Week 1: Social cognition

Question 1

Social cog works from

Answer 1

Stimulus —> person —> response

Question 2

What is social cognition?

Answer 2

1. Mentalism: cognitive representations (eg general knowledge, memory of responses)
2. Cognitive process in social settings: cognitive mechanisms (eg info processing, memory & retrieval)

Question 3

Models of social thinker?

Answer 3

CNCMA

1. Consistency seeker (1950s & 1960s)
2. Naive scientists (1970s)
3. Cognitive miser (1980s)
4. Motivated tactician (1990s)
5. Activated actor (2000s to today)

Question 4

Main role of motivation/ cognition/ examples for consistency seeker

Answer 4

• Motivation: to reduce discomfort from cognitive dissonance
• cognition: own thoughts about behaviours and beliefs
• examples: cognitive dissonance theory AND heider’s balance theory

Question 5

Main role of motivation/ cognition/ example of naive scientist?

Answer 5

• motivation: to know that the world is predictable
• cognition: do rational analysis like a scientist
• examples: Kelley’s covariation model of attribution (causal attributions are based on consensus, distinctiveness, consistency)

Question 6

Main role of motivation/ cognition/ examples of cognitive miser

Answer 6

• Motivation: be efficient in problem solving
• cognition: that it’s limited in capacity
• examples: heuristic decision making or stereotyping

Question 7

Main role of motivation/ cognition/ examples of motivated tactician

Answer 7

• motivation: to fulfil multiple goals, motives, needs in social context
• cognition: goals, motives, needs organised cognitive strategies
• examples: dual process model like elaboration likelihood model (a dual process model of persuasion)

Question 8

Main role of motivation/ cognition/ examples of activated actor

Answer 8

• motivation: surviving and thriving socially
• cognition: social envt will cue associated cognitions
• examples: implicit associations, automaticity

Question 9

Some methods in social cognition

Answer 9

Manipulation of thought process:

1. Priming
2. Cognitive busyness

Measures of thought process:

1. Explicit self reports
2. Implicit measures (like IAT, lexicon, evaluative priming, AMP, wordstem completion)
3. Social neuroscience