What is perception? Discuss the factors that influence perception.
Answer: Perception is a process by which individuals organize and interpret their sensory impressions in order to give meaning to their environment. What an individual perceives can be substantially different from objective reality. When people look at a target and attempt to interpret what they see, their interpretation is heavily influenced by personal characteristics such as their attitudes, personality, motives, interests, past experiences, and expectations. Characteristics of the target also affect perception. Since people do not look at targets in isolation, the relationship of a target to its background also influences perception, as does one's tendency to group close things and similar things together. Context matters as well. The time at which people see an object or event can influence attention, as can location, light, heat, or any number of situational factors.