Improving Your Perceptions

• Verify your perceptions. It’s natural to jump to some conclusions—to depend too much on your existing schemas—but take some time to confirm (or debunk) your conclusions. For instance, if you see a mother yell at a small child in the park and grab his arm, you might conclude that she’s harsh or even abusive. But look more closely: the child may have been about to reach for a razor-sharp piece of broken glass on the ground.
• Be thoughtful when you seek explanations. Look beyond the most obvious explanation for what you observe. For example, scuffles occasionally break out among players in college and professional sports. You might assume that the person who threw the first punch instigated the fight. Frequently, however, a fight starts when someone else says or does something that the fans cannot easily perceive: a hockey player might have thrown his stick high in the face of another player or may have said something insulting. In seeking explanations for what caused an event, consider whether something unseen might have provoked what you observed.
• Look beyond first impressions. Don’t rely completely on your first impressions; these often lead to inaccurate conclusions. Consider Meghan, who frequently comes off as gregarious and loud when people first meet her. Meghan is actually quite thoughtful and kind—she just loves meeting new people and enthusiastically asks questions while getting to know them. Hold off forming a judgment until you can make further perceptions.