,DOCUMENT RESUME 4 !ED 1 54'455 CS 502 103 . , - N:

Snavely, William B.- AN, An' InstructiOnal Model,of the Proceis of

SelectiVity. .

PUB DATE 74 ,t

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DESCRIPTORS *Attention; Behaiioral Science R earch; , Communication (Thought TranAfer);' Conceptual Schemes; *InsiructiohalsAids; *Intercommunicatichz Mewory; *Models; *Perception; Recall (Psychological)_; ,. *Retention; .Speech Coimunication IDENTIFIERS *SelectivitY-

\\ 4 AB$TEACV A In view of theimportance,of Alectivity to the understanding of theeinterpersonal, small group, and public 4 communication processes, this concept mist be introduced into the communication classroom.` This paper introduces an instructional model that sliplifieS.tbe studentls understanding of-the four major steps involved in the seketivity process: selective exposure, attention, perception; and retention. Discussion is included regarding posribke. extensions of this model and suggested areas of classroom application'. A diagram of the model is includgd. (Author/MtI) .

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' \ ' 1 U S DEleARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION & WELFARE RATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REPRO- DUCE() EXACTLY AS RECEIVE') FROM N THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIG:N- ATINGIT POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRE- ( SENT OFFICIAL NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION POSITION OR POLICY

. An Instructional Model of the Process of Selectivity

William' B. Snavely "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY

AWilliam B. Spavely

TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES- INFORMATIdN CENTER (ERIC) AND USERS OF THE ERIC SYSTEM

ABSTRACT

, f A. ,. This paper .introduces a useful instructional model of the, selectivity ° process. Given the importance of selectivity to the understanding of the_, . ,

interpersonal, small group, and-public communication processes, it is . . . essential-that this concept be introduced, into the communion cfassroom. The model stejcs to simplify the,student's understanding' of the four major steps in the. selectivity process: selective exposure, attention, perceptibil, and retention: Discussion concerns possible e-ntensfons.and areas of clAss, room application. .

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An Instructional.Model of the Process of Selectivity ,

. . The purpose of this paper is to introduce'a'useful instructional model of the, selectivity process. This process (exposure, attention, . perception, and retention) hasl,been the focus,of.behavioral research for

some time in speech communication and other social sciences. .,The basic assumption.of seleCtiVity is that individuals tend to seek out, attend to; t perceive, and remember that inforffiation Which is consistent with previously held Attitude or'belief structures and, conversely, to avoid inconsistent . inform/, ation. As educators in the field of speech coMmunicatton,'We must search for the best ways in which to introduce and explainourrconceptual. frameworks and, the results of our experimental research. It is believed that, this.model serves stAh a purpose in compunicationlducation, , - Several of the basiC texts in speech communication explain the selectivity process.and assign to it importance for,theory in the fieldl. Burgoon notes that "most people are unaware that cOmmunication.ika very selective process 4 and they areunakrethat selectivity greatly affects the nature of their 2 communication/activities." To the extent that educators in speech communi- cation agr e with this position and assign importance to the selectivity , . .f.,.,..., process it is a phenomenon worthy, of our/attention im the classid6m, 4. ..., . r - / 7 .- . / he selectivity model (Figure 1), fiao. been used as an instructional aid Ea, three major universities with great success. It aids, the student in his conceptualization of each of the four "stages'of selectivity'as integral 1 parts,of one process,.as wellses in. remembering eachof. thestages and its . 1function. The, model can be conceptualized as four "gates" through which

x , .information must travel in order fovit to be used by -he individual. Each of thesegates,is desdribed,b law.'-

Selective Exposure / Reinforcement and consistency theories suggest that people will choose 'toexpose themselves to consistent and/or reinforcing information. Mills, 3 Aronson, and Robinson-SuggesteA'that we dolselectively choOse and avoid

, information by such c iterta. This, has an important impact on communication thaory since ve tend td seek communication Vat is consistent and/or rein-

, forcing in the interpersonal, small group, and mass communication "arenas."

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The "x"S at the left of themodelrepresent'-'possSbie information avail- ., ablestd us in the environment at any given.time As the information C approaches the exposure.'"gate", it is funneled in suchRaway,that we / only'expose ourselvebfo some of.the information, allowing, the rest to 4 remain in ovrevert to the environment. For example, we may choose 5o expose ourselves to_ont particular newsmagdZine iri plac2 of other possible , magazines. In so doing we have.greltly reduced the amount of information o - we can process. At some later date, we may choose some of the informa previously rejected if we feel that such information'woul be reinfor and/or consistent:'

Selective Attention ReCent theorists4 have suggestecrthat since man's capacityto proces's inEoiriation'is limitdd, a-seleCtiW-device-6perates to aItaw.pnly:06the theinforqation to which ane is exposed to be processed This funneling.' "gate" is referre'd to as selective attention. Again, the amount of ihfor- :nation the indivival is able to use becomes diminished. Dissonance theory5 suggests that individuals will more likely attend, to information'thai consonant than dissonant. Considerporeseareh,has been conducted tot, _demonstrate this phenomenon. Foi.example, while one might'have chosen to

. read a particUlar magazine, he:is not likely to pay equal attention to parts of that magazine. If he recently purcha'sed a particular product,-he is most likely to attend to those advertis$ments which: support.tftat behavior. To the extent that information may be of a permanent nature; it may be "re-cycled" Into the store, of stimuli to 'whicit one may be exposed again. (i.e. other advertisements may be seen it some other time).This re-cycling process is illustrated at the bottom of the modql,in the first two stages.

