Which of the following is considered a psychological barrier to effective listening in social psychology?

• A. Background noise in the environment
• B. Poor acoustics in the room
• C. Prejudice against the speaker
• D. Physical distance between listener and speaker

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the concept of psychological barriers in the context of effective listening. Psychological barriers refer to internal mental or emotional factors that hinder a person's ability to listen effectively, such as biases, prejudices, or emotional states.
2. Step 2: Differentiate psychological barriers from physical or environmental barriers. Physical barriers include things like background noise, poor acoustics, or physical distance, which are external factors affecting hearing but not the listener's mental processing.
3. Step 3: Analyze each option to identify which one represents an internal mental state rather than an external factor. Background noise, poor acoustics, and physical distance are all external, physical barriers.
4. Step 4: Recognize that prejudice against the speaker is an internal attitude or bias, which can cause the listener to selectively hear or ignore information, thus acting as a psychological barrier.
5. Step 5: Conclude that among the options, 'Prejudice against the speaker' is the psychological barrier to effective listening because it involves the listener's internal mental state affecting their ability to listen objectively.