Module 2: Social Cognition Flashcards
Describe Dutton & Aron’s (1974) Capilano Bridge Study
Female research approached men walking across either the Capilano Bridge, or a solid regular bridge
All asked to write a brief story
After she offered her phone number to see if they’d call
Describe the results of Dutton & Aron’s (1974) Capilano Bridge Study
Men were more likely to call if approached on the Capilano Bridge vs other bridge
They also wrote sexier stories on Capilano Bridge
What are some flaws of Dutton & Aron’s (1974) Capilano Bridge Study?
More adventures people may visit the bridge and in turn be more likely to ask someone out
Assume that everyone was attracted to the research
Does not account for gay men or women
What are the 3 core themes in Social Psychology?
- Power of the situation
- Importance of subjective perception
- Science is a conversation
What is meant by science is a conversation?
Science is a conversation across time
The goal is to get closer to the truth
It is self correcting
Define subjective perception
The way an individual interprets and experiences the world, based on their unique experiences, feelings, and beliefs
Does subjective perception match reality?
Not always
What example shows subjective perception?
Daniel J Simons, Gorilla video
What is needed to predict individuals behaviour?
Their own subjective perception of the situation
What is the tale of two minds?
Theory that we have one mind geared towards intuition (experiential system, System 1, quickly) and one geared towards reason (cognitive system, System 2, longer)
Define schemas
Intuitive thinking
Mental maps
Organized set of expectations about the way the world works
Describe the washing machine schema example?
When given a jumbled set of instructions, it is very hard to recall everything
When an image of a washing machine is shown with the same set of instructions it is easier to recall and organize due to the schema we have for doing laundry
Describe Kelley (1950) Guest Professor schema study
Invited in a new professor and told half the students he was cold and half told he was warm
Came in and led a 20 min lecture
Students rated how they thought the lecture went
Describe the results of the Kelley (1950) Guest Professor schema study
Excepted warm led to much better ratings
Expected cold had poorer rating
Proves that schemas shaped their perspective since they all had the same reality
Describe the self-fulfilling prophecy
Where a belief or expectation about a situation causes that belief to come true. This happens because the belief influences behaviour, which then leads to the expected outcome.
Describe Rosenthal & Jacobson (1968) “bloomers” study
Gave students an IQ test and told teachers that random students were expected to bloom academically
Describe the results of Rosenthal & Jacobson (1968) “bloomers” study
At the end of the year blooms scored better
Created a self-fulfilling prophecy
Teachers provided greater feedback and better support for bloomers
Can schemas alter reality?
Yes
Define heurisitcs
Mental shortcuts people use to make judgements quickly and efficiently
What are the two heuristics?
Availability
Anchoring and adjustment
Describe the availability heuristic
Make judgements based on how easily something comes to mind
Easy recall, assume more common
Describe the availability heuristic assertiveness study
Participants were asked to recall 6 or 12 times they behaved assertively
Then asked to rank their assertiveness
Describe the results of the availability heuristic assertiveness study
People who wrote 6 times ranked themselves as more assertive since it is easier to recall 6 times vs 12
Challenge leads to believe you are not very assertive
Describe the anchoring adjustment heuristic
A mental shortcut whereby we start with some number in mind and adjust from that point
*we often fail to adjust as much as needed
