Chapter 13: Heuristics

"Our everyday models of human behavior are based on simplistic thinking," Trenholm emphasizes on page369. The concept of heuristics can be seen in a handful of our everyday experiences. Heuristics are rules of thumb that allow us to avoid careful information processing. The book uses examples of when difficult encounters of information we look for cues or rely on authority to make sense of the information at hand. One example is 'I didn't understand it, but my dad said it was true;' or the argument seemed odd, but after all, the author did go to Harvard. Heuristics can be helpful in times of complete confusion or be an aid for educated guesses but Heuristics can be easily misconstrued.

Heuristics were misconstrued during WWII with the Internment of Japanese and Japanese Americans. The United States determined any person of Japanese ancestry was a threat to the safety of the United States and interned them for the entire duration of WWII. No one questioned the discriminatory regulations and laws which placed the Japanese community in these internment camps because if the 'authority' such as the President of the United States says the Japanese are a threat, then it must be a valid argument. If the President of the United States see these new regulations as a need for our safety then they must be a threat.

Heuristics should not be the only way to gain information, and that is why researchers and other forms of scientific methodology are used.

Moral Dilemmas

Ethnographers are unique because they are insiders to all the research. There is no barrier between the researcher and the study at hand. Some dilemmas an ethnographer may have are their ability to actually build relationships with group members and if they have to lie to them or have to put his study before their emotional feelings may be difficult for the researcher to go through with. Ethnographers must remember to set aside their own biases or their own values and beliefs while making a conclusion to their observations. Many things can influence data especially if one is being influenced by their own belief system.

Honestly I have no idea how I would try to separate emotions with the group members and feel comfortable lying to them. I don't think I could do it. I would choose a different research methodology to conduct my research because I know I would not be comfortable lying to get any research results.

One way I might try to keep everything in my control would make sure to be distant with my group members and have my assistants keep me in check and remind me what my job is. However, I still would rather find another way besides being sneaky.

Ethnography Research Methodology

The research method which is most interesting to me would be ethnography. To go out and observe and interact during a research assignment seems the most rewarding method. Ethnography is when the researcher observes behavior in its natural setting and he or she must assume a role.

My reserch question for deception would be: Do women or men use deception more in daily interpersonal interaction? I would take the covert role, I would go about my daily business and note each time I deceive my parents, my siblings, my cousin, my co-workers, my boss, my friends. I would also ask a male friend to write down his every interpersonal interaction and when he used deception. I would use the covert role because I could be one on one with my deception research. However, the problems with knowing you have to be deceiving others will most likely influence my daily interactions.

Or I could take the overt role and follow around one of my female friends and then one of my male friends and observe their daily interactions and quietly note down each time he or she uses deception and to whom they deceived. I could take all my energy to be observant and to really analyze their reasons and situations they used deception. However, my presence would most likely inluence their daily routine as well because having someone follow you is not true daily interaction.

I used deception last night at work when I told a customer I put their order in and it should be coming out very soon. I forgot about their order and had it was going to take another 10 minutes to prepare. I think in a work environment, dealing with customers you want to make them happy so you say or do whatever they want to make their experience at the restaurant a good one. However many things can go wrong which I have to keep from them because I do not want them to complain.

I remember when I was deceived by a family member. I was walking on campus when I got a missed call from my uncle. I called him right back and he said he called me by mistake and he had to go. It was really awkward because he usually loves to chat about school and how i am doing. Later that night my mom called to tell me my grandmother had passed away and that they would be flying me home for the funeral that weekend. When I finally saw my uncle he apologized for being so short on the phone and he said he couldn't tell me about what had happened because he had not even told my mom yet. Maybe deception is not always a bad thing.

Researching deception would be very interesting as well as why we use deception is even more so interesting.

Chapter 8

The grapevine is not only a middle school or high school issue, the grapevine is in every communicational opportunity. The grapevine is informal channels of communication. I never new during the Civil War, telegraph lines were wired through trees making it look like a bunch of grapevines intertwined. Eventually the term developed into any type of channel of communication which does not follow the straight line predictable pattern. The grapevine thrives because individuals are not satisfied with formal lines of communication and sometimes you need a break from formal patterns.

