Social Cognition

Question 1

Impression formation

Answer 1

People combine info about others to make overall judgements about them

Question 2

3 models of algebraic model of impression

Answer 2

1. Summative: we arrive at an overall impression by adding all of our reactions or likability ratings up
2. Averaging model: averaging likability rating
3. Weighted averaging model: Each rating has a weight that represents how important it is in that context and is then averaged

Question 3

2 main models of impression formation:

Answer 3

1. Algebraic
2. Configurational

Question 4

Algebraic model of impression formation

Answer 4

Were formed on the basis of mechanical combination of information we know about person
3 ways the information could be combined:
1. Summative model
2. Averaging model
3. Weighted averaging model

Question 5

Configurational model of impression

Answer 5

Based on Gestalt principles:
People combine info about someone into an overall impression that is quite different from the simple sum of reactions to individual items of information about that person.

Question 5

Asch thought there were 2 main types of traits:

Answer 5

1. Central (give meaning to other traits)
2. Peripheral (these other traits)

Question 5

What are schemas

Answer 5

Cognitive structures that represent our knowledge about a concept or type of stimulus based on past experience

Question 6

Event schemas

Answer 6

Scripts
Generalised representations of activities and events e.g. at a restaurant, you know someone should come get your order.

Question 7

Role schemas

Answer 7

Scripts.
Where people are expected to play a certain role

Question 8

Person schema

Answer 8

Knowledge about groups of people i.e. stereotypes.

Question 9

Implicit personality theory

Answer 9

Person schema about particular type of person - how certain behaviours shape personality e.g. dancing on table, assume person is extroverted.

Question 10

Self-schema

Answer 10

Manage info about ourselves in the same way that we manage info about other people

Question 11

Heuristics

Answer 11

Shortcuts that we use to get a quick solution to a problem

Question 12

Availability Heuristics

Answer 12

Judging an events frequency by the ease with which we can bring examples of the event to mind e.g. is it more likely to have words that start with R or have R in the 3rd position - people say start with R since its easier to come up with words that start with R.

Question 13

Representativeness Heuristic

Answer 13

How we know if someone belongs to a group.
Estimates likelihood that somebody belongs to a group by comparing features of that person to the prototype of a group (e.g. engineer liking maths)

Question 14

When a persons behaviour is different to what is expected in a schema, we attribute it to

Answer 14

internal (dispositional) factors

Question 15

Covariation model

Answer 15

Attribute behaviour with the cause with which it co-varies over time. We pay attention to:
1. Consensus information - whether other people perform the same behaviour
2. Distinctiveness information: behaviour is only performed towards particular target
3. Consistency information: behaviour is performed all the time or not

Question 16

If there is low consensus, then we attribute the behaviour to?

Answer 16

person attribution

Question 17

If there is high distinctiveness, we attribute the behaviour to

Answer 17

target attribution

Question 18

If there is low consistency, we attribute the behaviour to

Answer 18

Situation attribution

Question 19

Fundamental attribution error

Answer 19

Tendency to attribute another persons behaviour to their dispositional factors but attribute our own to external factors

Question 20

Actor observer bias

Answer 20

Describes the difference in how we think about our own behaviours by comparing them to others.
We attribute our own behaviours to external causes and other behaviours to internal causes.

Question 21

Self-serving bias

Answer 21

Tendency to attribute success to stable, internal factors and failures to temporary, external factors e.g. doing well on quiz is because i studied hard. Doing bad on quiz was because it was hard.