Week 2 Discussion 1: Attention
Attention is the cognitive process wherein specific focus is given to particular stimuli (Raghubir & Valenzuela, 2006). There are many factors that impact our ability to attend to any of the multiple stimuli in our environment at any given time, such as the extent to which a stimulus is salient, the extent to which a stimulus is vivid, and the extent to which the information for a stimulus is mentally accessible. These three factors impact the likelihood of attention and encoding into social cognitive memory.
For this Discussion, view the media Attention, Encoding, and Social Cognitive Memory in this weeks Learning Resources. Consider which elements in the media stood out for you and what was salient, vivid, and accessible.
Reference: Raghubir, P., & Valenzuela, A. (2006). Center-of-inattention: Position biases in decision-making. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 99(1), 6680.
By Day 3
With these thoughts in mind:
Post by Day 3 a brief description of a social event in the media involving one person that stood out to you. Then, explain how salient, vivid, and accessible the information is. Then, explain one possible reason each why the information is salient, vivid, and accessible to you. Finally, explain one insight you had related to how you attend to information by using the media example. Be specific and use the current literature to support your response.
Be sure to support your postings and responses with specific references to the Learning Resources.
Read a selection of your colleagues postings.
By Day 5
Respond by Day 5 to at least two of your colleagues postings in one or more of the following ways:
Ask a probing question.
Share an insight from having read your colleagues posting.
Offer and support an opinion.
Validate an idea with your own experience.
Make a suggestion.
Expand on your colleagues posting.
Return to this Discussion in a few days to read the responses to your initial posting. Note what you have learned and/or any insights you have gained as a result of the comments your colleagues made.