Lecture 7: Behavioural Control

Question 1

Dijkerhuis et al (1998)

Answer 1

Category vs exemplar study.

Pps primed with either category (89 year old woman) or exemplar (The Queen).

Walking slower in category condition suggesting automatic processing is limited to priming by general concepts not specific examples.

Criticism: Shanks (2013). What about studies where specific examples used like writing about a specific relationship or parents face flashed?

Question 2

Boundary conditions

Answer 2

There are boundaries and limits to the extent to which behaviour can be controlled:

1) Way / type of information presented.
2) Familiarity with sterotype exemplars.
3) Situation cues in environment (see Macrae & Johnston, 1998).
4) Processing goals (see above)
5) Locus of self-control (Dijkerhuis & van Knippenberg, 2001).

Question 3

Automatic Cognitive Processing

Answer 3

Much of behaviour believed to be auto and driven by the env.

Most ACCESSIBLE action will drive behaviour.

Auto priming effects can be eliminated under certain conditions.

Question 4

Peception-behaviour inteface

Answer 4

Interaction of peception and resulting behaviour.

E.g. James: Ideomotor action (thinking about something => tendency to engage in it).

Action Tendencies are responses that are stored as mental representations. When activated they become accessible and => appropriate behaviour.