Posted by pinkeye on July 22, 2005, at 20:43:46
In reply to the psychology of first impressions - anyone?, posted by Jen Star on July 22, 2005, at 20:34:50
I have thought about first impressions too.. But for me almost always they are wrong later. Here is what I thought about people who later came to mean a whole lot to me.
My T - I thought he was looked very stupid when I first saw him. I even asked him why I should bother telling him anything about me and his response was - "Well what other choice do you have".. But I was impressed with him right after the end of first session.
Another guy - I thought he was extremely arrogant and was a jerk - but later came to realise he was one of the best guys I ever met..
It has happened with lot of people. My first impressions are almost always wrong..
> hi all,
> I've recently been reading some very interesting books by Malcolm Gladwell:
>
> "Blink"
> "The Tipping Point"
>
> (I tried to quote them to link...someone may need to help me in my attempts!)
>
> The books are easy fun reads and are fascinating. In Blink, MG discusses what is happening in your mind and brain in the first 2 seconds you see or hear something, and the times when first impressions are onto something and the times when they can get fooled by extraneous data and preconceived notions.
>
> It made me think about MY first impressions of hearing and seeing things, and how often I am right or wrong about people.
>
> I think the first things I notice about someone new are, in this order: Physical features (size, shape, color, clothing), then Body language (stance, gestures, carriage, facial expressions).
>
> I THINK I can tell a lot about someone from their first gestures and body language. I teach classes in addition to doing other things. When new students come into the class, I notice how they move (with confidence? With caution? with aggression?) I notice where they sit, whether they greet me, and if they do, what they say and how they say it. I notice if they take handouts without being asked or with a prompt. And I notice all this sort of "in the background" because I'm very busy preparing and greeting people and setting up. some of it only sinks in later. But I have noticed strong correlations between a person's initial body language and how attentive they are in class, and how frequently they attend the class. I've also noticed a correlation in confidence and how well they do in class, and a correlation in interest level and where they sit.
>
> Have you noticed anything about first impressions that seem to "work" to help you learn things? Have you read those books by Gladwell?
>
> JenStar
poster:pinkeye
thread:531859
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20050716/msgs/531865.html