Social Cognition

How do schemas and stereotypes guide our thinking about other people?

They provide mental shortcuts that help us quickly organize information but can lead to bias and errors.

What cognitive biases guide our causal attributions?

Fundamental attribution error, self-serving bias, and actor-observer bias.

How does cognitive dissonance impact our attitudes?

It motivates us to change our attitudes or beliefs to reduce psychological discomfort caused by inconsistency between beliefs and actions.

How do stereotypes distort our perceptions of people and groups?

They cause us to overgeneralize, ignore individual differences, and interpret behavior in stereotype-consistent ways