Chap 2, Social Cognition Flashcards
Simple rules for drawing conclusions or making inferences is known as:
- heuristics
- automaticity
- schemas
- priming
- heuristics
TB page 58: Simple rules for making complex decisions or drawing inferences in a rapid and efficient manner
A process underlying our understanding of the social world which involves
interpreting why others behave in certain ways is called:
- heuristics
- attribution
- social cognition
- automaticity
- attribution
SG Chapter 2 “Introduction”
Although both attribution and social cognition relate to the understanding of our social world, they differ in
Attribution: involves interpreting why others behave in certain ways
Social Cognition: HOW we notice, store, intergrate and remember social information
_______ is when the demands of our cognitive system are greater than its capacity
- heuristics
- automatic processing
- information overload
- representative
- Information overload
TB page 57, 2.1 paragraph 2
Information overload is when the demands of our cognitive system are greater than its capacity.
At any given time, we are capable of focussing on a limited amount of information.
With information overload, our processing capacity can be depleted by high levels of stress of other demands on us
The frequency in with which a given event or pattern occurs in the population is its:
- Recency effect
- Frequency ratio
- Representativeness
- Base rate
- Base rate
TB page 58, paragraph 3
Sometimes a judgement made on representativeness are wrong mainly due to the following:
Decisions or judgements made on the basis of this rule tend to ignore base rates
Base rates are the frequency with which given events or categories (eg. occupations) occur in the total population
For example, a person employing representative heuristics might assume someone dressed conservatively, with a neat manner, who owns a library at home, is quite shy and wears big glasses is a librarian
The base rate tells us that statistically, there are more business persons than librarians in the world.
The more an individual seems to resemble or match a given group (eg. occupation), the more likely she or he belongs to that group is called ________
- Base rate
- Representative heuristics
- Schema
- Availability heuristics
- Representative heuristics
TB page 58, paragraph 3
Assuming a person is a librarian because they dress conservatively, love books, are quite shy in nature and wears big glasses is making your judgement based on Representative Heuristics
We make quick decisions by comparing her to a prototype (list of attributes commonly possessed by members of that group)
This mental shortcut tends to ignore base rates and can often be wrong.
Think “what does this persons appearance represent what I already know”
If an event is easy to recall, our brain assumes is more likely to occur.
This is an example of a mental shortcut called:
- Availability heuristics
- Anchoring
- Representative heuristics
- Adjustment
- Availability heuristic
TB page 59, paragraph 5
If I can recall many instances of an event happening, it must be true or likely to happen again.
For example, you see many shark attacks on television and avoid swimming in the sea.
Car crashes are more common causes of death but because we don’t see this on the news frequently, we assume its less likely to happen.
Another example, we learn through advertising that a big SUV is safer on the road than a small car. Base rates tell us that accidents on the roads are HIGHER in an SUV than in a small car as its more likely to flip over.
Think “what information is most available to determine my decision”
A heuristic that leads us to use a number or value as a starting point is called _______ and from this number we can make negotiate which is called making ________
- adjustments; anchoring
- anchoring, bidding
- anchoring; adjustments
- anchoring; adjustments
TB 61, read examples of anchoring in a legal matter
Although we do make adjustments following exposure to an externally provide anchor, these adjustments are often not sufficient to overcome the influence of the initial anchor
A meal portion size can influence the amount we eat. We have a tendency to eat more when given a larger portion and a tendency to eat less when a smaller portion is given.
This is an example of:
- Anchoring and inadequate adjustment (known as Portion size effect)
- Anchoring and adjustment (known as Portion size effect)
- Influence of prototypes (known as heuristics)
- Anchoring and inadequate adjustment (known as Portion size effect)
TB page 62 and 63
When people are presented with small portions, they tend to estimate and eat less than when presented with large portions.
The large portion serves as a HIGH ANCHOR that we typically FAIL TO ADJUST DOWNWARDS.
An example is when how this contributes to the obesity epidemic in Western countries
In a study by Eidelman, Patterson and Crandall, people preferred products when they were _____ rather than _____ due to _________
- newer, older, Status Quo heuristics
- older, newer, Status Quo heuristics
- older, newer, Representative heuristics
- older, newer, Status Quo heuristics
TB page 64
Marketers are better off representing a product as “tried and true” rather than “new and improved” as people use the existence of time to prove its goodness. This is due to Status Quo Heuristic
Status Quo Heuristics is when:
- People compare something to a common prototype that belongs to a specific group to make decision (ie. judging by resemblance)
- People make assumptions based on how frequently something occurs (Ie. it must be true)
- People use the length of time in somethings existence as a measure of goodness (Ie. the longer its existed, the better it is)
- People use the length of time in somethings existance as a measure of goodness (Ie. the longer its existed, the better it is)
TB pg 64, read “What research tells us about peoples preference for the status quo”
A mental framework we use for organising, interpreting and processing social information is called a ______
- Heuristic
- Schema
- Attention
- Retrieval
- Schema
TB pg 65
Schemas help us to organize social information, guide our actions and process information relevant to particular contexts
Eg. Knowing the sequence of events in a particular context. When you go to the doctor, you know you need to speak to the receptionist, fill out a form, share your medical aid information, sit down and wait etc.
In schemas,
________ refers to what we notice. _____ is the process where we store noticed information into memory. ______ refers to how we recover information from memory
- Retrieval, Encoding, Attention
- Encoding, Attention, Retrieval
- Attention; Encoding; Retrieval
- Attention; Retrieval; Encoding
- Attention; Encoding; Retrieval
An increased availability of information due to exposure to specific stimuli is known as _______
- Memory enhancement
- Priming
- Anchoring
- Cognitive Framing
- Priming
TB page 67
Schemas are often primed, activated by experiences, events or stimuli.
For example: Ypu have just been exposed to an advert with children smiling and eating ice cream. This advert primes mental representations. When you drive past an ice cream store, you choose to eat ice cream as you feel it is healthy and innocent rather than waiting to buy a salad from a health shop.
*A self fulfilling prophecy is ______
- the result of over reliance on mental heuristics and memories
- the end result having two or more schemas active in our cognitive processes at the same time
- a prediction that is so circular in its reasoning that it predicts itself
- the process by which schemas sometimes influence the social world in ways to make the world consistent with the schema
- the process by which schemas sometimes influence the social world in ways to make the world consistent with the schema
TB page 67, last paragraph
Schemas are often resistant to change. They remain unchanged even in the face of contradictory information.
This is called:
- Self fulfilling prophecy
- Perseverance effect
- Availability heuristic
- Perseverance effect
TB page 67, last paragraph
“Causing us to behave in ways that confirms schemas”
