Jason's uncle claimed to have seen a black panther in the trees beside the highway, although no one else saw it. Knowing that his uncle has been looking for a black panther for years, Jason attributes his uncle's "sighting" to __________.
A) perceptual set
B) perceptual defense
C) bottom-up processing
D) cognitive convergence

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Perceptual set refers to the tendency for our expectations, experiences, and context to influence how we perceive incoming sensory information. In this case, Jason's uncle's long-standing desire to see a black panther likely influenced his perceptual set, leading him to interpret something in the trees as a black panther when it may have been something else entirely.

Jason's Uncle Claimed to Have Seen a Black Panther in the Trees