Chapter 11: Self and Social Understanding Flashcards
Social Cognition
Social cognition refers to the mental processes involved in understanding and interpreting social interactions, including recognizing others’ emotions, intentions, and behaviors. It helps individuals navigate social relationships and form judgments about people and situations.
Desire Theory of Mind
Desire theory of mind is the understanding that others’ actions are driven by their desires or wants. It develops in early childhood, when children realize that people act to satisfy their needs or desires, even if those desires differ from their own.
Belief–Desire Theory of Mind
Belief–desire theory of mind is the understanding that people’s actions are influenced by both their desires and their beliefs. This theory suggests that to fully predict and explain another person’s behavior, one must recognize both what they want and what they believe to be true. It typically develops around age 4 or 5.
What is recursive thought?
Recursive thought is the ability to consider multiple perspectives or layers of thinking, where one thought or belief can be about another thought or belief. It involves understanding how others think about thoughts, beliefs, and intentions.
What is the “generalized other”?
The “generalized other” is a concept introduced by George Herbert Mead, referring to the blend of perceptions and attitudes that individuals adopt from significant others in their lives. It represents the generalized view of how others see us and is crucial for developing a self-concept based on personality traits.
What are attributions?
Attributions are everyday explanations for the causes of behavior, either external (environment) or internal (ability/effort).
What is achievement motivation?
Achievement motivation is the tendency to persist at challenging tasks, influenced by how a person explains their successes and failures.
What are mastery-oriented attributions?
Mastery-oriented attributions are when children credit their successes to effort and ability, believing that ability can improve through hard work.
What is the incremental view of ability?
The incremental view of ability is the belief that ability can increase with effort, leading to persistence and a growth mindset in facing challenges.
What is learned helplessness?
Learned helplessness occurs when children attribute their failures to lack of ability, believing they cannot improve, leading to giving up easily in the face of challenges.
What is the entity view of ability?
The entity view of ability is the belief that ability is fixed and cannot be changed, leading children to avoid challenges and give up easily when faced with difficulty.
What is attribution retraining?
Attribution retraining is a process of teaching individuals to change their beliefs about the causes of their successes and failures. It encourages a shift from attributing outcomes to fixed traits (e.g., intelligence) to attributing them to effort or strategies, fostering a growth mindset.
What is identity achievement?
Identity achievement occurs when an individual has explored alternatives and made commitments to values, goals, and beliefs. They have a clear sense of direction and self-identity, leading to psychological well-being and a sense of purpose.
What is identity moratorium?
Identity moratorium is a state where an individual is in the process of exploring values, goals, and beliefs but has not yet committed to any particular set. They are actively seeking their identity but have not reached conclusions.
What is identity foreclosure?
Identity foreclosure occurs when individuals commit to values and goals without exploring alternatives. These commitments are often influenced by authority figures, such as parents or teachers, without personal exploration.
