COMM375 2 13 14 LECTURE 1 UNIT 2 Selective Exposure Attention Perception o The selection of information is controlled first of all by the build of the organism specifically the build of the sensory organs o People select out what they are exposed to attend to and store to the memory o Preexisting dispositions o Expose yourself to consistent information o Avoid inconsistent information Cognitive Dissonance o A lesson in cognitive dissonance Festinger Attention between what we think and what we do We try to reduce the dissonance from how we should act to how we actually do act You come to believe a big lie for a big incentive Festinger Why people seek out and avoid certain types of information When Dissonance exists a person will experience psychological discomfort and thus be motivated to reduce it to achieve consonance Conversely when dissonance exists a person will try to avoid situations and information that may increase it Erie County Study 1940 o Lazarfeld and Colleagues o People tend to choose political information as a means to reinforcing their political predispositions o Brand Loyalties based in religion and social class which are supported by interpersonal discussion Decatur Study The People s Choice Study o Two Step Flow MASS MEDIA OPINION LEADERS FOLLOWERS o The media disseminates information to opinion leaders on specific topics Whoever has interest in specific subject pass on their opinion to followers The opinion leaders pass on their opinions to their followers via Interpersonal Communication 02 13 2014 02 13 2014
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