Selective Exposure Theory, Selective Perception Theory and Selective Retention Theory

Selective Exposure Theory 

The Selective Exposure Theory implied that the audience had the tendency to expose themselves only to those messages that were in accordance with their attitudes and their belief systems. It stated that people tended to ignore those messages that were contradictory to their beliefs or challenged their attitudes and belief systems.

Stanley Baran and Dennis Davis in their book, “Mass Communication theory: Foundations, ferment and Future” mention the study of Paul Lazarsfeld, Bernard Berelson and Hazel Gaudet (1944, p.89), in their Erie County voter study. The study led to the discovery that “about two thirds of the constant partisans (republicans and Democrats) managed to see and hear more of their own side’s propaganda than the opposition’s…the more strongly partisan the person, the more likely he is to insulate himself from contrary points of view”.

Selective Perception Theory

Selective Perception Theory implied that a person decodes a given media message in a way that the meaning is in alignment with one’s personal beliefs, disposition and attitudes.

Stanley Baran and Dennis Davis in their book, “Mass Communication theory: Foundations, ferment and Future” mention that “Selective Perception is the mental or psychological recasting of a message so that its meaning is in line with person’s beliefs and attitudes.”

Often, while consuming media, we tend to be biased when we interpret the message to conveniently suit our thoughts, attitudes and views. This is the basic component of the Selective Perception Theory.

Gordon Allport and Leo Postman’s in their study of rumour in 1945 provide an ideal example of selective perception research. It is said that the two psychologists showed the picture of a fight aboard a train to some persons. The fighters were a Caucasian Male grasping a Razor and an unarmed Afro- American Male. The persons who saw the scene were further asked to communicate the scene to others. It is said that in a later stage, the white people recounting the story of this picture would inevitably be confused, and would end up saying that the razor was in the hands of the Afro- American (black man).

The Concise Encyclopaedia of Communication says that ‘When information is processed in the course of everyday experiences, the information is integrated into existing concepts stored in memory. Those concepts that are at the Top of Mind are the most likely to be retrieved in everyday experiences, and thus are most likely to be used in interpreting everyday experiences. This bias toward the most accessible constructs in memory for interpreting situations defines the concept of selective perception.’ (Selective Perception and Selective retention by L.J Shrum, HEC Paris, Concise encyclopedia of Communication. Wolfgang Donsbach, Wiley pulishers)

Selective Retention Theory

The Selective Retention Theory implied that persons mostly retained only those messages which supported their beliefs and attitudes. The messages which were not consistent with their personal views and belief systems were generally not retained by individuals.

Stanley Baran, Dennis Davis, in their book, ‘Mass Communication theory: Foundations, ferment and Future’, Cengage Learning say that “Selective Retention also known as selective memory is a process by which some information is retained and stored in memory and is thus available for retrieving and other information is not (and is thus forgotten)”.  They further expound that Selective Retention is a bias wherein the information that gets retained is more congruent with existing belief structures (and thus more likely to be recalled at a later time) as compared to the information that is less congruent with existing belief structures.