Selective Perception While the previous "gates" have attemptedlto screen out all incon- sistent stimuli, some will still be attendNA"tot. On_the basis of consider- 6 -able theory and research , it appears that indivnuals at this third gate ,6 b .4 will filter the information attended to in order to perceive what they want to or expect to perceive,'regaidlesa.of.Aether such perceptionb are

.. i . in line with others' perceptions,of reality. Thus, information quantity . . . _ ...... , . ° 6 ) 1 ' .

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/ a 0- . is not diminished, hilt its'cothp.4114t is.aten distorted or modified in'

some way. ' . Selective Retention Finally, selective retention (or recall) operates as our memory to

. store information. That information which is nonreinforcing will likely .40 be forgotten (orplaced in lo g- erm storage), while reinforcing infor= mation will more probably be remembered. Thus, given exposure to a two- sided message, .individuals tend to remember thr infordatiRd,which is 7 supportive, forgetting the rest. The model illustrates that while only /a small amount of information is utilized, much that is perceived may be

* stored in memory. Thus it is osskble that such information may later be recalled under some'circumstan es.

Disdues'idift,

tio claim is made that this mode l answers all the questions in the . area of selectivity, that intIudes all neurological and biological . knowledge, Or.that it mirrors reality exactly : it-is suggested, however, that thib model can stimulate discussion.add aid the student in his understanding of the basic'seleceivity process.' ,. a * Experiencewith die model inth e'classroom suggeststhatdtscnSsion

,' can be profitably focused upon topics such as the followine' . % (1) Is the linear positioning of the-four "gates" legitidate? It could be-argued, for example, that perdeption is the,firskstep in the.

.selec vity procesith selective exposure, attention,, arid re.- .... , , tention ollowing. . i -% (2) What are .the variables with influence theS various stepsip the. , 4 process? Students can be asked to investigate these driables (e.g. . t . . AX/5 .,-, . consistency, reinforcement) andreport back to the classroom.. %1,,

. (3) How .might the model be expanded? Differe.. nt types of memor oo -systems might be'explored4e.g. sensorstorage, 4hOrt-term storage,

long-term storage) and incorpotated into themodel.\: , ..ta.'4 . v . (4) Are there perhaps, other steps in the_prOcess?The mod 4t tepreSents, , .. ,, .40 the-popular notion of a four-stage process of selectivity. It may ...... , ,

' A?e.that there are one or more additional "gatesthroo'sh whidh % infordation must travel in the. selectivity process. . `A % °T° .. . . '4-

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) '^a ' -y. l,0 Ikit legathate. go conceptualizeinfol-mationgs-capable of "Zz , ing recycled?Acgarding tohe &del, information does not

, 'merely dissapeari rathet, much'ihlormation will be recycled trough the seiec4vity gages. Students 'can discuss andlurther . ,-.

. "investigate this re6cIgli prbced-sa 0 - , ..- . These quetions

understanding of toselegivItyPioces=s: `o' ." e

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RETENTION 4' 2XPOSURE ATTENTION PERCEPTION X X X X ' xx

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I. FOOTNOTES

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, , . . .1 -P, --- See, for example, Michael,BurgoOn, Approaching.SReech/Comminication,

.., (New York: Holt, Rinehart', arid Winston, 1974) James C. McCrdskey, , Carl E. Larson, and Maik L. Knapp, An Introduction, to Interpersonal / .

, Communication (Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-tall,1971);John R. . .,.. . Wenburg and William W. Wilmot, The Personal Communication Process .(New York: John Wiley, 1973)8.

2turgdon, 4,

3. . J. Mil/a, E. Aronson,jand H. Robinson, "Selectivity in Exposure to

-7-, ;, Laformation,"tjournal of Abnormal and Social Psychtlogy 59 ( 59),

. -..- 250 - 253. -'' 1

, ) - 4 , iP , , , " Vk , See, for examples, D. E.Broadbent, Perception and Communication 14. (London: Pargamon Press,1958) and.A. 11..Treisman, "Contextual. Cues iti elective-Listening,"Quarterly Journal of Em110Wmental Psychology,

$. . 12 (1964, 242,- 248: 4-4 . V . , .. , . a'. , 5 _ q,, * Leon FestiAger, A Theory of. Cognitive Dissonance (New Xork: Row,PeteiL.

son, 1957). : - ..1. i o . a 1, . 4,,_____,, t 6 ' , See-, for example, H..Toch and M. Maclean, "Perception and Communication: 4 N r A Transactional View," Audio Visual Communication-Review, 10 X1967), 55 - 77i M. D. Vernon, Perception Through. Experience-aondon: Methuen

, & Company, 1970); S. Zagona and R. Harter, °Credibility of Source and Recipient Attitude: Rectors',for the Perception and Reterifimi of Inforh.. matiOn on Smokivg Behavior," Perceptual and Motort§kills, 23 (190)1' 155 - 168

4 - ..-. -, , a ,... '',.: )- . 7 . See,. for example, J. M.:Levine. and G. Miirphy, "The LeartArig- and Forgetiing % of Conti:Oversial,Material;" Journal of Abnormal. and'Social4sycholOgy, 49 . F (1954), 23 - 28; J. T.Kiapper, "The Social Effedfi'of Mass.139mMuniCation," .-. in Wilbur Schramm,(Fd.), The :Science of Human, (New,York: ,

. , Basit"Booka, 1963).