Prejudgement 1

Ms Khushboo Amir
BSSE Semester 2
Communication and presentation skills.
Prejudgment: Prejudgment is the process by which you interpret information

about other people. It is an an attitude, belief, or impression formed in advance
of actual experience of something. Prejudgment is an immensely useful skill that
helps you categorize the many strangers whom you meet. Sometimes it is very
accurate. But often your first impression of a new person may be more illusion
than you care to imagine. Based on little information, you infer a great deal and
make an instant evaluation. Research indicates that your first impression of
another person will remain unchanged after weeks of regular interaction
(Sunnafrank and Ramirez 2004).
 Prejudge traps: Since first impressions are so important, it’s equally

important to become aware of some of the most typical traps of
prejudgment.
1) The Limits of Perception: You never get complete information from a first
impression because the perception process simplifies and eliminates some
of the data. For Example :If someone were to read to you a list of 20
random numbers, and then ask you to recite them back, you'd most
likely remember somewhere between 5 and 9 of the most recent
ones.
2) Generalization of Expectations : Your past experiences play the main role

in making a generalizations once you encounter a new or unfamiliar
situation your brain will infer a conclusion ( Stems from your experience )
in order to fill up the missing gaps of information.
3) Perceptual accentuation: It occurs when you see only what you expect and
want to see. You are likely to assess people whom you like as more
attractive and more intelligent than people whom you don’t like.
 Stereotypes: Stereotyping is a shortcut to forming impressions of others.

Based on as little as one trait or behavior, you may classify an individual as
belonging to a group of people to whom you attribute common qualities.
For Example: If you classify a person as being attractive, you may think that
he or she is friendlier, has a better character, and has a higher occupational
status.
One of the dangers of stereotyping is self-fulfilling prophecy. Self-fulfilling

prophecies are an important part of first impressions and ongoing
relationships. If you expect others to act in a certain way, you are likely to
communicate your expectations to them with subtle cues, increasing the
likelihood that they will act as you anticipate. If you expect people to reject
you, you are likely to avoid eye contact.
 Approval and disapproval in prejudgment: Giving approval or disapproval

statement about someone depends on your own selection criteria which
defines the goodness or badness. Everyone has different understanding and
various perspectives of everything around. For Example : On first meeting
people, you tend to make judgments about them in such terms as
“intelligent” or “stupid,” “strong” or “weak,” “warm” or “cold,” “active” or
“passive.”
You may discover that you use certain trait scales repeatedly in evaluating
people. If you were to compare your lists of traits with lists filled out by
other people, you would likely find some evaluative traits that would not
normally occur to you. Remember that how you evaluate others will be
largely determined by the specific trait scales you habitually use. The
famous personality theorist Harry Stack Sullivan provided a possible
explanation for why certain traits reoccur in your evaluation of others while
other traits are never used. Sullivan (1968) suggested that from a very
young age, we become attuned to those things we do that either result in
approval and satisfaction or result in disapproval and dissatisfaction. And
one can find in others only what is in the self. A favorite saying of Sullivan’s
was “As you judge yourself, so shall you judge others.” Many times when
you respond strongly to something in another person, it has more to do
with you than with that person.
 Parataxic Distortions: It is the situation when you meet somebody who

reminds you of someone else . Perhaps the person reminds you of
someone out of your past. Usually the association between the person in
front of you and the person out of your past is small and superficial: he or
she has the same hairstyle, the same name, the same profession, or a
similar accent. When you do have a strong positive or negative reaction to
someone you are meeting for the first time, consider the possibility of
parataxic distortion—that the person in front of you is reminding you of
someone else. Proceed with caution. The result can be confusion and
misunderstanding.
Whenever you have a strong, immediate attraction to or revulsion for
someone, whenever you find yourself making assumptions, ask yourself if
you associate the person in front of you with anyone out of your past.
Compare the person in front of you with the person out of your past by
contrasting how each would respond to a similar situation and checking out
what the current person actually wants or feels rather than assuming you
know what these wants and feelings are.
 Perpetuating illusions : Prejudgment is interactional. More often than not,

when you first meet someone you are both on good behavior. However, if
you try to maintain an unrealistically good image in order to win the
approval or affection of the other person, you create an uncomfortable
relationship that is likely to break down eventually.
There are 4 ways to clarify First impressions and prevent future issues of
perpetuating illusions :
Misleading first impressions can lead to later disillusionment. According to George
Bach, it is much easier to replace illusions with reality by checking out and sharing
first impressions as soon as possible (Bach and Deutsch 1971).
1) 1. Let the other person know that you are interested in getting to know him
or her better, or at least let the other person know how you feel about him
or her.
2) 2. State what happened during the meeting from your point of view.
3) State what you expect and hope in regard to the other person.
4) . Give the other person an opportunity to object to or correct any false

perceptions.
These four steps should reduce considerably the illusions of first impressions.
As a relationship develops, it is essential to continue to check out each other’s
assumptions in order to keep communication lines

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Ms Khushboo Amir

Prejudgment: Prejudgment is the process by which you interpret information

 Prejudge traps: Since first impressions are so important, it’s equally

2) Generalization of Expectations : Your past experiences play the main role

 Stereotypes: Stereotyping is a shortcut to forming impressions of others.

One of the dangers of stereotyping is self-fulfilling prophecy. Self-fulfilling

 Approval and disapproval in prejudgment: Giving approval or disapproval

 Parataxic Distortions: It is the situation when you meet somebody who

 Perpetuating illusions : Prejudgment is interactional. More often than not,

4) . Give the other person an opportunity to object to or correct any false

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