Real Communication An Introduction

Chapter 2  Perceiving the Self and Others 37

Even during brief encounters—like Adam’s
meeting with Irina—we are bombarded with
information: the other person’s words, tone
of voice, facial expressions, degree of eye con-
tact. Through communication processing, we
gather, organize, and evaluate all this information.
Although we receive information through our
senses, this is just the beginning of the process.
How we interpret that information is unique to
each of us, influenced by how we organize per-
ceptions into our existing memory bases, called
schemas.

Schemas: Organizing Perceptions

As you receive information, you strive to make
sense of it. To do so, you consider not only the new information but also how it
fits with information you already have. For example, in evaluating Irina, speed
dater Adam makes associations with his own relationship experience and his
assumptions about assertive women. He compares Irina to his old girlfriend
(“artsy”) and to himself, guessing about her professional success. Adam is making
sense of the interaction’s many inputs through schemas, mental structures that
put together related bits of information (Fiske & Taylor, 1991) (see Figure 2.1).
Once put together, these chunks of information form patterns that we use to cre-
ate meaning. Schemas present various opportunities and challenges as we discuss
later.

The Function of Schemas

Your schemas help you understand how things (like a job interview or a first
date) work or should work. Communicators retrieve schemas from memory
and interpret new information, people, and situations in accordance with those
schemas. For example, imagine that during your walk across campus, a classmate
approaches and says, “Hey, what’s up?” An existing schema (based on memories
of past encounters) tells you that you will exchange hellos and then, after some
small talk, go your separate ways. When you recognize one component of a
schema, the entire schema is activated and helps you to know what to say or how
to behave in a particular situation.
Schemas are fairly stable once they are established, but they can also change
somewhat as you go through life perceiving new or conflicting bits of informa-
tion about different people and situations. For example, the interaction appear-
ance theory helps explain how people change their perceptions of someone,
particularly their physical attractiveness, the more they interact (Albada, Knapp,
& Theune, 2002). You probably have noticed that people become more or less
attractive to you as you get to know them better. For example, you might find
a colleague more attractive after you discover her quirky sense of humor or less
attractive when you experience his short temper.

WHEN OTHERS

approach you at a speed-

dating event, you immediately

start forming opinions about

them. How they’re dressed,

the sound of their voice,

and their smile all play into

whether or not you feel

a connection with these

potential partners. Chris Hondros/

Getty Images

Think back to your first

impressions of two dif-

ferent people, one whom

you immediately liked and

one who made a negative

impression. What role might

your schemas have played in

these first impressions? Did

these individuals remind you

of other people you like or

dislike? Did they exhibit traits

that you have found attrac-

tive or unattractive in others?

AND YOU?