Stages of Perception
Selection, Organization, Interpretation
Selection
First stage of perception. We choose which stimuli to ignore and which to
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Selective Exposure
We will attend to information which confirms our existing beliefs and is not at odds with our viewpoints
Selective Attention
Once we are engaged in a particular interaction, we focus on certain information and ignore other information
Selective Perception
Our inclination to see, hear, and believe what we want to see, hear, and believe
Selective Recall
We remember things we agree with rather than things that are contrary to our beliefs
Organization
2nd stage of perception. A communicator's efforts to group information into meaningful units to make further sense out of the information
Organizing Information - Distinguishing between figure and ground
Figure out what the point of emphasis for your attention is (figure) and the background of the particular stimuli that capture your focused attention (ground)
Organizing Information - Closure
Our ability to fill in missing information to complete a perception
Organizing Information - Proximity
Organizing information based on its proximity in relation to other information
Organizing Information - Similarity
Organizing information based on its similarity, or the degree to which something shares attributes with other stimuli
Interpretation
The 3rd stage of perception. We assign meaning to stimuli
Perception Modifiers
BIOLOGICAL (height, sense of smell, eyesight)
PAST EXPERIENCES (family, education, relationships)
IDENTITY (Cultural and group affiliations)
CURRENT INTERNAL STATES (hungry, tired, confident, well-rested, etc)
Self-concept
The way you define yourself. Groups we're a part of, roles we play, relationships and experiences we have
Self-esteem
The degree to which you approve of, value, and like the concept that you have of yourself
Attribution errors
Common mistakes people make in perceiving events, messages, and people. The two primary types are the fundamental attribution error and the self-serving bias
Fundamental Attribution errors
The mistake of attributing other people's positive characteristics to external, situation favors, and their negative characteristics and failures to aspects of who they are
Locus of Causation
Refers to whether a communicator's behavior was motivated by an internal state such as intelligence, compassion, or honesty, or instead motivated by an external factor such as resources, luck, favoritism, or the situation,
Self-serving Bias
We attribute our failures to external factors and our successes to internal positive qualities.
Self-presentation
The strategic development and use of verbal and nonverbal messages that result in others making conclusions about the kind of individual you are. We can influence how others perceive us by selecting the impressions we want to make and communication in ways that will help us accomplish that.
Impression Management
The deliberate use of verbal and nonverbal messages to create a particular impression among others.
Four Steps for Effective Self-Presentation
Set a goal, create a strategy, execute the strategy and evaluate the results, modify negative perceptions
Culture
a seat of learned or shared behaviors, values, or practices associated with a community of people
Co-cultures
A smaller culture which fits inside an umbrella culture like Democrats, southerners, stay-at-home moms, Christians
Individualism vs. Collectivism
Whether a society values strong individuals or values their membership in their particular in-group
High context vs low-context communication
Whether communication relies heavily on environmental cues (high-context) vs explicit or clear verbal messages (low-context)
High power distance vs low power distance
Whether a culture values power and rank (high power distance) or depends more on equality (low power distance) [Show Less]