Second, selective attention dictates that we can only pay attention to one piece of
our environment. If our budget and preference only allow us to purchase an
American-made car, when we examine the automobile section in the newspaper, we
do not pay attention to cars made by Sweden or Yugoslavia. As students, if we are
worried about our grade and an exam, we will be inclined to read those materials
relating to the subject area that will be tested in class. Selective exposure and
attention are influenced by our needs, training, expectations, and attitudes. For
example, a hungry person will seek exposure and pay attention to food-related
messages to satisfy his or her need. A communication major will be exposed and
pay more attention to information about media. If we expect human nature is good,
we will focus on the positive attributes of our acquaintances. Or, if we believe in
social Darvinism (the “survival of the fittest”), we will try to find ways to gain
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advantage over others. Moreover, we tend to focus on events that reinforce our
existing attitudes