Lecture 03 Social Cognition Flashcards
Social Cognition
How people THINK about themselves and the SOCIAL WORLD; specifically, how people select, interpret, remember, and use SOCIAL INFORMATION to make judgments and decision
Automatic / Top-down processes
“Theory-driven” filters and interprets new information in light of PREEXISTING KNOWLEDGE and EXPECTATIONS
Controlled / Bottom-up processes
“Data-driven” takes in and forms conclusions on the basis of the STIMULI ENCOUNTERED in one’s EXPERIENCE
Schemas
The mental STRUCTURES people use to organize their KNOWLEDGE about the social world around themes or subjects.
Person Schemas
Expectations for specific individuals
Self Schemas
Use it to determine what people want to involve themselves with or to choose a political party
Role Schemas / Stereotype
Beliefs about certain social groups helps navigate world
Event Schemas / Scripts
Helps navigate what are going to happen in specific situations based on prior experience
3 Characteristics of Schemas that Humans use?
- Available
- Accessible
- Applicable
Accessibility
- Chronic
- Constantly active schemas due to past experience - Temporary
- Related to current goal
- Recent experience (Priming)
Applicable
When the priming can be applied to the subject or situation
- “Neat” or “disrespectful” isn’t applicable to Donald’s behaviors
Priming
Recent experiences increase the accessibility of a schema
How Schemas Influence humans’ Thinking
- Selective Attention: Stereotype
- Selective Inference / Construal
- Selective Encoding & Retrieval
Abstract Construal
- People describe actions that are consistent with a stereotype/schemas in abstract terms/traits
- Thus reinforcing stereotype
Concrete Construal
- People describe actions that are inconsistent with a stereotype in concrete terms
- Thus avoid changing stereotype content
A Case Study of Stereotype and Construal
Stereotype of black people to be aggressive
- Abstract construal: He is being aggressive
- Concrete Construal: He give money to a homeless man
Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
- Having an expectation about someone
- The expectation influences action
- Making the expectation comes true
Heuristics
Intuitive mental operations that allow us to make a variety of judgments quickly and efficiently
Availability Heuristics
Judgments of frequency or probability are based on the EASE with which pertinent instances are brought to mind
- e.g. Are people more likely to die by accident or cancer?