Understanding Familiarity Theory: How Our Past Experiences Influence Our Present Perception

Understanding Familiarity Theory: How Our Past Experiences Influence Our Present Perception

Every day, we process a massive amount of information from our surroundings. Our brain has a highly complex system of interpreting this information and making sense of it. One of the crucial factors that play a significant role in processing this information is familiarity. Familiarity is defined as a feeling of close acquaintance with something or someone that we have encountered before. Our past experiences shape our familiarity with things that we come across in our daily lives, which, in turn, influences our perception. In this blog post, we will dive deeper into familiarity theory and how it affects our perception.

What is Familiarity Theory?

Familiarity theory proposes that our past experiences shape our present perception. According to the theory, familiarity is an essential factor in how we process, interpret, and perceive environmental stimuli. In simple terms, the more familiar we are with something, the more likely we are to perceive it positively. On the other hand, if we are not familiar with something, we may perceive it as unfamiliar, unsafe, or negative.

How Does Familiarity Theory Work?

Familiarity theory works by creating mental schema, which is a mental model that represents our knowledge and expectations about a particular object or event. When we encounter something for the first time, we try to categorize it based on our existing schema. If something fits within our schema, we perceive it positively and familiarly. If something does not fit within our schema, we may perceive it negatively, unfamiliarly, or even frightening.

For instance, when we listen to a song for the first time, we listen to it attentively, and our brain tries to categorize it based on our existing schema. If the melody and lyrics of the song fit within our schema of the type of music we like, we may perceive it positively and enjoy it. If the song does not fit within our schema, we may perceive it negatively and not enjoy it.

How Does Familiarity Affect Our Perception in Daily Lives?

Familiarity affects our perception in every aspect of our daily lives. It influences our decision-making, preferences, and judgments. For example, when we go to the grocery store, we tend to choose the brands that we are familiar with and have had a positive experience with in the past. Similarly, when we meet new people, we tend to be more comfortable with people who are similar to those we have interacted with in the past. In contrast, those who are markedly different or unfamiliar may trigger feelings of discomfort or distrust.

Familiarity also plays a crucial role in our social and cultural behaviors. We tend to stick to the customs and traditions that we are familiar with, and cultural practices play a significant role in the formation of our mental schema. For example, if we are used to greeting people with a handshake, we may find it unusual and difficult to greet people with a kiss on the cheek in a different culture.

Conclusion

In conclusion, familiarity theory proposes that our past experiences play a crucial role in shaping our present perception. Our brain creates mental schema based on our past experiences, which helps us to categorize and process new information. Familiarity affects our preferences, decision-making, and judgments in every aspect of our daily lives. Understanding how familiarity works can help us to understand ourselves better and our interactions with our environment.