Inference Making Difficulties
In addition to these selection problems, there are at least two types of inferences that also interfere with our ability to listen well: snap judgments, and attribution errors.
You decide at some level of awareness which cues to pay attention to.
The first step in becoming perceptually aware of another person is to focus attention on that person.
Selection Difficulties
Pursues three goals: becoming more aware of your own beliefs and inference, developing an understanding of the other person’s beliefs and inferences and analyzing or testing what you hear
inferences that are “usually rather immediate and do not involve complex cognitive processes.”
Organizing cues [...] applying structure and stability to your world of sensations [...] continue to focus on something until it is recognizable
One problem we have with attending to the other person is that, when listening, we have a great deal of “spare time"
This is a pattern of letters or words that helps you remember ideas
Earlier we explained that we make attributions to help make sense out of another person’s behavior by assigning a “cause” or “intention” to their actions. These causes or reasons for behavior become associated with the other’s personality (internal factors) or something in the situation (external factors).”
To conclude, judge, or go beyond evidence.
A second reason why people sometimes “tune out” is to preserve some control over their environments.
Many listeners don’t pay much attention to transitions, but they are particularly important, because they are the pints at which the speaker signals how one idea relates to others.
The tendency to underestimate the impact of situational factors in producing another’s behavior and to overestimate the role of personality factors.
The kind of listening that intensifies and applies the three basic parts of the perception process that we’ve just introduced - selecting, organizing, and inferring.”
A third reason why we sometimes fail to pay attention is that we’re used to getting information in entertaining packages.
Listen for the pattern of ideas the speaker is following. Often, it’s a problem-solution pattern: “This is what’s wrong and this is what I think we should do about it.