4. Distorted or inaccurate perceptions often provide the basis for comedy story lines. Spend a few days watching your favorite sitcoms, and pay attention to how the characters’ perceptions are limited, how they might be affected by culture, and how they might confuse interpretation with fact.

Document your fi ndings in class or in a brief written report. Noticing these behaviors in others—even television characters—can help us to notice them in ourselves.