II. Discussion

Task 1. Discuss the following questions with your group mates.

1. What is message decoding?

1. Dwell on subjectivity and limitation of perception.

2. Why is perception considered to be both a social and cognitive process?

3. What does active side of perception imply?

4. How is the process of perception organized? Dwell on its stages.

5. What are schemata?

6. In what way do schemata contribute to the process of perception?

7. Dwell on the notion of person prototypes.

8. What information is necessary to create a prototype?

9. In what way do prototypes affect the process of communication?

10. What does the schema of personal construct mean?

11. What do chronically accessible constructs mean? How do they affect perception?

12. Speak on the notion of cognitive complexity.

13. Dwell on the schemata of scripts. In what way do scripts affect communication?

14. What is mindless processing? Dwell on its advantages and disadvantages.

15. How is mindful processing viewed?

17. What is information processing?

17. Dwell on the first step in information processing.

17. Speak on the second step in information processing. What are the parts of interpretation? What do they imply?

18. In what way are comprehension and acceptance interdependent?

19. Dwell on the third step in information processing.

20. Tackle upon two types of attention.

28. Provide the definition of listening.

28. In what way do hearing and listening differ?

28. What is the goal of listening for understanding?

29. What is the purpose of evaluative listening?

30. Dwell on the essence of the appreciative listening.

31. What does the empathic listening focus on?

32. Provide a clear explanation of the necessity to control emotions while interpreting a message.

33. In what way do individual biases affect interpretation?

34. What is peripheral processing?

35. In what way can schemata distort perception?

36. How can retention and retrieval be improved?

37. Define active listening and its purpose.

Task 2. Match the schemata and their definitions.

Person prototypes	Assist in analyzing actions and situations. Identify the sequence of events, allow us to behave effortlessly, without having to think much about what to do next.
Personal constructs	Idealized image of a certain kind of a person. The information consists of characteristics, patterns of be­havior, physical appearance, and role relations that fit our idea of a certain type of person.
Scripts	The characteristics we notice on a daily basis about others. This information belongs to us rather than to the person we are judging.

Task 3. Analyze the schemata that guide the following situations.

1. – Any normal man can do that. Any man. And you can’t!

2. She couldn’t feel anything at all. Everything was automatic – down the stairs to the cellar, the light switch, the deep freeze, the hand inside the cabinet taking hold of the first object it met, then the light off, up the stairs into the house.

3. – You don’t look a typical bodyguard. – Why? Should I make a sign on my forehead?

4. “I still can’t believe it”. “Why not?” “It’s not exactly you.” “And what is me?” I asked. “I’m not sure. But drinking and partying day in day out isn’t.”

Task 4. Discuss in small groups the most effective ways to increase voluntary and involuntary attention? What stimuli can arouse involuntary attention?

Task 5. Work with your partner and draft a summary of the most effective tips to increase message comprehension and acceptance as well as the main ways to make a message memorable.

Task 6. Think of and discuss the ways of how active listener can express his or her feedback?