Ch 4 Social Cognition Flashcards
social cognition
a term that refers to all the processes of perception, interpretation, belief, and memory with which we evaluate and understand ourselves and other people
stereotypes
supply us with preconceptions about what are people like
primacy effect
a tendency for the first information we receive about others to carry special weight, along with our instant impressions and stereotypes, in shaping our overall impressions of them
confirmation bias
seeking information that will prove you right more often than looking for examples that would prove you wrong
overconfident
thinking we are more accurate than we really are and making more mistakes than we realize
positive illusions
portraying your partner in the best possible light
Attributions
the explanation we generate for why things happen - and in particular why a person did or did not do something
identifies the causes of an event, emphasizing the impact of some influences and minimizing the role of others
actor/observer effects
they generate different explanations for their own behavior than they do for the similar things they see their partners do
they acknowledge external pressures when they explain their own actions, but they make internal attributions (for instance, to others’ personalities) when other people behave exactly the same way.
self-serving biases
when they readily take credit for their successes but try to avoid the blame for their failures
reconstructive memory
where our memories are continually revised and rewritten as new information is obtained
marital paradigms
broad assumptions about whether, when and under what circumstances we should marry that are accompanied by beliefs about what its like to be married
romanticism
the view that love should be the most important basis for choosing a mate
dysfunctional beliefs about relationships
disagreements are destructive
mindreading is essential
partners cannot change
sex should be perfect every time
men and women are different
great relationships just happen
destiny beliefs
assume that two people are either well suited for each other and destined to live happily ever after or not.
growth beliefs
good relationships are believed to develop gradually as the partners work at surmounting challenges and overcoming obstacles, and a basic presumption is that with enough effort, almost any relationship can succeed
self-fulfilling prophecies
false predictions that become true because they lead people to behave in ways that make the erroneous expectations come true
self concepts
encompass all of the beliefs and feelings we have about ourselves
include a wide array of self knowledge along with our self esteem
intimately tied to our relationship with others
self enhancement
the desire for positive, complimentary feedback
self verification
the desire for feedback that is consistent with one’s existing self concept
Impression management
trying to influence the impressions of us that others form.
why do we engage in Impression management?
we try to purposefully do things in public that we normally wouldn’t do to change the way people think of us (eating less on a date)
to represent ourselves in a certain way online
what is the most common impression management?
revealing one’s real attributes to others
Ingratiation
when we seek acceptance and liking from others; we do favors, pay compliments, mention areas of agreement, and are generally charm-ing to get others to like us.
common in romantic partners
self promotion
recounting our accomplishments or strategically arranging public demonstrations of our skills.
common in workplace
