Week 3: More Exploration of Mental Filters and Their Influences on Perception

For this assignment, I went to the cafeteria with Rachel and Natalie to make observations and interpretations. As we were discussing what we saw, we realized that we all noticed the same people around us and their physical appearances. But, when we talked about what we thought the people were like or what they were doing, some of our thoughts were different and others were similar. In the beginning of lunch there were a lot of people in the cafeteria. The first thought that came to mind when I saw all of those people was that it was lunch time and everyone was hungry. On the other hand, my group member thought that people were in there because they were on a break from class. I think that I thought this because every time I go to eat, I am hungry. We also noticed a girl that was on crutches. But this time we all had the same interpretation that her foot or ankle was hurt in some way. During this exercise, I learned that I do not always understand other peoples perceptions of things. It is different from what I think so I do not always like the other persons way of thinking. I think that this exercise has taught me that I need to be more open to other peoples thoughts, and to accept them easier. I think that I have learned that my perceptions are not wrong, but that I need to understand others to fully perceive the surroundings. I actually enjoyed this assignment and I think that it makes me more aware of what other people are doing.