Question 1

All of the following items describe what generally grabs people's attention EXCEPT:&#10;A) novelty in one's immediate surroundings&#10;B) objects and people that are bright, moving or complex&#10;C) behaviors that fit in our preconceptions or prior knowledge of the person&#10;D) behavior that is unusual given someone's social category&#10;E) things that are threatening

Accepted Answer

Choices A, B, D, and E all describe elements that naturally attract human attention due to their distinct or potentially significant nature. Novelty, brightness, movement, complexity, unusual behavior, and threats are all stimuli that stand out and demand cognitive processing. Choice C, on the other hand, describes behaviors that align with our existing perceptions or knowledge, which typically do not grab attention as strongly because they are expected and familiar, thus not requiring immediate or enhanced cognitive resources for processing.

Question 2

Another way to think about news values is as the criteria for judging the characteristics of the information that naturally attracts people's attention.

Accepted Answer

News values are indeed the criteria used to judge the characteristics of information that naturally attract people's attention, determining what makes a story newsworthy.

Question 3

Biology influences what we pay attention to, mostly because the brain is hardwired to scan the environment for nonthreatening, normal and everyday occurrences.

Accepted Answer

The brain is actually hardwired to pay more attention to potential threats and unusual occurrences as a survival mechanism, rather than nonthreatening, normal, and everyday occurrences.

Question 4

Giving someone our attention has the effect of exaggerating our existing judgments about the person.

Accepted Answer

Paying more attention to someone can amplify our initial perceptions of them, whether positive or negative, because focusing on a person makes their characteristics and behaviors more salient and reinforces our initial judgments.

Question 5

What term is used to describe information that is emotionally interesting, concrete and proximate?&#10;A) biologically influenced&#10;B) salience&#10;C) vividness&#10;D) attention-getting&#10;E) none of the above

Accepted Answer

The term "vividness" is used to describe information that is emotionally interesting, concrete, and proximate, as it refers to the quality of being very clear, powerful, and detailed in one's mind.

Question 6

Which one of the following statements is an example of vivid information?&#10;A) &#34;Jill was seriously injured when she fell while snow skiing.&#34;&#10;B) &#34;Jill's legs were broken in several places when her skis snagged on a protruding tree root on the mountain.&#34;&#10;C) &#34;Jill sustained injuries that are severe due to a skiing accident.&#34;&#10;D) &#34;Jill's legs were broken when her skis hit a ski root.&#34;&#10;E) all of the above

Accepted Answer

Option B provides the most vivid and detailed description of the incident, including specific details about how the injury occurred (skis snagging on a protruding tree root) and the nature of the injury (legs were broken in several places), making it a clear example of vivid information.

Question 7

What is framing?&#10;A) using vividness to produce a salient story&#10;B) a helpful strategy to use when on deadline to avoid cognitive bias&#10;C) information that is noticeable, meaningful or memorable to audiences&#10;D) the magnifying or shrinking of elements in a news story to make those elements more or less salient&#10;E) all of the above

Accepted Answer

Framing involves emphasizing or downplaying certain elements of a news story to influence how audiences perceive its importance or relevance, making those elements more or less salient.

Question 8

In news stories, visual framing can convey meanings that might be controversial or meet audience resistance if spelled out in text.

Accepted Answer

Visual framing in news stories can subtly influence perceptions and attitudes by highlighting certain elements and angles, thus conveying meanings or narratives that might be more openly contested or resisted if explicitly stated in text.

Question 9

The text states that excellent journalists stay focused on journalism's principles instead of society's values, and it offers three principles from the Project for Excellence in Journalism. Which of the following is NOT one of those three principles?

A) place varied viewpoints and interests in society in context
B) give attention in terms of news coverage that is proportional to the event
C) serve as an independent monitor of power
D) fill in gaps in people's attention with vivid information
E) all of the above are PEJ principles

Accepted Answer

The correct principles from the Project for Excellence in Journalism include placing varied viewpoints in context, giving proportional attention to events, and serving as an independent monitor of power. Filling in gaps in people's attention with vivid information is not listed as one of the principles.

Question 10

Ways in which journalists can focus their attention on relevant news events and topics that broaden the scope of quality coverage include:&#10;A) noticing what isn't being noticed, and investigating that&#10;B) striving to make significant information interesting and relevant&#10;C) talk to everyday sources about their concerns&#10;D) question formulaic news coverage decisions&#10;E) all of the above

Accepted Answer

Journalists can enhance the quality of their coverage by paying attention to underreported issues, making important information engaging, engaging with the public to understand their concerns, and critically evaluating conventional news selection processes.

Deck 6: Training the Reporters Eye