Chapter 9 Social Cognition Flashcards
Social cognition
How we interpret, analyse, remember and use information to make judgements about others in different social situations
Person perception
The mental processes we use to form impressions and draw conclusions about the personal characteristics of other people.
What is the role of person perception?
~Make judgements about others
~Influence our choices of friends
~Influence who we should have relationships with and who we should avoid
The halo effect
A cognitive bias in which the impression we form about one quality of a person influences our beliefs and expectations about the person in other qualities.
What are three types of non-verbal communication?
- Body language
- Eye contact
- Facial expressions
What is body language useful for?
Enabling us to make quick and more accurate judgements about someone.
Attribution
The process by which people explain the causes of their own and other people’s behaviour
Personal/dispositional attribution
Explanation due to the characteristics of the person involved.
(Blame the person)
Situational attribution
An explanation due to factors external to the person involved such as the environment, task, luck and fate
The fundamental attribution error
The tendency to overestimate the influence of personal factors and underestimate the impact of situational factors on other people’s behaviour
Saliency bias
Where we attribute behaviour to personal characteristics because the person’s behaviour tends to be more noticeable than the situation in which it is occurring
Just world belief
The belief that the world is a fair place in which people generally get what they deserve and vice versa.
We blame people for their misfortunes
Actor-observer bias/discrepancy
Our tendency to attribute our own behaviour to external or situational causes, yet attribute others’ to internal factors.
Self-serving bias
When we take the credit for our successes but attribute our failures to the situation.
To protect self esteem or maintain a good image
Individualist culture
Where being an individual and independent is valued and encouraged
Collectivist culture
Achieving group goals is encouraged and prioritised over individual goals.
Which culture is less likely to make the fundamental attribution error and the self-serving bias?
Collectivist cultures
Attitude
An evaluation a person makes about an object, person, group, event or issue
Tri-component model of attitudes
Proposes that any attitude has three related components- affective, behavioural and cognitive components
Affective component
The emotional reactions or feelings an individual has towards an object, person, group, event or issue
Behavioural component
The way in which an attitude is expressed through our actions.
Cognitive component
The beliefs we have about an object, person, group, event or issue
What are the limitations of the tri-component model?
~A behaviour may not always reflect the person’s beliefs or attitudes
What factors influence the consistency of attitudes and behaviour?
- Strength of the attitude
- Accessibility of the attitude
- Social context
- Perceived control
What factors influence the formation of attitudes?
- Classical conditioning
- Operant conditioning
- Social learning
- Repeated exposure
Classical conditioning
A form of learning which occurs through repeated association of two different stimuli or events
Operant conditioning
Learning through repeating behaviour with a positive consequence and avoiding behaviour that has a negative consequence
Modelling
Modifying or adopting attitudes by observing other people
Repeated exposure
Being exposed to an object, person, group, event or issue repeatedly
Mere exposure effect
The increase in liking for an attitude etc as a result of being repeatedly exposed to it
What is the primacy effect?
Where the initial impression of a person is more influential than any later information obtained
Stereotype
A collection of beliefs that we have about the people who belong to a certain group regardless of their individual differences
Why are stereotypes useful?
Because they assist us in knowing how we should react to new people we meet
What are some issues with stereotypes?
~Based in inadequate info
~Lead to social stigma
~Lead to negative feelings for those who are stigmatised.
~Can lead to prejudice
Ingroup
The the group that you belong to or identify with
Outgroup
Any group you do not identify with
Prejudice
Holding a negative attitude towards the members of a group, based solely on their membership of that group.
Herbert Blumer’s 4 characteristics of prejudice
- Majority group is superior
- Minority don’t belong
- Majority is more powerful
- Majority is insecure
Old fashioned prejudice
Where members of the majority openly reject minority groups
Modern prejudice
More subtle and hidden forms of prejudice
Discrimination
Positive or negative behaviour that is directed towards a social group and its members
Direct discrimination
When someone is treated unfavourably because of a personal characteristic
Indirect discrimination
Where treating everyone equally can disadvantage someone because of a personal characteristic
