1. Interpretation and Perception

2. Take-Away Points Social schemas (Lisa’s overview) and scripts
The book has some difference in social schemas – you just need to know the ones we mentioned in class
Four Processes in Interpersonal perception
Don’t need to know “Sizing up situations”
Do know:
Implicit Personality Theory
Self-monitoring
Attribution Theory
General concept of Attribution Theory
4 Different types of bias
Be able to name all the pieces of the chart
Moreover, be able to reason through a communication example by using the chart

3. Emotion, motivation, and cognition influence how our perceptions are formed.

4. 1. How do emotions facilitate perceptions?
Emotion: Our emotional state triggers cognitions – emotions don’t “cloud” judgments, contrary to popular belief, they facilitate them. Think about fear, anger, danger situations. Something has triggered your emotion and you become very aware and perceptive of your surroundings. We tend to remember similar emotional states when we are in one – why you remember sad things when you are sad, happy thinks when you are happy. How would this play into URPs?

5. Being in a certain emotional state triggers memories of similar emotional states.

6. 2. How can motivation change how we perceive things?

7. We can be primed or automatically motivated to perceive things in a certain way.
Automatic – e.g., me watching someone speak
Primed: things we talk about in this class – if I point out that people are selfish when they won’t let you talk about yourself
-Use example of what things students pay attention to

8. 3. Our cognitive structures and schemes also influence perceptions.

9. A schema is a cognitive structure that helps us process and organize information.
Prom ?

10. Schema Example: (Warning: These guys are kinda weird)

11. Cognitive schemas are used to 1) fill in missing information or gaps in our knowledge…
You talk to your friend’s brother – he says he is nervous and prom is coming up. Why is he nervous?

12. 2) make inferences or generate additional info beyond what we’ve actually seen or heard.
Stereotype is most common “schema” example
We have pre-existing categories that we classify other people into
Principle of least effort
Can look at the appropriateness of the ones we have, communication can alter them
Schema – cluster of abstract knowledge containing typical features, qualities behaviors, or other expectations

13. Schema
If I introduce you to two people and say “this couple is in love,” what things do you think of?
Abstract knowledge containing typical features, qualities ,behaviors, or other expectations

14. There are 5 schema types. 1. Personal 2. Role 3. Relational 4. Self
Personal: characteristics we give to individuals, objects, events, etc
Role characteristic: internal representations of rules, norms, behaviors associated with specific role
Relational schema: cognitive representations of typical interaction patterns
Stereotype: Generalizations or socialized expectations that we come to expect from a certain group
Self-schema: how you categorize yourself
“if I think of myself as honest and trustworthy, I’m going to say that I won’t steal something”
We are resistant to learning new information about ourselves

15. There are 5 schema types.
5. Stereotypes

16. Next Section
How we convince ourselves that our perceptions are accurate and meaningful rather than biased and arbitrary
Under what conditions our perceptions are automatic vs. conscious processes?

17. Implicit Personality Theory
When we meet someone we focus on a central trait
After selecting that trait, cluster other traits that go with it

18. How would you describe this guy’s personality?

19. How would you describe this girl’s personality?

20. Implicit Personality Theory
Primacy effect
First impression
Pick “central trait”

21. Implicit Personality Theory
Recency effect
More recent the interaction, more powerful the effect
If keep building interaction, overrides primacy effect

22. DQ
The implicit personality theory says that we generally link individual traits to other traits we believe to be related. From your experience, are these “clusters” present in people? Are they accurate?

23. Self-Monitoring High self-monitors Low self-monitors
Reads the social situation and presents the appropriate face
Steps:
What type of person does the situation call for?
Construct mental image of that person
Act according to that mental image
Low self-monitors
Present the same “real” version of themselves in every situation

24. Attribution Theory

25. Attribution Theory explains how we attribute (often biased) meaning to behavior.

26. We make certain biased attributions without realizing our bias.
1. Self-Serving
2. Personality
3. Group
4. Cultural
Self serving bias:
We judge our actions on our motives
Personality bias:
We judge the actions of others based on their personalities
Group bias:
We are positively biased to people who belong to the same group as us
Communication to lower uncertainty and increase predictability
Cultural bias:
Operate within the norms of our culture
E.g., collectivistic vs. individualistic

27. Attribution Theory Distinctiveness Consensus Consistency
What caused the person to do this?
Consensus
Would most people do this?
Consistency
Is this out of character for the person?

28. Attribution Theory High Low Distinctiveness Situational Internal
What caused?
Situational
Internal
Consensus
Most people do it?
Consistency
Usual for this person?

29. Attribution Theory High Low Distinctiveness Situational (self defense)
What caused?
(Besty killed Paul)
Situational
(self defense)
Internal
(no motive)
Consensus
Most people do it?
(Kill to defend or not?)
(most people would do it)
(most people would NOT do it)
Consistency
Usual for this person?
(Does Betsy kill people a lot?)
(Pattern – serial killer)
(No)
*Give a communication example after this – or have them write one that’s a communication example – have them make their own boxes and turn in?

30. Try it with Communication Act
Polly calls Maria a selfish witch
According to Attribution Theory…
Polly will say this is because of …?
Maria will say this is because of…?
Fill in each of the boxes for why Polly might have said this in this situation

31. Attribution Theory High Low Distinctiveness Situational Internal
What caused Polly to say that?
Situational
Internal
Consensus
Most people do it?
Consistency
Usual for this person?
High
Low
Distinctiveness
What caused Polly to say this?
Situational
(Maria did something really bad)
Internal
(Polly is mean)
Consensus
Most people do it?
(Yes – if provoked by Maria)
(No)
Consistency
Usual for this person?
(Polly is always talking about others)
(No, Polly is usually nice and considerate)

32. Take-Away Points
Vocab: schema, halo effect, primacy effect, recency effect
How do emotions, motivation, and cognitive schemas influence our perceptions? How do schemas help us?
What are the 5 types of schemas?
Be able to recognize examples
What is the main concept of Implicit Personality Theory?
What are the two types of self-monitors?
Attribution Theory
Main concept of Attribution Theory
4 Different types of bias (definitions and examples)
Be able to name all the pieces of the chart
Moreover, be able to reason through a communication example by using the chart