seminar 1 Flashcards
What does Social Representation Theory (SRT) explain?
How groups and societies create shared understandings of concepts, events, and objects
These representations influence social communication, identity, and behavior.
Who defined social representations as an intermediate space between abstract concepts and personal perception?
Serge Moscovici
Moscovici’s work emphasizes the role of social representations in understanding and creating reality.
What are the two main purposes of social representations according to Moscovici?
- Knowledge of reality
- Creation of reality
What is objectification in the context of social representations?
The process of making abstract or unfamiliar concepts more concrete and relatable
This can involve personification, figuration, or visualization.
Give an example of objectification.
Mental illness represented as a person with visible distress
This shows how abstract concepts can be made relatable.
What is anchoring in social representations?
Integrating new, unfamiliar, or disturbing concepts into familiar cognitive categories.
Provide an example of anchoring.
COVID-19 compared to past pandemics like the Spanish Flu.
What are Moscovici’s two core functions of social representations?
- Conventionalization
- Prescriptive Character
What does conventionalization do?
Makes people, objects, and social events understandable in a collective way.
What is the prescriptive character of social representations?
Influences norms and expectations in social behavior.
Who expanded Moscovici’s work on social representations?
Jean-Claude Abric
What are the two main components of social representations according to Abric?
- Central Node (Core Beliefs)
- Peripheral Elements
What does the central node in social representations represent?
The most stable and shared part of a social representation.
What is the function of peripheral elements in social representations?
Help adapt representations to new situations.
What are the functions of social representations as per Abric?
- Knowledge Function
- Identity Function
- Guidance Function
- Justificatory Function
Describe the knowledge function of social representations.
Helps individuals interpret reality.
What does the identity function of social representations do?
Defines group identity and preserves social cohesion.
What is the guidance function of social representations?
Directs social behaviors and actions.
What does the justificatory function of social representations provide?
Post-hoc explanations for attitudes and behaviors.
What key contribution did Moscovici make in 1961?
Social representations as shared social knowledge that shape perception and behavior.
List the key contributions of Abric in 1984.
- Structural model of social representations (central node + peripheral elements)
- Functions including knowledge, identity, guidance, and justificatory functions.
