In cognitive psychology, defensive listening is most likely to occur when someone:

• A. Actively seeks to understand the speaker's perspective
• B. Perceives a comment as a personal attack, even if it was not intended that way
• C. Ignores emotional cues in a conversation
• D. Responds with open-ended questions to clarify meaning

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the concept of defensive listening in cognitive psychology. Defensive listening occurs when a listener perceives a message as a personal attack or criticism, even if the speaker did not intend it that way.
2. Step 2: Analyze each option in the problem to see which best fits the definition of defensive listening.
3. Step 3: Evaluate 'Actively seeks to understand the speaker's perspective' — this describes an open and empathetic listening style, which is the opposite of defensive listening.
4. Step 4: Consider 'Ignores emotional cues in a conversation' — this suggests inattentiveness or lack of emotional awareness, but not necessarily defensiveness.
5. Step 5: Look at 'Responds with open-ended questions to clarify meaning' — this indicates a constructive and engaged listening approach, not defensive behavior. Therefore, the option that matches defensive listening is when someone 'Perceives a comment as a personal attack, even if it was not intended that way.'