PERCEPTION

WHO ARE YOU? HOW DO YOU SEE THINGS?

• Perception is the process of being aware of and understanding the world

• Form, challenge, and reinforce ideas and beliefs

• Influences how we choose to interact with others

• Massive amounts of stimuli that must be processed

SELECTION

• Perception begins with those messages we choose to focus on and respond to

• Filter out things by being selective

• We can only pay attention to a small portion of stimuli

• Sensory overload; selection helps prevent it

SELECTIVE ATTENTION

• The process of focusing on one thing, while not paying attention to anything else

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPnCbUK3QGY

• Focusing on one event often involves ignoring events that are less expected

SELECTIVE EXPOSURE

• Exposing self to beliefs, values, and ideas that are similar to our own

• Netflix, Spotify, Facebook, Twitter

• Preference for messages that support personal positions / values (Fox News, MSNBC)

• Mood management (movies, music, etc.)

• Communicators play a role in choosing the types of messages they receive (ditch the negative; feel the pain)

SELECTIVE PERCEPTION

• When individuals filter what they see and hear to make it suit their own needs, biases, or expectations

• Relevance to self (hearing your name called, car you drive, etc.)

• Focusing on anticipated messages (Smith and Hubs)

SELECTIVE MEMORY

• Information we retain from interactions

• Memory is dynamic (evolve), creative (reconstructive; bits and pieces), and social (jointly construct memories of shared experiences)

ORGANIZATION

After stimuli is selected, we must organize them so they construct meaning.

• Schemas: mental structures developed from experience (road maps; classification tool)

• Prototypes: best example of a category

• Stereotypes: generalizations of a category

• Interpersonal Constructs: opposing terms (friendly vs. hostile; more complex with experience; cognitive complexity)

• Scripts: sequences of action that define situations (protocol)

COGNITIVE COMPLEXITY

• Numerous (many interpersonal contructs)• Abstract (more generalized; better for predicting behaviors)• Organized (links various constructs; defines along many

dimensions)• Capable of handling contradictions / inconsistencies (prevents

oversimplification of persons and or situations; Rate My Prof)

INTERPRETATION

• Giving meaning to information• Ambiguous situations can be interpreted various ways

INFLUENCES ON PERCEPTION

• Culture: Standpoint Theory (group affiliations impact perception)• Media: defines what is acceptable; media literacy• Fields of Experience: perceptual baggage• Language: connotative meanings

SELF AND COMMUNICATION

• Self-concept: general perception of who we are; past, present and future selves

• Possible selves: visions of what we may become• Self-esteem: an assessment of individual worth• Self-image: mental picture of one’s self

SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM

• How we internalize and use social values to guide how we see ourselves and others; how we interact with others

• Observe and internalize others’ reactions to us

• Cooley’s looking-glass self: self arises from interpersonal interactions and perceptions of others

• How we appear to others

• How appearance is judged

• Developing a sense of self through judgment of others

GEORGE HERBERT MEAD

• Not born with a self• We develop self through perceptions of IMPORTANT relationships

with significant others• Generalized other: viewpoint of the entire society• “I” is the doer, the actor, the performer; in the moment• “Me” is the critic and judge; reflects on the actions of the “I”

RELATIONAL SELF

• Process of constantly becoming who you are as a result of relationships with others

• People behave differently when they are with different people (cultural, familial, social contexts)

• Communication helps each achieve a self that would otherwise not be realized

• Communication creates identity; responsibility to interact with others so they can achieve healthy self identity

HOW DOES THIS DRAWING REFLECT RELATIONAL SELF?