Social Cognition Flashcards
Social Cognition
The ways in which people make judgments from the limited amount of social information in the environment. Research in social cognition investigates how people use complex information to form judgments.
Social Inference
How we gather and integrate information into an inference or judgment.
Statistical Information
Information about a large number of individuals. (Numeric, quantitative)
Case History Information
Information about a few specific individuals. With both types of information, this is more influential in our judgments even though statistics are objectively correct (paradox).
Judgments of Covariation/Covariance
Our ideas about associations between different things or different people.
» when one factor changes, we think that there should be a change seen in the other factor too
» Cases that go against what we believe are usually dismissed as “bad/invalid” info. But if it is consistent with our belief, then we tend to agree to it more
Illusory Correlation
Imposing an association that doesn’t exist. Often occurs when we think factors belong because of prior expectations or because they’re similar. (If we expect two things to correlate, we’ll impose a relationship onto them)
Cognitive Miser
Humans try to process massive amounts of info as efficiently as possible by relying on their memory. (We don’t want to waste mental resources)
Schemas
Prior expectations. Organized, structured set of cognitions/thoughts referring to a thought, concept, or stimulus. They feature hierarchical organization and individual differences. Helps to fill in gaps and interpret new information.
Hierarchical Organization
Abstract and concrete elements of schemas with a standard sequence.
Natural Contours
Determine which schemas are going to be used depending on what the situation looks like.
Salience
Something that is salient is noticeable; a pronouned feature in the environment.
Priming
Schemas that we recently used are more likely to get used again; can affect inferences we make about a person.
» A technique in which the introduction of one stimulus influences how people respond to a subsequent stimulus.
Confirmatory Hypothesis Testing
We behave towards other people in a way that tends to confirm our beliefs/schemas about them. We can selectively elicit information that supports our schemas about them.
Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
Expectations or schemas about others can lead us to treat them in ways that causes them to adopt those behaviors.
