Question 1

When your friend Susan forgets to call you on your 21st birthday,you believe that she doesn't care that much about you,despite her explanation.Which barrier to accurate perception are you experiencing?

Accepted Answer

The answer of When your friend Susan forgets to call...

Question 2

The barrier to accurate perception of stereotyping happens when

Accepted Answer

Relying on pre-existing rigid expectations about others to influence our perceptions is a common barrier to accurate perception of stereotyping. This can lead to ignoring information that contradicts our stereotypes and distorting information to fit our expectations. Options B, C, and D are also commonly cited barriers to accurate perception, but they are not as directly related to stereotyping.

Question 3

Your roommate spends several minutes detailing the reasons she did not meet you for lunch even though you had made plans to eat together.You start tuning out her lengthy explanations.Which of the barriers to accurate perception is influencing you?

Accepted Answer

Oversimplifying occurs when someone tunes out or ignores complex information, opting instead for a simpler explanation or understanding. In this scenario, tuning out your roommate's detailed explanations because they are lengthy or complex is an example of oversimplifying the situation.

Question 4

We compensate for the bias of focusing on the negative by

Accepted Answer

The answer of We compensate for the bias of focusing...

Question 5

We use the barrier of ________ because we tend to find complex explanations less believable and harder to use in making sense of another's actions.

Accepted Answer

The barrier of oversimplifying refers to the tendency to find complex explanations less believable and harder to use in making sense of another's actions.

Question 6

You believe that if a person acted a certain way one day,he or she will continue to act that way in the future,even though everyone's behaviour varies from day to day.You are exhibiting which of the barriers to accurate perception?

Accepted Answer

This is an example of imposing consistency because the individual is assuming that the person will continue to act the same way in the future based on one instance of behavior. This ignores the fact that people's behavior can vary from day to day.

Question 7

When we are unwilling to make sufficient effort to understand another person's circumstances,we are experiencing the barrier of

Accepted Answer

The answer of When we are unwilling to make sufficient...

Question 8

When we overgeneralize,we

Accepted Answer

Overgeneralizing involves taking a small amount of information and assuming it applies to a much larger group or situation. This is essentially treating a small amount of information as highly representative. Other choices, such as treating irrelevant information as if it were relevant or relying on pre-existing ideas, are also common cognitive biases but are not specifically related to overgeneralization. Preference for simple explanations could potentially lead to overgeneralization, but it is not a defining characteristic.

Question 9

The barrier to accurate perception of focusing on the negative happens when we

Accepted Answer

Focusing on the negative involves giving more weight to negative information over positive information. This can cause a barrier to accurate perception because it skews our perception towards negativity and may cause us to ignore or downplay positive information. The other options, while relevant to perception and bias, do not directly address the issue of focusing on the negative.

Question 10

When we place people into inflexible categories and "print" the same judgments on anyone placed into a given category we are

Accepted Answer

Stereotyping involves placing people into inflexible categories and making judgments based on those categories without taking into account individual differences or nuances. It oversimplifies complex individuals and can lead to unfair and inaccurate judgments.

Question 11

The barrier to accurate perception of oversimplifying happens when

Accepted Answer

When we prefer simple explanations over complex ones, we may oversimplify the situation and miss important details or nuances. This can lead to inaccurate perceptions.

Question 12

When we overestimate the consistency and constancy of others' behaviours we are

Accepted Answer

This is known as imposing consistency, a cognitive bias where we assume people's behaviors are more consistent across different situations than they actually are.

Question 13

One piece of negative information can have a disproportionate effect on our impressions and negate the effect of several positive pieces of information.Which barrier to accurate perception does this describe?

Accepted Answer

This describes the barrier of focusing on the negative, where one negative information can overpower several positive ones in shaping our perceptions.

Question 14

You tend to explain the motives for a person's actions on the basis of the most obvious information rather than on any in-depth information you might have.Which of the barriers to accurate perception is influencing you?

Accepted Answer

Ignoring information is the barrier to accurate perception at play here, as it involves overlooking or disregarding deeper, less apparent details in favor of the most visible or superficial information.

Question 15

Your friend Susan arrives late to your birthday party and explains that she missed the bus.Your other friend,Martin,also arrives late and explains that his cat got out and he had to chase it down the street,where it promptly hid under a neighbour's porch.He couldn't coax it out,so he had to go back home,open a tin of cat food,put it by his neighbour's porch,and wait for the cat to come out.Once it did,he had to take it back home.You will probably believe Susan over Martin because of which barrier to accurate perception?

Accepted Answer

Oversimplifying refers to the tendency to prefer simpler, more straightforward explanations over more complex or detailed ones. Susan's reason for being late is simpler and more common, making it seem more believable than Martin's more complicated and less common explanation.

Question 16

When we make an assumption about another person's behaviour based on his or her age,we are experiencing which of the barriers to accurate perception?

Accepted Answer

When we make assumptions about another person's behavior based on their age, we are ignoring other relevant information that could explain their behavior more accurately. This is because we are focusing solely on age, which might not be the most relevant factor in understanding their actions.

Question 17

Based on your acquaintance with one member of the campus Camera Club,you draw conclusions about all the other members of the club.You are experiencing which of the barriers to accurate perception?

Accepted Answer

The individual is overgeneralizing by assuming that all members of the Camera Club are similar to the one member they know. This is a common barrier to accurate perception.

Question 18

When we place someone in a rigid category and then interpret all their behaviour from the framework of that category,what perceptual process are we using?

Accepted Answer

Stereotyping involves placing individuals into rigid categories and then interpreting their behavior through the lens of that category. This process can lead to oversimplification and may ignore individual variability, leading to biased perceptions. Imposing consistency and focusing on the negative are related perceptual processes, but they do not necessarily involve categorization.

Question 19

When imposing consistency,

Accepted Answer

The answer of When imposing consistency,
...

Question 20

Your interpersonal communication instructor typically greets the class with a cheery "Good morning." When your instructor omits the greeting and instead launches directly into the day's lecture,you conclude the instructor must have thought he already greeted the class.You are attributing according to which of the barriers to accurate perception?

Accepted Answer

The individual is assuming that the instructor always greets the class with a "Good morning" and therefore must have just forgotten, imposing consistency on their behavior. This is a barrier to accurate perception known as imposing consistency.

Quiz 3: Interpersonal Communication and Perception