4 - perception and 5 - language - interpersonal comm

What is perception?

The process a person goes through to filter and interpret information to create meaning.

What is cognition?

The mental processes at work that help us gain knowledge, comprehend, and understand information.

What are the three stages of perception?

Selection, Organization, Interpretation.

What occurs during the selection stage of perception?

The brain chooses what to focus on, which can be conscious or subconscious, leading to some elements being ignored.

What factors influence the selection process in perception?

Point of view, intensity of stimuli, personal relevance, consistency with expectations, and inconsistency with norms.

What is the organization stage in perception?

How the brain sorts stimuli into patterns to understand and comprehend information more efficiently.

Why is organization important in perception?

It helps us make sense of experiences and remember what is most important.

What happens during the interpretation stage of perception?

Meaning is designated to experiences based on past, present, and future expectations.

What is attribution in the context of perception?

The explanations we adopt or create for why something happened, essentially answering the 'why'.

What are the dimensions of attribution?

Internal, External, Controllable, Uncontrollable, Stable, and Unstable.

What is the fundamental attribution error?

The tendency to favor internal causes over external causes when explaining stimuli.

What is the actor-observer effect?

The tendency to favor external causes when explaining our own behavior.

What is defensive attribution bias?

Making internal attributions for someone's successes and external attributions for their failures, especially if they are similar to us.

What is the hedonic relevance effect?

The tendency to dislike someone based on their actions that we find unfavorable.

What is self-centered bias?

The conclusion that we contribute more to a group task than other group members.

What is the difference between adaptive and maladaptive attribution biases?

Adaptive biases link positive behaviors to internal causes, while maladaptive biases link negative behaviors to external causes.

What individual differences affect perception?

Culture, sex, age, cognitive complexity, and attributional complexity.

How does alcohol affect perception?

Alcohol causes disinhibition, leading to behavior changes, vision problems, and memory issues.

What are stereotypes in the context of perception?

Oversimplified beliefs and representations of the behaviors, customs, or characteristics of a social group.

What does language encompass?

Vocabulary and knowledge about word usage and meaning.

What are the characteristics of language?

Language is abstract, arbitrary, related to culture, and consequential.

How do individualist cultures typically use language?

They tend to blame individuals for actions.

How do collectivist cultures typically use language?

They avoid blaming individuals to prevent embarrassment.

What is the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis?

The assumption that the way people think depends on their language.

What does linguistic relativity suggest?

Different languages reflect and create cultural differences in perceptions of reality.

What is totalizing in language use?

Neglecting details or complexities, leading to oversimplified conclusions.

What is reification in communication?

Reacting to words as if they are an accurate and complete representation of reality.

What are pragmatic rules in language?

Guidelines for performing actions using language.

What are semantic rules?

Guidelines for using words in phrases based on their meanings.

What are syntactic rules?

Guidelines for structuring words and phrases within a message.

What is denotative meaning?

The literal, public, or conventional definition of a word.

What is connotative meaning?

The implicit, emotional, or evaluative interpretation of a word.

What factors affect language use?

Gender, power, and intimacy.

What is racist language?

Language that discriminates against individuals based on race.

What is sexist language?

Language that discriminates against individuals based on gender.

What is heterosexist language?

Language that discriminates against individuals based on sexual orientation.