Social cognition and the self

Question 1

define social cognition

Answer 1

organisation of our thoughts to navigate the social world

Question 2

what are controlled processes

Answer 2

deliberate and intentional behaviours
goal dependent
requires awareness of behaviour

Question 3

what are automatic processes

Answer 3

Uncontrollable or unconscious processes
Gut reactions/responses

Question 4

what can automatic processes be influenced by

Answer 4

priming
environment
facial cues

Question 5

what are caught by implicit measures

Answer 5

automatic processes

Question 6

what are captured by explicit measures

Answer 6

controlled processes

Question 7

Gilbert and Hixon method of investigating stereotypes

Answer 7

Asked to complete a word completion task (fill in gaps) after exposure to either white or Asian faces

Question 8

Findings of Gilbert and Hixon

Answer 8

found that word filled in tended to be related to race after being shown an Asian face

Question 9

method of Payne investigating stereotypes

Answer 9

weapon identification task (sort tools vs guns)

Question 10

Payne findings

Answer 10

Incongruent pairings harder to categorise Black-tool White-gun

Question 11

how do we use faces as social cues

Answer 11

• Gaze and eye contact
  Facial features (gender, race age)

Question 12

what personality traits can we infer from faces

Answer 12

dominance
maturity
trustworthy
aggression

Question 13

describe the shooter bias task

Answer 13

Presented with a scene
Some scenes contain people (black vs white)
Holding either gun or object
Make choice whether to shoot target

Question 14

what is social memory

Answer 14

Help us to understand ourselves
Remember things about others

Question 15

how is social memory useful

Answer 15

inform opinions on new people
navigate novel situations

Question 16

what is a self schema

Answer 16

Cognitive representations of oneself that one uses to organise and process self-relevant information

Question 17

what do self schemas consist of

Answer 17

important behaviours and attitudes

Question 18

what is the self reference effect

Answer 18

easy remembering of self-referent words as they are processed through self-schemas

Question 19

what is self perception theory

Answer 19

our own behaviour is a basis for inference for the self-schema

Question 20

what are extrinsic motivations

Answer 20

Behaviour driven by rewards/situation
Rewards are unrelated to behaviour e.g. approval from others

Question 21

what are intrinsic motivations

Answer 21

Behaviour driven by self interest
No explicit reward for behaviour
Behaviour is rewarding in itself

Question 22

what is the looking glass self

Answer 22

Others perceptions of us feed into our self schema
We assume what others think about us so not always accurate

Question 23

what is social comparison theory

Answer 23

Use others to evaluate our own abilities and characteristics

Question 24

describe upward social comparison

Answer 24

When we compare ourselves to someone who is better than us, often to improve on a particular skill

Question 25

describe downward social comparison

Answer 25

When we compare ourselves to someone who is worse than us, often to feel better

Question 26

what is the actual self

Answer 26

The person we think we are right now, including the good and bad qualities, group memberships, and other self-concept components

Question 27

what is the ideal self

Answer 27

The person we hope to become. The best version of our potential, with positive or enhanced qualities and realized dreams

Question 28

what is the ought self

Answer 28

What other people want us to be. Includes cultural, parental, and romantic partner expectations

Question 29

what is self presentation theory

Answer 29

Adapt to fit into the situation
Present ourselves to make an impression on others

Question 30

what is self control

Answer 30

• Ability to override thoughts, emotions and behaviours
  Implement behaviours that are appropriate for a specific situation

Question 31

what happens when self control fails

Answer 31

Excessive use leads to exaggerated emotional response to rewarding stimuli
Can reduce efforts to change your ideal self

Question 32

what is self discrepancy theory

Answer 32

• Occurs when the selves do not align
  Can lead to mental health problems

Question 33

what is self esteem

Answer 33

Indicates confidence in ones abilities

Question 34

describe the cultural differences in self esteem

Answer 34

Absent in some Asian and interdependent countries compared to the West