Social Cognition Flashcards
Social Cognition
Involves how we interpret, analyse, remember and use information to make judgements about others in different social situations
Person Perception
Refers to the mental processes that we use to form impressions and draw conclusions about the personal characteristics of the other people
Halo Effect
A cognitive bias in which the impression that we form about one quality of a person influences our beliefs and expectations about the person in other qualities
Body Language
Communicating inner aspects of ourselves through facial expressions, eye gaze, posture, gestures and other bodily movements
Attribution
The process by which people explain the causes of their own and other people’s behaviour
Personal Attribution
An explanation of a behaviour due to the personal characteristics of an individual involved, such as their personality, ability, attitude, motivation, mood or effort
Situational Attribution
An explanation of a behaviour due to factors external to the person involved, such as the actions of another person, some aspect of the environment, the task, luck and fate
Fundamental Attribution Error
The tendency to overestimate the influence of personal factors and underestimate the impact of situational factors on other peoples behaviour
Actor-Observer Bias
Refers to the tendency to attribute our own behaviour to external or situational causes, yet attribute others’ behaviour to personal factors
Self Serving Bias
When judging ourselves, we tend to take credit for our successes and attribute our failures to situational factors
Individualist Culture
Achieving personal goals is considered to be more important that achieving group goals (being independent is valued)
Collectivist Culture
Achieving group goals is considered to be more important that the achievement of individual goals
Attitude
Is a learned, relatively enduring, favourable or unfavourable evaluation of a person, object or idea, that can affect an individual’s behaviour
Tri-Component Model of Attitudes
Affective = the emotions/feelings toward an attitude object
Behavioural = the actions toward an attitude object
Cognitive = the beliefs/thoughts/ understanding about an attitude object
The model proposes that the three components must be present, before it can be said that an attitude exists
Limitations of the tri-component model
Some psychologists do not support the tri-component model, believing that A,B and C can be inconsistent or non-existent
Psychologists prefer to say that attitudes can have up to three components
Cognitive Dissonance
The discomfort or tension that is felt when our behaviour is not consistent with our attitudes
Factors that influence whether attitudes and behaviour match
- Perceived control over the behaviour
- Accessibility of the attitude
- Strength of the attitude
- Social content of the attitude
Perceived control over the behaviour
People are more likely to act on their attitude if they believe that they are free to perform or not perform the behaviour and a belief that then can actually perform the behaviour
Accessibility of the attitude
Attitudes and behaviour are more likely to be consistent if the attitude is well known and effectively stored in memory
Strength of the Attitude
Stronger Attitudes are more likely to influence behaviour
Social Content of the Attitude
Whether it is appropriate to express the behaviour in a particular content
Factors that Influence Attitude Formation
- Classical Conditioning
- Operant Conditioning
- Repeated Exposure
- Observational Learning
Classical Conditioning
A simple form of learning that occurs through the repeated association of two or more different stimuli or events
Components of Classical Conditioning
Unconditioned Stimulus Unconditioned Response Neutral Stimulus Conditioned Stimulus Conditioned Response
Unconditioned Stimulus
Any stimulus that produces an UCR
Unconditioned Response
The response that occurs automatically as a result of the UCS
Neutral Stimulus
Stimulus to be associated with the UCS so that is produces the response. The NS is presented before the UCS
Conditioned Stimulus
Stimulus which is neutral at the start of classical conditioning and does not normally produce the UCR, but eventually becomes associated with the UCS
Conditioned Response
The learned or acquired response to the conditioned stimulus; occurs after CS, has been associated with the UCS
Key Processes in Classical Conditioning
Acquisition Extinction Spontaneous Recovery Stimulus Generalisation Stimulus Discrimination
Acquisition
The overall process during which the organism learns to associate two events (CS and UCS)
Extinction
The gradual decrease in the strength or rate of a response, which occurs over time when the UCS is not presented
Spontaneous Recovery
The re-appearance of a CR after its apparent extinction
Stimulus Generalisation
The tendency for similiar stimulus to produce the same but not necessarily identical response
Stimulus Discrimination
The ability to distinguish between two or more different stimuli even if the stimuli are similiar
Operant Conditioning
A kind of learning for which the consequence of an action (reward or punishment) determines the likelihood that it will be performed again in the future
Reinforcement
An environmental event that increases the probability that a response will occur
Positive Reinforcement
A response is followed by the addition of a positive stimulus
Negative Reinforcement
A response is followed by the removal of a negative stimulus
Punishment
An environmental event that decreases the probability that a response will occur
Positive Punishment
The addition of a negative stimulus following a response
Negative/ Response Cost Punishment
Removal of a positive stimulus following a response
Factors that influence the effectiveness of reinforcement and punishment
- order of presentation
- timing
- appropriateness
Three Phase Model of Operant Conditioning
Antecedent = what precedes and prompts a particular response Behaviour = the response that occurs (voluntary and active) Consequence = what happens after the response
Repeated Exposure
Attitudes can form by being exposed to an object, person, group, event or issue repeatedly
Mere Exposure Effect
We can develop a positive attitude toward objects, people, events, issues if we are exposed to them repeatedly (no reward necessary)
Observational Learning
A learning process where an individual learns to reproduce a behaviour exhibited by another individual (model)
We are more likely to imitate attitudes from a model if we observe that the attitudes have positive consequences
Factors that Influence Observational Learning
Attention Retention Reproduction Motivation Reinforcement
Attention
Person must actively watch the model
Retention
Person must hold a mental representation of the behaviour and remember it in order to imitate it later