Perception

gives evidence for the assertion that human beings are not objects (Fiske & Taylor, 2013). Essentially, perception of humans like ourselves and other objects perceived are not the same within the human mind. Two specific regions of the brain are involved in similar processes: the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is used in social cognition and superior temporal sulcus (STS) in used in “judgements of intent and trajectory” (Fiske & Taylor, 2013).
Purpose and Use of Social Perception Social perception is a useful tool to human beings due to the social environment in which we live. Without social perception, humans would not take in and analyze information within society as it pertains to individual interactions with others or the world around them. Many different stimuli affect our perceptions of others including the number of personal encounters, outer appearance, the environment, behavior, and nonverbal means of communication (Smith & Mackie, 2007).
According to Kuhlmeier and Rutherford (2013), not only do humans gain information about others through the words they use and their facial expressions, but humans also perceive others using what they called …show more content…
In simplified terms, certain behaviors may be perceived as stemming from internal dispositions, moods, or desires. Such assumptions of intent and condition made without proper evidence can result in misperception of social situations and social interactions. After perception of a social situation occurs, a course of action can be taken. For example, action can be taken to help someone in need or prevent another from completing an action. When misperception occurs, behaviors following as a result of these perceptions have the possibility of being harmful even without