two possible interpretation

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keannu

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Have you ever met someone while you were experiencing significant emotional, psychological, or physical stress? Perhaps you stayed up all night studying for a final, or maybe you learned that a grandparent recently died. You likely exhibited behaviors that are not consistent with how you usually act. Meeting someone when you are extremely stressed can create an inaccurate impression of you. For this reason, recognize that our first impressions of others also may be perceptual errors. To help avoid committing these errors, engage in perception checking, which means that we consider a series of questions to confirm or challenge our perceptions of others and their behaviors. For example, see if you can provide two possible interpretations for the verbal and nonverbal behavior observed and seek clarification of it in order to determine the accuracy of your evaluation.

1. What does two possible interpretations mean? good and bad interpretations?
2. Which does "it" refer to? "interpretations" or "the verbal and nonverbal behavior"?
 

emsr2d2

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It doesn't necessarily mean a good and a bad interpretation. It simply asks for two different interpretations.

"It" refers to the "verbal and nonverbal behaviour" ("it" and "behaviour" are singular).
If it referred to "two possible interpretations", it would be "them", not "it" ("them" and "interpretations" are plural).
 

keannu

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Why do they need two interpretations?
 

emsr2d2

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I have no idea. You'd have to ask the people who prepared the question!
 

Raymott

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It's not "they" who need two possible interpretations. It's everyone.
If you meet a friend and they look unhappy or angry, you might conclude that you are the cause - they are not happy to see you. There's nothing magical about two interpretations. What they are suggesting is that you should not just accept your first reaction as being the truth. Your assumption might be wrong. That's what the whole passage is about.
I guess they say 'two' because that's critically different from one. If you can think of two, then a higher number of possible explanations is almost automatic.
 
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