7A - Person Perception

Question 1

Social Cognition

Answer 1

How we judge others in social situations by interpreting and analysing information

Question 2

Person Perception

Answer 2

Refers to the different mental processes used to understand and form impressions of other people
Information can be provided through two ways-
Directly - provided from the person we are judging, for example through observing them or interacting with them
Indirectly - through hearing about the person we are judging from another person or source for example through a friend or reading about someone online

Question 3

First Impressions

Answer 3

Snap judgements made about someone in less than a second, based on easily accessible perceptual information
Can impact processes-
Decision-making - person perception acts as a source of information when making choices, such as whether to see someone again
Interpersonal interactions - first impressions last, and we tend to trust these ‘gut’ feelings and can treat people accordingly*

Question 4

Halo Effect

Answer 4

Cognitive bias in which on quality of a person might make us think that other aspects of them are also good, while one negative impression might make us think that other aspects of them are bad

Question 5

Body Language

Answer 5

Non-verbal communication in which physical posture, movement and behaviour rather than words are used to express a certain message

Question 6

An Attitude

Answer 6

An evaluation (judgement) a person makes about an object, person, group, event or idea*

Question 7

Tri-Component Model Of Attitudes

Answer 7

The tri-component model of attitudes dictates that all three of the affective, behavioural and cognitive components must exist for an attitude to truly be present
All three components interact and contribute to the attitude held
Affective = feelings
Cognitive = thoughts
Behavioural = actions

Question 8

Affective Component

Answer 8

Refers to our emotions and intuitive feelings towards something reflected in our attitude
E.g - I couldn’t care less about whether we wear uniforms or not

Question 9

Behavioural Component

Answer 9

Describes our outward and observable actions that reflect our point of view about something
E.g - if someone thinks recorded music is fake and that live music is more authentic, they may go to more concerts

Question 10

Cognitive Component

Answer 10

Involves our thoughts and beliefs towards something
E.g - I think wearing school uniforms is practical (because it saves time in the morning)

Question 11

Stereotypes/Stereotyping

Answer 11

Widely held belief and generalisation about a group, such as people, animals or objects
The process of creating stereotypes and assigning people to them*

Question 12

Stigma

Answer 12

The feeling of shame experienced by an individual for a characteristic that differentiates them from others

Question 13

Attitudes Can Effect The Processes Of…

Answer 13

Decision-making-
Attitudes can inform choices from which clothes we wear to what food we eat.
Interpersonal interactions-
For example, if we have a positive attitude towards our job, we may be more bubbly and form bonds with more people at the workplace

Question 14

Stereotyping Helpful And Harmful

Answer 14

Helpful-
- offer us information that helps us interact with people we don’t know well
- allow us to make decisions
about others more quickly
Harmful-
- often include incorrect information that leads to
over generalisations about members
of a social group
- can lead to stigma
- can lead to prejudice