Chapter 2: SPCH-1311

- Attribution is the complex process through which we attempt to understand the reasons behind others' behaviors. - Two factors influence our assumptions about our own and others' behaviors; they are the situation (environment) and the disposition (traits of the person). - Fundamental attribution error occurs when we perceive others acting as they do because they are "that kind of person" rather than because of any external factors that may have influenced their behavior.

Complex process

-cultural background can affect the perception ofother people, events, and things. -there are many different definitions of culture. forour purposes,culture may be defined as a set ofinterpretations about beliefs, values, norms, andsocial practices, which affect behaviors of arelatively large group of people. culture is an integral part of each of us anddetermines many of our individual characteristics. -the connection between culture andcommunication is extremely complex. -ethnocentrismis the learned belief that our ownculture is superior to all others.

Cultural Background

r another factor that affects the way we perceive ourworld isgender, socially constructed and learnedbehaviors related to masculinity,androgyny, andfemininity. -some theorists believe that where we fall on themasculine and -feminine scale determines how we learnto understand the world around us .-our view of gender not only communicates who webelieve ourselves to be but also helps us construct asense of who we want to be.

Gender

To become a more competent communicator, you must realize that your perceptions are partial and subjective and could be wrong. •There are steps to take to avoid misperceptions:-Become an Active Perceiver-Recognize That Each Person's Frame of Reference Is Unique-Distinguish Facts from Inferences -Become Aware of the Role of Perceptions in Communication-Keep an Open Mind-Perception Checking: Being a Competent Communicator

Improving perception compentencies and perception checking

third, we interpret or assign meaning to theinformation we receive; this is known asinterpretation .-interpretation based on past experience •our interpretations of stimuli depend on our pastexperience. -interpretation based on new situations •past experiences, while important, must not keep usfrom finding fresh meanings in new situations or events. interpretations based on others' opinions• our perceptions are often altered or influenced by howand what others communicate to us. -interpretation based on verbal communication •we most often associate perception with what we seebut also form perceptions based on the sound ofspeech patterns, which include voice, grammar, andword choices.

Interpretation

Understand the three stages of perception and how they affect your communication.

Learning objective 2

Make the connection between perception and your communication competence.

Learning objective 2.1

Identify seven reasons why different people may percieve the same situation in different ways.

Learning objective 2.3

Accurately interpret and check your perceptions to improve your communication competence

Learning objective 4

•media -advertisers, government leaders, political advocates,and many others attempt to shape our views. -it is important to recognize that our selection ofinternet sites may be based on our biases and ourdesire to reinforce our own beliefs and convictions. -our use of social media should always beaccompanied by an awareness that the messages wesend or post are open to inferences andinterpretations by those who receive them.

Media

Second, we organize the information in a way that makes sense to us. -How we organize and sort information has a profound effect on how we perceive others, how we talk to them, and how they respond to us. -Cognitive complexity is a term used by psychologists to measure and explain our ability to process, interpret, and store simple to intricate information. -Closure involves filling in details so that a partially perceived entity appears to be complete. -Proximity •Proximity is the grouping of two or more stimuli that are close to one another based on the assumption that because objects or people appear together, they are similar.-Similarity •Similarity refers to the grouping of stimuli that resemble one another in size, shape, color, or other traits.

Organization

Perception involves selecting, organizing, and interpreting information to give personal meaning to the communication we receive. • Perception is at the heart of our communication. • Perception, like communication, is a complex phenomenon. • Our perceptions—whether complete or incomplete, accurate or inaccurate, influence our communication and decisions.

Perception and communication

Perceptual Set and Stereotyping - When we ignore new information and instead rely solely on our past experiences to interpret information, we are using a perceptual set . - This is a form of stereotyping , which refers to the categorizing of events, objects, and people without regard to unique individual characteristics and qualities. - Stereotypes often oversimplify, generalize, or exaggerate traits or qualities and thus are based on half- truths, distortions, and false premises.

Perceptual differences

- Our psychological state also influences or alters our perceptions of people, events, and things. - All information coming to us passes through filters and screens that color what we receive and how we perceive it.

Psychological state

The first stage of perception is awareness of our surroundings and selecting what we will attend to. Selection is the sorting of one stimulus from another and takes three forms. - Selective Exposure • Selective exposure is the term for the deliberate choices we make to experience or avoid particular stimuli. - Selective Attention • Selective attention refers to focusing on a specific message while ignoring or downplaying other stimuli. - Selective Retention • Selective retention is the term for processing, storing, and retrieving information that we have already selected, organized, and interpreted.

The perception process: Selection