Running head: PERCEPTION PROCESS IN PICKING COTTON

Perception Process in Picking Cotton

Blaike E. Freeman
University of Kentucky

PERCEPTION PROCESS IN PICKING COTTON

Abstract
Throughout the book, Picking Cotton, Ronald Cotton and Jennifer Thompson Cannino share
their first hand experiences dealing with the perception process, stereotypes, prejudices, and
interpersonal relationships. Each character had their own story to share until they finally came
together as one. Their stories each influenced each other, each others families, and the
communities in which they were both from and where the incident took place. Distorted
perceptions can impact legal and social issues as they did in Picking Cotton. The use of DNA
testing, which was newly introduced in Ronald Cottons trials, is one solution to distorted
perception processes. Stereotypes and prejudices worked together throughout the book after the
tragedies and situations between Ronald Cotton and Jennifer Thompson Cannino. Along with
the heartache and troubles that both families experienced, attention was brought to similar
situations and people who were victims of the faulty perception processes.

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The world is full of interpersonal relationships, stereotypes, and prejudices, which are
each formed through the help of the perception process. Each of these factors can impact the
world in both a negative and positive way. Ronald Cotton and Jennifer Thompson created
unusual relationships after dealing with both factors over a ten-year period between trials and
prison. In the University of Kentucky common reader, Picking Cotton by Jennifer Thompson
Cannino, Ronald Cotton, and Erin Torneo, the concepts related to the perception process such as
stereotypes and prejudice played an important role within the interpersonal relationships of the
characters.
The perception process took precedence in Jennifers close analysis of her rapist and her
ability to choose a man from the pictures as well as the live line up at the police station.
Perception is the process of selectively attending and assigning meaning to information
(Sprague, Stuart, & Bodary, 2014). Sprague (2014) and others state that the brain selects only
some of the information that it receives from the senses (sensory stimuli), organizes that
information, and then interprets it. In the case of Jennifer Thompson in the book Picking Cotton,
Jennifers brain selected and picked out many of her rapists (later Bobby Leon Poole) features
but not all of them. The information she gathered was organized and interpreted in her brain,
which later became the drawing that the FBI and police agency compiled and that newspapers
and television news stations shared with viewers all over the country.
Jennifer believed that if she were to memorize the face of her rapist, she would be able to
pick him out in the future. In blinks, I willed myself to note the details. I studied his face for
features to identify. Although I didnt want to look at him, I had to. How much could I bear
(Thompson Cannino et al., 2009). These attributes that Jennifer remembered became much

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more important once meaning was assigned to them. Now, the features determined her rapist and
the man that would spend the rest of his life in prison.
After a period of time, perception soon becomes a reality. Jennifer believed that the
drawing of the suspect was her rapist and any man that she perceived to be her rapist was guilty.
Her perceptions did not just deal with her interpersonal relationship with Ronald but they dealt
with everyone who was associated with the case. Jennifers perception of everyone involved with
Ronald Cottons side of the trial is negative and she begins to associate everyone with his falsely
accused wrong doings. This perception continues to become a reality years down the road even
after Bobby Leon Poole is convicted and Ronald Cotton is released from Prison. All these
years, I had thought of Phil Moseley as a hideous bastard. I hated him as much as I had hated
Ronald Cotton. His kindness was simply too much to bear (Thompson Cannino et al., 2009).
Jennifers perception of Ronald Cottons defense attorney, Phil Moseley, continued to be
negative even after the trial. When a perception becomes a reality, it takes time for the brain to
reprocess the information and associate him with new information.
Relationships between the different characters in Picking Cotton were hindered by the
use of stereotypes under the perception process. Stereotypes have been around forever and they
have impacted interpersonal relationships throughout society. In modern day society, most
colleges and universities are full of diversity, but there are some that are predominately full of
one race or another. In a study done by Dr. Robertson and Dr. Chaney (2015), The presence of
African American males on a predominantly White college campus facilitates the creation of a
milieu in which by their mere presence, negative stereotypes are in the air (p. 21). These
stereotypes are solely based on race and can assume that these African American males are
dumb, violent, criminals, and sexually violent as seen in Picking Cotton. Jennifer Thompson

