Chapter 6 Topics for Discussion

  1. Look again at the conversation between Angela and Howie. Can you identify messages that you think either person might have selectively attended to? Are there any messages that either one seemed to ignore?
  2. To communicate effectively, we suggested that you have to accurately perceive the situation, yourself, the other, and the relationship between you and the other. Can you give an example of how not going so can cause miscommunication?
  3. The Nerd, the Preppy, and the Yuppie are all examples of person prototypes. Identify as many other prototypes of persons as you can. Talk about characteristics that cluster to form each prototype. Can you do the same thing for situations or relationships?
  4. Identify some common stereotypes. Are all of the stereotypes negative ones? Which stereotypes seem more useful? Which ones are more prejudicial? In what way are they prejudicial?
  5. Examine your own implicit personality theories. Based on your experience, what traits seem to go together naturally? Why do you think they are associated? What traits are central ones that would drastically change your overall impression of a person?
  6. The examples of self-fulfilling prophecy in this chapter generally present it as a negative perceptual tendency. Does it have to be? Can you think of a time when positive perceptions of others changed their behavior? Discuss what you could do to change a negative self-fulfilling prophecy midway through a situation.
  7. Master contracts are working agreements that govern dyadic relationships. Think of a specific relationship in each of the following categories: (1) student-teacher, (2) parent-child, (3) romantic dyad, (4) best friends, and (5) coworkers. Now try to identify what the master contract of each relationship is. Then identify ways that contract limits your perception of things you can do together or limits the range of messages you can use to influence each other.
  8. Think about a recent argument you were involved in. Explain why the other person behaved the way he or she did. What types of attributions did you make (e.g., personal dispositions, situational, relationship pattern)? Did you or the other person engage in any of the four biases identified in this chapter?
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