Theory of perception Theoretical Description

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CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This research discusses the detail description of the related theory into theoretical description. Also, it discusses the theoretical framework in order to explain the cycle of the theories to formulate the point of reference of the research.

A. Theoretical Description

There are four key concepts discussed in this chapter; they are theory of perception, theory of motivation, theory of cognitive development, and theory of the Internet.

1. Theory of perception

Perception is defined perception as the process by which an individual gives meaning to the environment Donnelly, and Ivancevich, 2009:98. In other words, perception is the way people view their environment. Gibson et.al add that “perception involves acquiring specific knowledge about object or event at any particular moment, it occurs whenever stimuli activate the senses. Since it involves cognition or knowledge, it includes the interpretation of objects, symbols, and people in the light of pertinent experiences ”. It needs processes of receiving stimuli, organizing them, and translating or interpreting the organized stimuli which influence behavior and form attitudes. In other words, perception can determine behavior and form attitudes. Therefore, if the students of SMA PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 9 Negeri 2 Yogyakarta have positive perception, they tend to have good behavior or attitudes toward the internet. Perception, however, does not solely involve sensory process for it is also a mental process. Hardi and Heyes as cited in Kurniyati 2006: 85 add that the basic form of perception is born talent, meanwhile perceptional ability is the result of learning, which is determined by environment. It means that perception is not only influenced by personal factor but also surroundings. As stated by Altman 1985:86-91 that there are four of the most important factors which influence a person‟s perception: a. Selection of stimuli Selection of stimuli is the process of all our surrounded stimuli but we focus on only a small number. This is one reason why people perceive things differently. Each person selects certain stimuli and filter out others. It happens because people have different threshold levels. In order to make it clear, there are some examples to describe selection of stimuli. First example, some people may be so intently watching a movie that they are oblivious to the noises caused by popcorn boxes falling to the floor, latecomers being seated nearby, or talkers in the lobby. Some people are able to screen out these noises while others feel interfered with these distractions. Second, some people can write or read and they still are able to follow the plot of a television program, whereas others cannot. Third, some students must have silent situation while studying, whereas others can concentrate with music playing or noise room. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 10 However, the same person may have different threshold at different time. The hum of printer may distract a person in the office for a while, but the noise soon disappears. This phenomenon is called sensory adaptation that is each person has different sensitivity to stimuli. Therefore, each person selects specific cues and filters out others based on his or her threshold. b. Organization of stimuli The second factor influencing perception is organization. It is any information that has undergone the screening process and arranged to become meaningful. The mind tries to bring order the sensory data from the disorder data by selecting certain items and putting them together in a meaningful way based on experience. For example, there is one figure. One person might see the picture as a goblet while others sees as twins are facing each other. Different people might have different interpretation about the same picture. The interpretation is based on the way they see thing before or they usually pay attention to. c. Situation A person‟s familiarity, expectations and experience affect what that person perceives. Perceiving a situation is also related to how well a person adjusts his or her behavior to situation. For instance, a recent college graduate who has never worked before may find it difficult to understand the norms and value of the workplace. He or she may find difficulties to assess the interpersonal dynamics of the department in which he or she works. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 11 d. The person‟s self concept They way we see ourselves affect our perception of the world around us. The way we feel about and perceive ourselves is known as our self-concept. Self- concept is important because hisher mental picture of himselfherself determine what that person perceives and does. If a person sees himself herself as a competitive person, heshe will be likely to attend to those stimuli in the environment that relate to opportunities to be competitive. In psychological cases, the person is considered has positive self-concept. It is because his or her picture of himself or herself is positive. If a person has positive self-concept, he or she will have positive perception. It is because self- concept influences a person‟s perception of the world around him or her.

2. Theory of Motivation in Learning