Theories Social Psychology Factors That Affect Our Perception of Someone By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book." Learn about our editorial process Updated on November 11, 2023 Fact checked Verywell Mind content is rigorously reviewed by a team of qualified and experienced fact checkers. Fact checkers review articles for factual accuracy, relevance, and timeliness. We rely on the most current and reputable sources, which are cited in the text and listed at the bottom of each article. Content is fact checked after it has been edited and before publication. Learn more. by Shereen Lehman, MS Fact checked by Shereen Lehman, MS Shereen Lehman, MS, is a healthcare journalist and fact checker. She has co-authored two books for the popular Dummies Series (as Shereen Jegtvig). Learn about our editorial process Print Biddiboo / Getty Images Table of Contents View All Table of Contents How We Form Perceptions of Somone Social Categorization Potential Pitfalls Implicit Personality Theories Trending Videos Close this video player Whenever we form a perception of someone, a number of processes allow us to make quick decisions that help us navigate our social worlds. Person perception is a term used in social psychology to describe the mental processes that we use to form impressions of other people. This includes not just how we form these impressions, but the different conclusions we make about other people based on our impressions. Consider how often you make this kind of judgment every day. When you meet with a new co-worker, you begin to develop an initial impression of this person. When you visit the grocery store after work, you form an impression of the cashier, even though you know very little about them. At a Glance Various factors, including the situation, past experiences, and societal expectations can influence our perception of someone. Person perception allows us to make snap judgments and decisions but can lead to biased or stereotyped perceptions of others. Let's take a closer look at how person perception works and its impact on our daily interactions. How We Form Perceptions of Somone Obviously, person perception is a very subjective process that can be affected by many variables. Factors that can influence the impressions you form of other people include: The characteristics of the person you are observing The context of the situation Your own personal traits Your past experiences Social Norms and Role Expectations People often form impressions of others very quickly, with only minimal information. We frequently base our impressions on the roles and social norms we expect from people. For example, you might form an impression of a city bus driver based on how you would anticipate a person in that role to behave, considering individual personality characteristics only after you have formed this initial impression. Physical Cues Physical cues can also play an important role. If you see a woman dressed in a professional-looking suit, you might immediately assume that she works in a formal setting, perhaps at a law firm or bank. Salience The salience of the information we perceive is also important. Generally, we tend to focus on the most obvious points rather than noting background information. The more novel or obvious a factor is, the more likely we are to focus on it. If you see a woman dressed in a tailored suit with her hair styled in a bright pink mohawk, you are likely to pay more attention to her unusual hairstyle than her sensible business attire. How Social Categorization Affects Your Perception of Someone One of the mental shortcuts we use in person perception is social categorization. In this process, we mentally categorize people into different groups based on common characteristics. Sometimes, this process occurs consciously, but for the most part, social categorizations happen automatically and unconsciously. The most common social categories are age, gender, occupation, and race. Pitfalls of Social Categorization As with many mental shortcuts, social categorization has positive and negative aspects. On the plus side, social categorization allows you to make rapid judgments. Realistically, you simply do not have time to get to know every person you come into contact with. Social categorization allows you to make decisions and establish expectations of how people will behave quickly, allowing you to focus on other things. Unfortunately, this can also lead to errors, as well as to stereotyping or even prejudice. Imagine that you are getting on a bus. There are only two seats available. One is next to a petite, elderly woman; the other is next to a burly, grim-faced man. Based on your immediate impression, you sit next to the elderly woman, who, unfortunately, turns out to be quite skilled at picking pockets. Because of social categorization, you immediately judged the woman as harmless and the man as threatening, leading to the loss of your wallet. While social categorization can be useful at times, it can also lead to these kinds of misjudgments. Implicit Personality Theories An implicit personality theory is a collection of beliefs and assumptions about how certain traits are linked to other characteristics and behaviors. Once we know something about a cardinal trait or a primary trait that makes up the core of a person's personality, we assume that the person also exhibits other traits commonly linked to that key characteristic. For example, if you observe that a new co-worker is very happy, you might immediately assume that they are also friendly, kind, and generous. As with social categorization, implicit personality theories help people make judgments quickly but can also contribute to stereotyping and errors. What This Means For You There are many factors that affect our perceptions of someone, including the situation, individual characteristics, our personality traits, and our past experiences. Two common tactics that can influence how we perceive others include social categorization and our own implicit personality theories.Becoming more aware of how these processes work and their shortcomings can help ensure that you make accurate (and fair) assessments of others. 6 Sources Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Brooks JA, Freeman JB. Neuroimaging of person perception: A social-visual interface. Neurosci Lett. 2019;693:40-43. doi:10.1016/j.neulet.2017.12.046 Young AW, Bruce V. Understanding person perception. Br J Psychol. 2011;102(4):959-974. doi:10.1111/j.2044-8295.2011.02045.x Stolier RM, Freeman JB. A neural mechanism of social categorization. J Neurosci. 2017;37(23):5711-5721. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3334-16.2017 Freeman JB, Johnson KL. More than meets the eye: Split-second social perception. Trends Cogn Sci (Regul Ed). 2016;20(5):362-374. doi:10.1016/j.tics.2016.03.003 Noguchi K, Kamada A, Shrira I. Cultural differences in the primacy effect for person perception. Int J Psychol. 2014;49(3):208-210. doi:10.1002/ijop.12019 Bargh JA, Chen M, Burrows L. Automaticity of social behavior: Direct effects of trait construct and stereotype-activation on action. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1996;71(2):230‐244. doi:10.1037//0022-3514.71.2.230 By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book." See Our Editorial Process Meet Our Review Board Share Feedback Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! What is your feedback? Helpful Report an Error Other Submit