Which of the following statements about psychological barriers to communication are correct?
(A) Loss by transmission is more so in the case of written communication.
(B) People cannot retain information for a long time if they are inattentive or not interested.
(C) A worried person cannot communicate properly.
(D) An angry receiver cannot understand the real meaning of a message.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → (B), (C) and (D) only
(A) Loss by transmission is more so in the case of written communication. — Incorrect. A message that passes through many levels loses part of its content on the way. This loss is more so in oral communication.
(B) People cannot retain information for a long time if they are inattentive or not interested. — Correct. This is poor retention, a psychological barrier. An inattentive or uninterested person forgets the message soon.
(C) A worried person cannot communicate properly. — Correct. The state of mind of the sender affects communication. A worried person cannot put his message across properly.
(D) An angry receiver cannot understand the real meaning of a message. — Correct. The receiver’s state of mind matters too. An angry receiver cannot grasp the real meaning of a message.
NCERT (2026-27 Edition): “…Psychological barriers: Emotional or psychological factors acts as barriers to communicators. For example, a worried person cannot communicate properly and an angry receiver cannot understand the real meaning of message. The state of mind of both sender and receiver of communication reflects in the effective communication. Some of the psychological barriers are:” “(iii) Loss by transmission and poor retention: When communication passes through various levels, successive transmissions of the message results in loss of, or transmission of inaccurate information. This is more so in case of oral communication. Poor retention is another problem. Usually people cannot retain the information for a long time if they are inattentive or not interested.” |