Communication Theory
SPC 3210
4/19/16
Communication Theory has been about the many ways we can communicate with each other. Over a dozen theories have been explored in this class to understand how can one send and receive messages with one another. One factor that I like to talk about is retention. This leg of the communication animal is something I believe we haven't fleshed out in this class. I always did wonder why we are able to remember certain things but find it difficult to forget the unimportant things. A theory I came across that may be able to answer that question and more is the Selective Exposure Theory. This theory can discuss the aforementioned and dig into the psychology of human memory as it relates to communication. Selective exposure theory deals with individuals’ tendency to favor information which reinforces their preexisting views while avoiding contradictory information. Some terms that have been associated with this are Confirmation Bias and Congeniality Bias. These and other information regarding retention do sprout from the cognitive dissonance theory which we covered in Chapter 6. I selected this theory …show more content…
Deals with a few other concepts under the umbrella. Selective interpretation, selective attention and Selective retention. Selective attention deals with by paying attention to information that is consonant with current beliefs and actions. Selective retention deals with remembering information that is consonant with current beliefs and actions and selective interpretation involves interpreting Ambiguous information so that it becomes consistent with current beliefs and actions. Each one of these are methods to decrease cognitive dissonance which is people’s moral compass between right and wrong. Selective exposure can affect the decisions people make as individuals or as groups because they may be unwilling to change their views and beliefs either collectively or on their