As it was shown above, every person DOES respond differently to the stimuli in his/her environment - the unique mix of person's values, attitudes, needs and habits makes him selectively choose what he wants to hear, to understand and to remember. This is true indeed with the communication process, when the audience member from the huge informational flow chooses the stimuli he wants to respond or to perceive. He perceives more closely those that are
1) related to his interests
2) consistent with his attitudes
3) congruent with his beliefs
4) supportive of his values (Lindersmith, Strauss, 1968 )
For example research of Ehrlich, Guttman, Schonbach and Mills, 1957 has found out that new car owners are more likely to read advertisements for the car they have just purchased than the owners of the same brand but earlier model. Recent interests still influence the selective perception of the individual.
Another research by Cannel and MacDonald shows that smokers less likely to read articles on the relationship between smoking and health. They tend to ignore such articles because they do not correspond to the their beliefs and attitudes. They smoke anyway !
Those were the examples of selective exposure and attention in mass communication. (Lindersmith, Strauss 1968). Also the interpretation that is being made by the people after being exposed to the message varies depending on their own attitudes and beliefs.
Kendal and Wolf researched the influence of the cartoon shown on TV, purpose of which was to show prejudice among people in sarcastic, negative way. It was supposed to reduce the prejudicial attitude in society and show people with such beliefs in a negative light. But as research has shown such people misinterpreted the cartoon and percieved it as support to their own beliefs and attitudes, rather than ridiculing bigotry, which the cartoons were intended to do. (Lindersmith, Strauss 1968)
This was an example of ???? in mass communication.
It has been proved that the communication effects are more powerful when the message which is being communicated corresponds to the existing opinions, beliefs and dispositions of the receiver. There is high degree of selectivity with what people responds or not to respond to the messages. And this selectivity is guided by the "preexisting interests and dispositions of the receiver" (McQuail Dennis, 1984). Among those might be the cultural and religious beliefs, the family or societal values, personal opinions formed during his/her life experience. All this makes the process of individual selective perception very complex. It's difficult to predict what part of the message the person "will select to know or remember".
