Day 3: Social Cognition

Social Cognition

How people select, remember, and use social information to make judgements and decisions

Two Kinds of Thinking

- Quick and Automatic (tennis)

- Slow and Deliberate (chess)

Experiential System

Unconscious, intuitive, and automatic way of thinking

The Cognitive System

Conscious, rational, and controlled way of thinking

Do the experiential and cognitive systems operate relatively independently of each other?

yes

Depending on the individual and the circumstances, one of the systems might take control?

yes

Which is more used cuz we are cognitive misers

experiential system

Why are we cognitive misers?

- Evolutionary origin: hunter/gatherer societies

- Automatic processes were more advantageous in many situations

- However, to survive, one needed to evolve both systems of thought

How do we do this? (experiential systems)

- based on past experiences and knowledge of the world

- allows us to make very quick judgements

Automatic Thinking has at least one of the four elements

- lack of awareness

- lack of conscious intent

- lack of control

- efficiency

Automatic Thinking

thought that is nonconscious, unintentional, involuntary

--- thinking dominates much of mental lives

Automatic

Are the automatized routines adaptive (accomplish goals with little effort)

yes

How do we tell if it's automatic thinking

- not consciously initiated

- determined by external stimuli

- requires little time and effort

- can operate when rushed, multitasking, or distracted

- determine if thinking can be controlled

Why does this matter?

most of our perception of people is automatic