Traditional models of communication between people have focussed on sending and receiving. For example, if you are not getting the message I want you to it must be because I am not sending it right.

These models assume that communication moves direct from sender to receiver without modification of any sort.

However, what 'How you see the world: representative realism' tells us is that data from the outside world is interpreted by our minds, literally altered based upon our previous experience.

It is reasonable to assume that the same is true of data going out. This is indeed the case. In send mode, we don't just transmit the text of our speech (e.g. "don't I know you from somewhere?"), but also unconsciously transmit a host of other information (e.g. I fancy you, I am sexually predatory, I want you to think I have money, etc).

Thus, the data is conceived in the sender, but before transmission it passes through all those mental filters and gets merged in with everything else that is going on in our heads. This information passes to the receiver, who then also mentally filters and merges it and then chooses a response.

Sender > Filter > Transmits > Senses > Filter > Receiver
Sender < Filter < Senses < Transmits < Filter < Receiver

Frankly it's a wonder we communicate at all.

However, it is plain that we do achieve communication, and this model can help us achieve better communication simply by helping us consider how our message was received rather than assume it arrived in the same condition we sent it.



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