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attends Elon College in Burlington, North Carolina, which was mostly made up of white students
in 1984. Even though Ronald Cotton was not a student on campus he still was a young African
American male living in a predominantly white college town. When the police station first
thought that they had found the suspect, they pulled out every negative aspect of Ronald Cotton
and included many of the stereotypes of African American males. Sully told me Ronald
Cotton was from the area, had grown up in the projects around BurlingtonHe had gotten out of
prison in February for breaking and entering, and when he was sixteen years old, hed served
eighteen months for breaking and entering with intent to commit rapeHe told me Ronald
Cotton liked white women. A scumbag, they called him. A real scumbag (Thompson Cannino
et al., 2009). These stereotypes shared with Jennifer, ruined any potential relationship that she
could have had with Ronald Cotton and his family in the future. Stereotypes are not always
based off of race. In Picking Cotton, Ronald Cotton was chosen partially because he fit the mold.
According to innocenceproject.org, The evidence at trial included a flashlight found in Cottons
home that resembled one by the assailant and rubber from Cottons shoe that was consistent with
rubber found at one of the crime scenes, (innocenceproject.org, 2015). He was an African
American male, the rubber from his shoes was similar to the rubber from the suspects shoes, and
he had a flashlight. Many times stereotypes can take the front seat and block outsiders from
looking into the real person. The stereotypes in Picking Cotton shadowed whom Ronald Cotton
really was and that he was not the suspect.
Prejudice held control of the community throughout the entire trial and for years after
Ronald was released from prison. Even after Ronald Cotton was released and Bobby Leon Poole
was convicted as the rapist, the community had a hard time shaking the prejudices. Similar to
stereotypes, prejudices have been around for about as long. In a research study done by David

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Amodio (2014), Despite global increases in diversity, social prejudices continue to fuel
intergroup conflict, disparities and discrimination (pg. 670). With the scenario in Picking
Cotton, prejudice played a large part in the perception process and the formation of interpersonal
relationships. In the town of Burlington, North Carolina, prejudice of African Americans had
been experienced by Ronald Cotton once before, Suddenly, it triggered something, and I went
back, in my mind, to being about twelve, standing on my grandmas porch on Shepard Street in
Burlington.I saw a police officer in action, chasing three black kids from the high school, I
thought it was one of most exciting things Id ever seen. I watched when he caught up with one
of them and tackled him to the ground. Then the cop placed the muzzle of his gun on the back of
the kids head and said, If you breathe too hard, Ill blow your head off (Thompson Cannino
et al., 2009). This incident for example fueled the prejudice fire in the North Carolina town and
encouraged prejudice against African Americans.
During the trial, many people began to form prejudice against African Americans and
everyone involved on both sides of the trial. After Ronald Cotton was released, Jennifer and her
family had trouble accepting Ronald and his family and Ronalds wife had trouble accepting
Jennifer and her family. It was not until after both families met face to face that accepting slowly
started to enter and prejudice began to fade away. Ronald Cotton shares, I could see there was
pain, a lot of pain that she was trying to let go. For the first time, in so many years, I didnt see
the hate in her eyes. She didnt look at me and see the man who had hurt her, the man she wanted
dead, she saw me. I didnt even think about it until after the fact, but I reached for her hands and
all of a sudden, we were standing there, hugging. The next thing I knew, Robbin, Mrs. Ball
Breaker herself, was bawling, too. And before I even realized it, tears fell from my eyes
(Thompson Cannino et al., 2009). Once Jennifer and Ronald stood together and formed their

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own interpersonal relationship, the community and the country were also able to lose prejudices
and move on together.
In a world full of diversity, many times people can get caught up in prejudices and
stereotypes. They form many of the opinions and relationships that are portrayed in everyday
life. In the case of Jennifer Thompson Cannino and Ronald Cotton if it were not for Jennifers
perception process mistakes, their lives would be completely different and they would have
never formed their lasting relationship ten years later. Perception process concepts including
stereotypes and prejudice influenced interpersonal relationships between the main characters in
the University of Kentucky common reader, Picking Cotton by Jennifer Thompson Cannino,
Ronald Cotton, and Erin Torneo.

PERCEPTION PROCESS IN PICKING COTTON

References
Amodio, D. M. (2014). The neuroscience of prejudice and stereotyping [Abstract]. Nature
Reviews Neuroscience, 15. Retrieved from eds.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.uky.edu
Robertson, R. V., & Chaney, C. (2015). The influence of stereotype threat on the responses of
black males at a predominantly white college. Journal of Pan African Studies, 7.
Retrieved from eds.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.uky.edu
Sprague, J., Stuart, D., & Bodary, D. (2014). About the speakers handbook, communicate, and
harbrace essentials. Retrieved from ng.cengage.com
The Innocence Project. (2015). Ronald Cotton. Retrieved from innocenceproject.org
Thompson Cannino, J., Cotton, R., & Torneo, E. (2009). Picking cotton. New York, N.Y.: St.
Martins Press.