Week 3 Social Cognition

What is social cognition

Thoughts, beliefs, and perceptions about people in our social work

How does a naive scientist approach social cognition

• We think about the social world in a manner that is slow, deliberative, and conscious.
• We try to be objective and rational, like scientists

BUT amount of info in social can be overwhelming

How does a cognitive miser approach social cognition

• We have limited cognitive resources to devote to processing social information.
• We think about the social world in a manner that is rapid, automatic, and unconscious.
• We use cognitive shortcuts

BUT sometimes we are motivated to engage in effortful thinking

How does a motivated tactician approach social cognition

• People can be naïve scientists AND cognitive misers.
• We think slowly, deliberatively when we have motivation + cognitive
resources to do so.
• Otherwise, we typically think rapidly, automatically.

What is a schema

A cognitive structure that represents knowledge about a certain concept or thing

What is a person-schema

Person-schema is about specific people
• Comprises attributes + identities central to how we think about others

How do we form person schemas

Observations and interactions provide us with information

• Information can be limited, but we still form impressions.
• We make inferences based on:
• Known information
• Heuristics & biases (to “fill in the gaps”)

What is implicit personality theories

Implicit beliefs we hold about which traits tend to go together

• Formed through knowledge and prior experience
• Vary across individuals (although sometimes shared)
• Can be incorrect

What is social group schemas

• We spontaneously categorise people as members of social groups

• Social group schemas comprise our thoughts & beliefs about social groups
◦ Used to inform person schemas of individuals who belong to the group

What is the halo effect

a cognitive bias where a positive impression of a person in one specific area influences opinions in other unrelated area BUT it can be changed with updated information

What is “thin slices”

• A brief excerpt of expressive behaviour, lasting from seconds to minutes
• Thin slices provide more information than static images.
• Impressions formed from thin slices are generally more accurate than those from static images.

What is the covariation model

explains how people figure out why someone acts a certain way

what 3 types of information to make inferences is used in the covariation model

• Consistency
◦ The extent to which a behaviour consistently occurs over time (within the same situation/context)
• Distinctiveness
◦ The extent to which a behaviour is unique to a particular situation/context
• Consensus
◦ The extent to which other people behave similarly in the same situation/context

what attributions can be made from the covariation model

• Consistency
◦ Low consistency → +EXTERNAL
◦ High consistency → +INTERNAL
• Distinctiveness
◦ Low distinctiveness → +INTERNAL
◦ High distinctiveness → +EXTERNAL
• Consensus
◦ Low consensus → +INTERNAL
◦ High consensus → +EXTERNAL

What’s the Discounting principle

• People minimise the importance of any potential cause of a behaviour when other likely causes are present
• If behaviour can be explained by clear external factor, influence of internal factors is discounted

What’s the Augmentation principle

• People attach greater importance of a potential cause of a behaviour when behavioural inhibitors are present (e.g., costs, risks, constraints for performing behaviour)
• Influence of internal factors is augmented if behaviour occurs despite clear costs, risks, or constraints associated with performing the behaviour

What is gossiping

The act of sharing information about people and their notable behaviours throughout our social circle

What are the benefits of gossiping

• Social bonding
• Norm clarification
• Gathering information without direct observation
• Knowledge of social reputation
• Wellbeing
• Learning about immoral or negative behaviours
• Avoiding potential threats

What is the primary effect of order effects

• Information presented first disproportionately influences impression
• Stronger, most common
• Earlier traits affect interpretation of new information

What’s the recency effect of order effects

• Information presented last has more impact than earlier information
• When distracted, unmotivated to attend earlier
• When information is negative

what’s the positivity bias in valence effect

• Positive global impressions formed in absence of any negative information
• Halo effect
• Changeable in light of new information

what’s the negative bias in valence effect

• Negative global impressions formed with any sign of negative information
• Difficult to change in light of new, positive information
• We are biased towards negativity:
• Unusual & distinctive, thereby attracting our attention
• Signals danger, meaning detection has a survival benefit.

What is self-fulfilling prophecy

When an expectation or assumption is caused to come true due to the expectation or assumption being held in the first place