How many times during our everyday life do we use perception? The answer would be numerous time but most do not recall or give notice of. Perception result from the stimulations of the senses. Cognitive Psychology, Pg:49. Every move and step and sight we take we perceive things.
Did perceiving and reaction time ever get you in trouble? Donders’ pioneer experiment was interested in how long it took someone to make a decision. He did this my measuring reaction time. Pg:6. The starting of perception is with Bottom-up processing which receptors are involved. Also building blocks called Geons are responsible for us being able to recognize objects. This is backed up by the Recognition-by-Components theory. Pg77.
Before I became a correction counselor I was a corrections officer. As an officer you always have to have your guard up. During the hours of recreational activities “yard out” it’s a time when I used perception. There was a time when I saw a fight happening and I needed to call it on the radio. There was a time between what I perceived and what was actually happening. I needed “to make the call”. The call of calling a fight or not, and running to the fights needs to be made in seconds because of life and death situations. When I ran to the fight, I also had to make sure that the inmates fighting did not have a “shank” which is a jail made weapon or not. The time of calling a fight on the radio, running to the fight and apprehending the inmates and hand cuffing them its crucial.
Now as a counselor I use perception on the “block” which is the housing unit. I use my perception when the inmates are coming back from the chow hall, yard, or from a pass. I use perception even when an inmate is not acting his normal self. I need to watch their body language.
In conclusion, perception and reaction time goes hand in hand at my job. My story of perception is different than other stories because I need to react fast. My reaction time counts towards a situation of life or death.
References:
Goldstein, E. Bruce. (2011). Cognitive psychology connecting mind, research, and everyday experience (3rd ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Hi, I found it interesting and liked reading your blog, and your use of life experience from your job as a corrections officer Felicia, to explain “perception” & “reaction time”. I do agree with you on some of the need to react fast, process and make decisions instantly that can be life or death matters. However, understanding that line of work, I also know it is a high stress job, and higher stress can impact perception in many ways, especially towards inmates.
In the article, “”The Impact of Correctional Officer Perceptions of Inmates and Job stress”, (Misis, Kim, Cheeseman, Hogan & Lambert, 2013) the study between relationships between correction officers’ level of stress and their perceptions of inmates was examined, indicating that correctional officers that have higher levels of stress are “less effective”.
Perceptions are “mixed” based on age, tenure, etc., & can vary & how the inmates are viewed, negatively or positively, as well induce higher stress levels in the officers.
“Reality can become a challenge” for corrections officers, as stated in the article, “Correctional Officers-Perception versus Reality”. (Toersbijin, 2013)
“Second we allow our perceptions to be skewed by things we control in ideals and other conditions. This is based on certain things or facts you have experienced in your own life and how you dealt or responded when put under those conditions.” I completely agree with this. It might even be the cause of the negative perceptions the inmates have towards many of the correctional officers. I definitely understand the dangers and quick decisions that need to be made, but what I don’t understand is the perception that can be based on the skewed views of not knowing or understanding, which can create not only the stresses, but agitate or maybe instigate the dangers that occur, increasing the stressors and immediate risks to all. There is no way another person, never exposed or having lives in a gang infested area, would understand these ways the gangs operate and deal with everyday life. This is putting things out of context if you don’t know the conditions or the environmental influences surrounding you on a daily basis. What is good or bad could differ from the other that see just the opposite based on lack of knowledge of the characters involved and see them all as bad. What made be reserved judgment for one may be an extreme prejudice for another unless put into context of the environment.
(Toersbijin, 2013)
Perception and reaction can differ in my opinion based on experience, gender, age and other factors, especially where one lived prior. The way they perceive can and has been indicated their attitudes can ignite certain circumstances. (Williams, 2016)
I can only say, that having a correctional institution job must be very difficult and one must be aware of their stress levels and mental health as well. But indeed, you definitely have to be aware of your surroundings, and be alert at all times, and be able to react quickly. Blessings to you for having been in this type of high-stress job that can put your life in danger on a regular basis.
Hi Felicia,
Awesome post! I enjoyed your application of personal experience and skills with how you have understood and valued the ways in which perception operates. Just as you stated, perception happens constantly and is something that can encompass varying levels of accuracy depending on our processing capabilities, senses and provided information (Goldstein, 2011). I would imagine that in a time sensitive situation like yours, previous experiences and training become the forefront in your decision making process. An article I found discussed an experiment that tested reaction times among trained officers with years of policing experience. The article concluded that a very short reaction time occurred among experienced officers; however, “The process of perceiving the suspect’s movement, interpreting the action, deciding on a response, and executing the response for the officer generally took longer than it took the suspect to execute the action of shooting, even though the officer already had his gun aimed at the suspect” (Institution, 2011). It’s very remarkable that law-enforcement professionals are capable of simultaneously juggling so many factors while being in danger, as suspects seem to have much less to process while in the midst of the same crisis.
Furthermore, I understood that you experienced perception during action-provoking scenarios involving movement. From our book, I found it interesting to learn that if what we perceive is four-dimensional and moving, the level of accuracy is heightened because we have more information regarding the situation. In addition, our brain seems to have two avenues in which we process information: one that focuses on perception of physical objects and another that allows us to correctly pinpoint such objects and take action (Goldstein, 2011). It is clear that with your skills and experience, you have demonstrated the functions our brain uses in making such decisions, as well as perceiving objects in motion to make concise judgments.
References
Institute, . (2011, May 26). New reaction-time study addresses what’s ‘reasonable’ in armed-suspect encounters. In http://www.policeone.com. Retrieved October 3, 2016, from https://www.policeone.com/Officer-Safety/articles/3705348-New-reaction-time-study-addresses-whats-reasonable-in-armed-suspect-encounters/
Goldstein, E. (2011). Congitive Psychology (Third ed., pp. 49-71). N.p.: Linda Schreiber-Ganster.