Situation
I was eating lunch at a favorite café when a huge photo printed on canvas, hanging on the wall caught my eye. It was a print of an old 1950’s Gulf gasoline service station with an equally old Thunderbird in the driveway. It really brought back wonderful childhood memories. I had to have a print just like it. The print was on loan to the café, and the owner of the café arranged for me to meet the photographer. The next time I was in the café the photographer was there. He was about 50 years old, six feet tall, brown hair, wearing jeans and a plaid shirt. He came to my table to talk with me.
Ladder of Abstraction
His name was David. I complimented his print and told him that I would like to buy it, or one just like it but smaller. I had been imagining that David would be a photographer with his own photo lab and huge canvas printing machinery. He gave me his card, told me that he did woodworking and photography as a hobby and that he sent his photos out to someone else’s shop to be printed. I was disappointed, but the sample print was excellent, and I thought to myself that it should not matter who did the work. He asked me to email him, and I left. The next day we exchanged a few emails to confirm what I wanted and the price. He confirmed the order and said that it would take a couple of weeks. I decided to trust him, and I sent him the money. About two weeks later he called, said he had the print, and asked how I would like to have it delivered. We decided that he would bring it to my house, which he did. The print was lovely, just as I ordered, and the canvas mounting was far better than I had ever seen before. The print is mounted near my computer and I look at it several times a day. I am very happy with it.
Most Abstract (Action)
I sent David his fee. I trusted him to have the print created and delivered to me as discussed.
Judgement – Trustworthy
I decided to trust him. Via email, we discussed the size, the price, how long it would take to create the print, and the method of payment.
Label – Honest
He told me that he was a hobbyist woodworker and photographer and that he sent his photos out to someone else’s shop to be printed. I was still disappointed, but the sample print was excellent, and I thought to myself that it should not matter who did the work. I was impressed with his honesty.
Perception – Disappointing
I had been imagining that David was a professional photographer with his own photo lab and canvas printing machinery. He seemed to be a little nervous. I was not impressed with his demeanor or his business card. I was disappointed.
Most Concrete (Total Reality)
David introduced himself as the photographer. He was about 50 years old, six feet tall, brown hair, wearing jeans and a plaid shirt. He gave me his business card – it said that he handmade cutting boards and mentioned nothing about photography.
Alternative Selective Perception
Instead of the Ladder of Abstraction, I could have used the Cognitive Schemata described in our textbook (Wood, 2016). My “Prototype” would be a professional photographer who is self-employed with an established company. He would have appropriate business cards, his own printing equipment, a portfolio of example products, and a menu of prices. He would have preprinted order forms which would serve as contracts. My “Personal Constructs” would be Professional – Not Professional (he is not), Responsible – Not Responsible (he might be), Rude – Not Rude (he was not), Arrogant – Not Arrogant (he was not), Trustworthy – Not Trustworthy (he might be), Honest – Not Honest (he seemed to be honest), and Talented – Not Talented (based on the sample print, he is talented). My “Stereotype” of him would be that he is a man who does photography as a hobby, who pays other people or companies to do all printing and mounting, and who resells the products to his customers for a profit. My “Script” would be to discuss his work that I have seen, find out as much about that sample print as possible, converse with him about any other work that he has done, ask a lot of questions, analyze his answers, and basically talk with him about anything and everything. An additional step that I could have taken is to discuss my observations with my spouse and evaluate her opinions and observations. She was with us when we talked, but she had remained mostly silent. She might have influenced my judgements and decisions if I had only asked. In the end I must depend solely on my experience with human nature, and my verbal interaction with him, to make any judgements. I can only form perceptions and make decisions about him through conversation. My culture and the photographer’s culture were not discussed or considered. It would have made no difference if he were a woman, younger or older, or a different race. I believe that this Alternative Selective Perception would not have changed my labels or actions and would have had the same result. I would take a chance and trust the man.
References
Wood, Julia (2016). Interpersonal Communication: Everyday Encounters (8th ed.). Australia: Cengage Learning.