Katherine Davis

Professor Nelson

COM 112

September 4, 2022

Summary and Synthesis: Chapter 5 Perceiving Others

Important Terms:

Negotiation is the process by which communicators influence each other’s perceptions.

The example discussed in the book, stating that women often change their opinion of men’s

attractiveness based on what other women think, is extremely apparent in my life. My

roommate’s type is rude frat boys, meaning that she does not find cute nice guys attractive. One

guy, in particular, she hangs out with a lot, she views as “too nice”, to which she is not attracted.

The other day my roommate was shocked when she overheard girls talking about how hot the

guy she hangs out with is. She then asked me if girls actually think he is hot and I responded by

telling her that even I find him attractive. Ever since then she has been talking about him more

and is beginning to find him attractive. Hearing that other girls find him attractive shifted her

mindset because she values attractive girls' opinions and begins to mirror them. Negotiation is a

powerful form of communication that often alters people’s mindsets.

The Horns Effect occurs when a negative appraisal adversely influences the perceptions

that follow. In addition to the Halo Effect, the Horns Effect is apparent in my everyday life. I

often have a preconceived opinion of people based on what I hear about them from trusted

friends. If one of my friends does not like a person, I expect to dislike them when I meet them.

This parallels the Halo Effect, although it does not occur as often in my life. The Halo Effect is

apparent when I see an attractive person and expect to like them, in contrast, when I see an
unattractive person, I may expect them to be odd or mean. I should avoid letting the Halo Effect

and Horns Effect dictate my opinions of others. I should strive to be more open-minded and

formulate my own opinions of others after I meet them.

Perception checking is a skill that provides a better way to review your assumptions and

share your interpretations. I wish I had this skill when I dated my high school boyfriend and got

in fights with girlfriends because it would have made communication so much easier. Perception

checking allows people to communicate when they are unsure of why a behavior occurred in a

way that is unlikely to cause an argument. This is the most unargumentative way to ask someone

what's wrong or why they did something. This allows communication to go smoothly and

prevents unnecessary arguments.

Discussion Questions:

- Is misperception more common in person or online? Why?

- What is an example of when you have seen or experienced differences in knowledge or

habits due to cultural influences?

Relationship Application:

The concept of “perceiving others” includes many different ideas such as stereotypes,

sexism, and preconceived judgments. Everyone is guilty of judging others based on looks or

attitudes, but there are ways that we can avoid it. I have made preconceived judgments of people

in college and so far many of them have turned out to be false. One of my best friends in college

now is significantly different than I first thought her to be. When I met her, she seemed like a

tomboy and somewhat standoffish. She also loves to hunt and talks about guns which made me
assume that I would not get along with her very well. We did not have much in common so I did

not think we would get along. As I got to know her though, I realized she was more girly and fun

than I first recognized. She is also loyal which is an extremely important quality in a friend to

me. Because I judged her the first day I met her, I almost missed out on such an amazing

friendship. I will do my best to avoid judging people based on first impressions and based on

what I hear from other people so that I give myself the opportunity to form my own opinions and

build new relationships.