What is interesting is that the grapevine communication operates on a face-to-face (usually) basis and allows for immediate feedback and clarification that other channels of communication do not always allow. If someone loves to be in control one will not love the grapevine because once it takes off, the grapevine is not easy to control. It is estimated that the accuracy of the grapevine is from 75% to 95%. I was completely amazed on how accurate the informal channel could be so accurate. I assumed the grapevine could only bring rumors and unnecessary gossip, but it turns out it has some positives in the work place and in our personal lives as well.

cool & hot medium

The media provides many underlying messages to the consumer. McLuhan's theory about each medium having its own internal logic and how it affects the overall experience and message of the world can be very much accepted by today's standards.

For example, the Dove body wash commercials have a brunette, Caucasian, thin, light skinned, 25-30 year old woman washing herself in the shower. She has a big smile on her face and the camera zooms up and down her milky, smooth skin. After her shower she steps out and she is instantly bombarded with a handsome, young, muscular male embracing her and touching her on the bed. Plus, there is a narrator stating the ingredients of the body wash and how you should not be afraid to be touched and how much the male will enjoy the silky skin. There are many messages: buy this product and be thin, young, and beautiful; shower with this body wash and you will have hunky men all over you; buy this product because the skin you have now is just not good enough for today's standards. There is a lot of ambiguity and many details which are emphasized and other details which are ignored. A great example of emphasizing details are those birth control aids, either commercial or in print. All the positives are highlighted, there is a young woman smiling, with her friends ready to go out for the evening and all the harmful side effects are quickly blurted out at the end of the commercial, barely even heard. As well as print adds the happy woman using the specific birth control is zoomed in while the tiny print at the bottom states all the risks and the precautions of the prescription.

Advertisements and messages are being sent to millions of homes around the globe whether we want them to or not.

Face2Face

The first time I had heard of a cyber space relationship was from my basketball teammate Kris who had a boyfriend who she met online. This was during the time Instant Messaging and Screen names were very popular. She told me he was going to move from Utah to California to be with her. I was very shocked and surprised because I could not imagine moving states for someone i have never met in person. Their relationship moved from the computer to the telephone and eventually he came to visit her once and a while and I had the opportunity to meet him. He was a very nice, older guy, he was 18 while we were 15 and 16.

I did not approve of the relationship honestly, she was very lucky he was not some 60 year old pervert who had psychological issues.

Looking back on my own friendships and the process in which I create friends I do not make friends online, I trust people if we hang out together and learn about one another face to face. I am not saying all people who are online have hidden agendas or that face to face friendships always work out, but for me making good, trustworthy, friends is about doing activities together, spending time with the family, and being their for one another in person and not being infront of a screen is how I create friendships.

I wouldn't say to never make a friend using AIM or Facebook or Myspace, because it does happen and i think its great for others, but for me I do not feel i truly get to know the person without spending time with them and doing activities together such as movies or hearing their sarcasm through face to face interaction.

Chapter 7: Hidden Agenda

A hidden agenda is a concept which stuck out to me while reading chapter 7. A hidden agenda is a personal goal that lies below th surfae and that can get in the way of group performance. The book says this is most important to avoid disruptive individual roles such as a hidden agenda. I found interesting is that it also states hidden agendas can be helpful to a group goal.

Being in a group is at times most difficult. You have different personalities, different schedules, and different skills all mixed into one. It can either be toxic to a goal or a blessing. Hopefully everyone's agenda is positive for the group because if it is not, there could be a lot of issues. Usually if each person has a common goal like an A on the project, hidden agendas are not always an issue. Sometimes i think classmates hidden agenda's are to do the least amount of work possible and be out of reach until the day before a presentation or the due date.

Personally, I do not feel like i have a hidden agenda while i am in a group, maybe to just not mess up during a presentation or to be well prepared in case someone doesnt show, or the power point doesnt work, I tend to look out for myself more because I can control what i bring to the group or the team but i cant control what others do or do not bring as well.