Week 9, Question 2

This was an easy one and my example I think is one most of us can relate to. I have had selective attention when in a small group in a class I didn’t really care about but it was a requirement so it had to be taken. For example I had a sociology class about social problems. It was by far the worst class ever yet, I still had to go every Tuesday/Thursday and listen to everyone put in their two sense of the world. The book talked about how we use selective attention when issues like race, stereotypes and preconceived ideas and this class was centered around these exact topics. I remember when we talked about the idea of banning smoking on campuses and I could care less what the outcome was. I listened to what I wanted to but for the most part I didn’t care. But when it came to topics like the death penalty, I was very interested because I want to get into the law enforcement field. By having a connection with a topic you are more likely to be tuned into it. I don’t smoke nor do I care if other people choose to ruin their lives with those cancer sticks. The way to overcome this problem is to just be more open to all peoples ideas and thoughts. I have pretty set ways of thinking but I need to change that up sometimes.  Just because an issue doesn’t affect me doesn’t mean I cant listen and respect those who do have a strong view.