Simine Vazire and Erika N. Carlson - others knowing better than us?? Flashcards
What are blind spots?
mis-perception we have of ourselves due to simply a lack of knowledge or due to motivated distortions in our self-perception
What are the causes of blind spots?
- Motivated cognitive processes
- efficient way of processing info
- Discrepancies between implicit + explicit perceptions of their own personality
How does a motivated cognitive processes result in blind spots?
- Sedikides + Gregg, 2008 Motive = maintain + enhance self worth
- even if it may not be positive
How do discrepancies between implicit + slef-perception of their own personality result in blind spots?
- Back, Schmukle + Egloff (2009)
- implicit self-views of personality predicted behaviour even after controlling for what could be predicted from their explicit self-views
- strongest amongst extraversion + neuroticism = non-evaluative traits + people typically report honestly
- people have implicit knowledge about their pattern of behaviour that they cannot report explicitly
What is the difference between explicit and implicit self-perception?
- Implicit = automatic associations w/ specific traits/ behaviours (based on previous patters) = more accurate
- Explicit = associations made consciously
What is there to suggest having blind spots may not be an efficient way of processing info?
- should be able to increase congruence between explicit + implicit self-views by focusing attention on behavioural manifestation of our implicit personality BUT not the case
- Hoffmann, Gschwendner + Schmitt 2009 video of themselves (implict behaiours) were unable to combine it with their explicit views of themselves
- even strangers were able to detect the implicit aspects of the target personalities
What are our conscience self-perceptions valuable but incomplete?
- motive sometimes causing us to ignore aspects of personality that others can detect
What are some explanations for why other people know more about us?
- info given indirectly, social media, taste of music
- bits of our personality in our day-to-day interactions
What is important to consider when looking at others who may potentially know us better?
Level of acquaintance
Thomas + Fletcher, 2003 better you get along the more accurate they can infer our thoughts + feelings
BUT NOT SUPER CLOSE
- as they may be subjected to same bias/ distortions
What evidence is there suggesting the self- and other- perceptions are roughly good at predicting?
- Kolar, Funder, & Colvin, 1996; Vazire, 2010 Behaviour in lab + group discussion
- Vazire & Mehl, 2008 Behaviour when out with friends
BUT
they each seem to capture different aspects of the personality
What is the SOKA model by Vazire?
Self-Other Knowledge asymmetry
- maps out aspects of personality that are known uniquely known to self or other
According to the Andersen, Glassman + Gold, 1988, the difference between what we know about ourselves and others are at random but driven by?
- Differences between the info available to the self + others
- Motivational biases that differentially affect perceptions of the self + other
According to Vazire, what type of info is aviable for the self and other?
Self: internal, so better at judging internal t+ neutral traits
- thoughts, feelings
Other: External, do better at judging external traits
- overt behaviour eg charm
How do the self and other process highly evaluative traits like rudeness + intelligence?
SELF: severely distorted by biases
- protect self-esteem
OTHER: mostly accurate assuming they have sufficient info
- friend’s rating = good predictor of actual behaviour although it may be more overly positive
To know a person, what do we need, according to research?
- how they see themselves
2. How they are seen by others who know them well
How can we get access to other’s knowledge to help improve our self-knowledge?
- Meta-perception - take other’s perspective of own personality
- introspection
- self-affirmation
- Training in mindfulness meditation
Why has introspection no longer suggested to be effective for getting to know ourselves?
limited introspection as many aspects of ourselves are hidden from conscious awareness
What did Carlson, Furr + Vazire (2010) find about the use of meta-perception to increase knowledge of self?
people are aware of how we seem to others but do not seem to be very good at using the knowledge to help the knowledge of our self
- So maybe focus on impression on others?
How do self-affirmation and training in mindfulness meditation help to improve knowledge of self?
- Self-affirmation Critcher, Dunning + Armor, 2010
- reduces defensive responding + more open to negative info about ourselves - Training in mindfulness meditation
- non-judgemental attention to one’s current xp
- improves emotions-regulation skills, memory + attention + improves ability to differentiate between transient emotional xp vs global dispositions (Williams, 2010)
