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Chapter 2 Connecting Perceptions and Communication Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

This Chapter Will Help You: Make the connection between perception and your communication competence. Understand the three stages of perception and how they affect your communication. Identify seven reasons why different people may perceive the same situation in different ways. Accurately interpret and check your perceptions to improve your communication competence. Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Perception and Communication Perceptions are based on our experiences Perception gives meaning to our communication Perception influences how we communicate with others Perception is a complex phenomenon Photo from Ch 2, page 38 Michael Zito/ZUMA Press/Newscom Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

The Perception Process Selection Sorting one stimulus from another Selective exposure Selective attention Selective retention Organization Sorting, organizing, categorizing Closure Proximity Similarity Interpretation Based on past experience Based on new situations Based on opinions of others Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Closure: Cow or Incomplete Drawing? Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Discuss and Reflect Think about a time when you were in a heated argument with someone who you cared a great deal about. During the heat of the argument, you said something that hurt them and you wished you hadn’t. You said you “didn’t mean it or I take it back.” Can we ever take back something we said? Why or why not? What caused the other person to perceive the statements in the way that they did? Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Perceptual Differences Perceptual Set and Stereotyping Attribution Error* Complex process through which we attempt to understand the reasons behind others’ behaviors. Physical Characteristics (our weight,height/strength and ability to use our 5 senses can influence what we perceive (sighted person) *. Cultural Background Ethnocentrism (learned belief that our culture is superior to all others) Cultural myopia-we have a short-sighted view of other cultures Cultural relativism-people who strive to understand cultural differencse rather than judge them. Gender-socially constructed concept related to learned masculine and feminine behaviors Media-need look no farther than how NBC portrays candidates vs. Fox Channel Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Re-loookserved.

Improving Perception Competencies and Perception Checking Become an Active Perceiver Recognize That Each Person’s Frame of Mind Is Unique Distinguish Facts from Inferences Become Aware of the Role of Perception in Communication Keep an Open Mind Perception Checking: Being a Competent Communicator Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Guidelines for Competent Communicators Separate facts from assumptions Perceptions, especially first impressions, are not always accurate Recognize your personal biases People from different cultural backgrounds do not always attach the same meaning to events Don’t be afraid to verify your perceptions Admit misperceptions and change if needed Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Definitions Perception-involves selecting, organizing and interpreting information to give meaning to our communication. Why does it matter that 2 people’s perceptions differ? Answer: individual who see things differently might require more understanding, negotiation/persusasion and tolerance of those differences

Perception Process-3 parts Selection—sorting one stimulus from another -happens when we mentally sort one thing from another based on our own previ0us experiences What is a stimulus? Something that incites or quickens action, feeling, or thought THREE TYPES OF SELECTION— selective exposure—deliberately choosing to avoid or focus on certain stimuli selective attention-focusing on certain stimuli while ignoring or dowplaying other stimuli selective retention-process of storing and recalling information

Definitions Interpretation-assigning of meaning to stimuli (use our own experiences as well as those of others to help interpret the meaning of stimuli). This means to assess meaning (why and how of stimulus ) IN SUMMARY, competent communicators verify their perceptions before drawing conclusions