The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception, Essay Example

It appears that moods, motivations, and prior experiences can alter perceptions. Ultimately, this then has an impact on the reactions that people have (Bernstein, 2014). Individuals are more likely to purchase more food than they need when they are hungry, and less likely to purchase the amount of food they need after they have just eaten. Furthermore, drivers are more likely to be polite on the road when they are in good moods compared to when their mood is bad. Last, disagreements are likely to create a negative perception of an individual that may be either temporary or permanent. This applies to testimonies because the jury enters with biased opinions (Gibson, 1987).

I agree that perception leads to mistakes being made in eye witness testimonies. It is important for the jury to try to look at cases without being biased, but they continue to use many of their preexisting beliefs in order to determine how they feel about the situation. This could include anything from racial discrimination to beliefs that are specific to an individual case. Therefore, it is important that the jury is fully representative of the population so that all people do not have the same biases.

 I agree that the mood that people are in have an impact on their ability to make decisions. When I am in a bad mood, I tend to not want to talk to people and make decisions on this basis. If I am annoyed, I may take this annoyance out on others without meaning to. As a result, something as simple as a bad mood could impact the results of a trial. It is important for the jury to try to not allow these factors to impact them, but it is possible that these factors contribute to the results of trials on a regular basis.

References

Bernstein. (2014). Essentials of Psychology, 6th edition. Wadsworth.

Gibson, J. J. (1987). The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.