chapter 7a to pp 8 unit 2 first sac Flashcards
social cognition
how we interrupt, analyze and remember and use the information to make judgments about others
person perception
mental processes we use to form impressions and draw conclusions about the personal characteristics of other people
schema
our pre-existing mental ideas relating to a concept that helps us organise and interpret information
factors that influence a person’s perception
physical cues, body language, and social categorization
halo effect
the impression we form about one quality of a person influences our beliefs and expectations about the person in other categories
body language
non-verbal communication through gestures, facial expressions
saliency detection
we notice the most noticeable characteristics compared to its surroundings
social categorization
the process of identifying a person as a member of the certain group because of features they share
attribution
the process by which people explain the causes of their own and other people’s behavior
personal attribution
explanation due to the characteristics of the person, such as personality, ability, mood
situational attribution
explanation due factors external to the person involved, such as the actions of another person, the environment
Fundamental attribution error
tendency to overestimate the influence of personal factors and underestimate the impact of situational factors on other people’s behavior
Actor-observer bias
our tendency to attribute our own behavior to external or situational causes, yet attribute others’ behavior to internal factors
self-serving bias
When judging ourselves we tend to take the credit for our successes and attribute failures to situational factors
attitude
evaluation a person makes about an object, person, group, event or issue
the affective component of an attitude
refers to the emotional reactions or feelings an individual has towards an object, person, group, event or issue
the behavioral component of an attitude
the way in which an attitude is expressed through our actions
the cognitive component of an attitude
beliefs we have about an object, person, group, event or issue
consistent attitude
you might avoid a spider (B) because you are scared of spiders (A) and believe they can harm you (C)
inconsistent attitude
a person may dislike watching cricket (A) because they believe it is boring (C) but they go to a game because their friend plays cricket (B)
Limitation of the Tri-component model
People’s attitudes and behaviors can be inconsistent
stereotypes
a collection of beliefs that we have about the people who belong to a certain group
stereotypes as helpful
Stereotyping lets us use less information about someone to determine what we think about them, and thus makes using certain thinking and decision-making skills a lot faster
stereotyping as harmful
can lead to stigma, often based on no evidence, ignores individuality
ingroup
any group you belong to or identify with
outgroup
any group you do not belong to or identify with
cognitive dissonance
unpleasant mental experience of tension resulting from two conflicting thoughts or beliefs
how to reduce cognitive dissonance
change cognition, change behaviour, add new cognition
cognitive bias
errors in thinking that lead us to misinterpret the information we perceive around us
anchoring bias
a tendency to fixate on initial information, from which one then fails to adequately adjust for subsequent information
attentional bias
tendency to pay attention to some things and ignore others, thereby limiting our option
confirmation bias
a tendency to search for information that supports our preconceptions and to ignore or distort contradictory evidence
Dunning-Kruger Effect
The tendency for unskilled individuals to overestimate their own ability and the tendency for experts to underestimate their own ability.
heuristics
Mental shortcuts or “rules of thumb” that help us quickly make decisions
availability heuristic
making a judgment based on how easy or difficult it is to bring specific examples to mind
representativeness heuristic
categorising a person, object, event or anything else by judging how closely it matches our idea of a typical member of the category
affect heuristic
mental shortcut based on a person’s current emotional state. Essentially, your affect (emotional response) plays a role in your decisions and behaviour
positives of heuristics
People typically use heuristics to avoid exerting too much mental energy
negatives of heuristics
when we are not motivated to make judgements or decisions effortfully, they might rely instead on automatic heuristic responses and, in doing so, risk propagating stereotypes
prejudice
A negative feeling toward an entire category of people.
discrimination
negative behavior that is directed toward a social group and its members
stereotype v prejudice v discrimination
stereotype - thought
prejudice - feeling
discrimination - behaviour
reducing prejudice
intergroup contact and changing social norms
intergroup contact
increasing direct contact between two groups who are prejudiced against each othe
factors of intergroup contact
sustained contact, mutual interdependence, shared goal, equality of status
changing social norms
Prejudice and discrimination flourish when they are perceived as a social norm or shared value, but they die out when other social norms oppose them
heuristic v bias
a heuristic is a mental shortcut whereas a bias is an error in thinking. They both can increase stereotyping and stigma
influence of media on behavior
social connections and social comparison
the positive influence of social connections
the increase in social media use has positively influenced communication and supported social networking opportunities for individuals and professional groups
the negative influence of social connections
social media and video games make it more difficult to distinguish between the meaningful relationships that are made in the real world and the casual relationships that are formed through social network
the positive influence of social comparison
gives u s a way to determine whether we are on track
the negative influence of social comparison
can compare behavior according to an unrealistic standard and subsequently develop low self-esteem
upward social comparison
comparing to someone who we feel is above us to inspire us
