JCJC Sociology Practice Test 2026 – Complete All-in-One Guide to Exam Success!

Selective perception is when your attention zeroes in on certain features of what you see while you miss or ignore other aspects. This explains why you can notice some details of an object or situation but remain blind to others—the features that stand out capture your focus, often because of your expectations, goals, or prior experiences.

For example, you might spot a bold logo on a product and overlook its price or durability, or you might notice a confident posture in a person and miss signs of discomfort.

Stereotyping involves applying broad beliefs about a group to people or things you observe, not just filtering what you notice. Confirmation bias is the tendency to interpret information in a way that supports your preconceptions, not merely what you fail to notice. Perceptual distortion is about misreading or misinterpreting what you see, rather than selectively attending to certain features while ignoring others.