Unit 6: social cognition Flashcards
What is person perception?
Person perception refers to the mental processes we use to form impressions and draw conclusions about the personal characteristics of other people.
Define the term Schema
Schema = A concept or idea that helps us to organise information and interpret information.
First impressions
First impressions are influenced by expectations, biases and incomplete information and this might affect the impressions we form.
What is the halo effect?
the halo effect leads us to consider only one aspect of a person or a product in order to form a general opinion
What is attribution?
Attribution is the process by which people explain the causes of their own and other people’s behaviour.
Situational attribution is ?
Behaviour is explained because of the situation they are in
Personal attribution?
behavior is explained by their personal qualities
Three types of bias affecting attribution?
Fundamental attribution error
actor-observer bias
self-serving bias
fundamental attribution error
The fundamental attribution error is the tendency to overestimate the influence of personal factors and underestimate the impact of situational factors on other people’s behaviour.
actor observer bias
Actor–observer bias refers to our tendency to attribute our own behavior to situational causes, yet attribute others’ behaviour to internal factors
Self-serving bias
Self-serving bias occurs when judging ourselves we tend to take the credit for our successes and attribute failures to situational factors.
What are attitudes:
An attitude is an evaluation a person makes about an object, person, group, event or issue.
tri component model of attributes
Attitudes are thought to have three components:
an affective component (feelings),
a behavioral component (the effect of the attitude on behavior),
and a cognitive component (belief and knowledge)
Affective component definition
The affective component of an attitude refers to the emotional reactions or feelings an individual has towards an object, person, group, event or issue.
Behavioural component explained
The behavioural component of an attitude refers to the way in which an attitude is expressed through our actions (or how we might behave should the opportunity arise)
Cognitive component definition
The cognitive component of an attitude refers to the beliefs we have about an object, person, group, event or issue. Our beliefs are linked to what we know about the world. They develop as a result of our experience throughout the course of our lives.
consistency between components
The tri-component model proposes that all three components must be present before it can be said that an attitude exists
factors that influence consistency between attitudes and behaviour
Strength of the attitude
Stronger attitudes are more likely to predict behaviour than weaker attitudes.
Accessibility of the attitude
it has been thought about, is well known and has been stored in memory ready for use
The situation we are in
Our personal belief that we can actually perform the behaviour associated with an attitude
factors that influence consistency between attitudes and behaviour
Strength of the attitude
Stronger attitudes are more likely to predict behaviour than weaker attitudes.
Accessibility of the attitude
it has been thought about, is well known and has been stored in memory ready for use
The situation we are in
Our personal belief that we can actually perform the behaviour associated with an attitude
stereotypes
grouping people into categories based on what we know about them
A stereotype is a collection of beliefs that we have about the people who belong to a certain group, regardless of individual differences among members of that group.
cognitive dissonance
The inconsistency between what people believe and how they behave
Cognitive dissonance refers to a situation involving conflicting attitudes, beliefs or behaviors
reducing cognitive dissonance
change our dissonate cognition, change our behaviour and justify behaviour
cognitive bias is…?
Cognitive bias is a subconscious error in thinking that leads you to misinterpret information from the world around you
anchoring bias definition?
Anchoring bias is the tendency to rely heavily on the very first piece of information received when making a decision and to not modify this anchor sufficiently in light of later information.
attentional bias term?
Attentional bias is the tendency to prioritise attention to certain information (or other stimuli) over other information.
confirmation bias is ?
Confirmation bias is the tendency to seek, recall or interpret information in a way that confirms existing beliefs or expectations while dismissing or failing to seek contradictory evidence
What are heuristics?
A heuristic is a strategy for solving a problem or making a decision that is based on experience with similar types of problems but cannot guarantee a correct outcome.
Types of Heuristics
The availability heuristic involves making a judgment based on how easy or difficult it is to bring specific examples to mind.
The representativeness heuristic involves categorising a person, object, event or anything else by judging how closely it matches our idea of a typical member of the category.
The affect heuristic involves making a judgment that is influenced by the emotion being experienced at the time.
What is Prejudice?
Because prejudice involves a judgment, it is usually considered to be an attitude, but specifically one for which the focus is people.
Prejudgement
Prejudice is often defined as holding a negative attitude towards the members of a group, based solely on their membership of that group.
old fashioned prejudice
A form of prejudice in which members of the majority group openly reject minority group members and their views towards the minority group are obvious and recognisable to others.
modern prejudice
A form of prejudice which is more subtle, hidden and expressed in ways more likely to be accepted within the majority group.
explicit prejudice
Explicit prejudice is defined as prejudice that is consciously held and usually deliberately thought about. Like old-fashioned prejudice, it is typically openly expressed by the person holding it and is within their control.
implicit prejudice
Implicit prejudice is prejudice that is typically unconsciously held; that is, the person holding such prejudice is not usually aware that they do so
discrimination
Discrimination refers to positive or negative behaviour that is directed towards a social group and its members.
direct discrimination
Direct discrimination happens when someone is treated unfavourably because of a personal characteristic protected by the law.
indirect discrimination
Indirect discrimination happens when there is an unreasonable requirement, condition or practice that disadvantages a person, or a group of people, because of a personal characteristic.
intergroup contact
Intergroup contact involves increasing direct contact between two groups who are prejudiced against each other.
