Advances in Social Cognition

These flashcards cover key concepts in social psychology including social cognition, social identity theory, the self-concept, social inference, and automatic processes as discussed in the lecture.

According to the lecture, what are the two main influential approaches to social thinking?

1) Social Cognition (derived from Cognitive psychology) and 2) Social Identity Theory (motivationally orientated perspective).

Who is credited as the father of Social Identity Theory?

Henri Tajfel ($1919$-$1982$).

What is the core premise of the Social brain hypothesis (Dunbar, 1998)?

Human executive brain size, specifically the neocortex, is driven by the cognitive demands of living in bonded groups rather than ecological problems.

What is 'Dunbar’s number' and what value is associated with it?

It is the number of relationships people are cognitively capable of maintaining, which is $150$.

How did Leon Festinger ($1954$) suggest individuals organize social thinking?

Through social comparisons, which can be upward comparisons ("You’re better than me") or downward comparisons ("I feel sorry for you").

How does Baumeister ($1999$) define the self-concept?

The self-concept is the set of beliefs or knowledge that a person has about him/her/them/self.

What does Bem’s ($1972$) Self-Perception Theory propose about self-knowledge?

It proposes that we gain knowledge about ourselves by making attributions about our own behaviour.

Which of the three core motives for seeking self-knowledge—self-assessment, self-verification, or self-enhancement—has the strongest influence?

Self-enhancement.

In the context of social inference, what is the difference between the 'naive scientist' and the 'cognitive miser' views?

The naive scientist view suggests systematic processing of information when time and motivation are available, while the cognitive miser view suggests using simple heuristics or shortcuts.

What does the 'motivated tactician' view suggest regarding social inference?

It suggests that perceivers choose between systematic processing and heuristics as and when necessary.

According to Fiske and Neuberg’s ($1990$) continuum model, what happens when a target is a poor fit for categorization?

It leads to re-categorization or, if that is very difficult, individuation (piecemeal integration).

What are 'emergent attributes' in the context of multiple categorization (Hutter & Crisp, $2005$)?

They are attributes used to resolve conflict when activated social categories fit poorly, such as a male midwife, to smooth impression formation.

What is the primary motivation behind stereotyping according to System Justification Theory (Jost & Banaji, $1994$)?

The motivation to believe that existing systems, structures, and hierarchies are fair.

What are Bargh’s ($1994$) 'four horsemen of automaticity'?

Awareness (lack of), Intention (lack of), Control (uncontrollable), and Efficiency (spares resources).

What was the result of Bargh’s ($1996$) study on behavioural priming regarding the elderly stereotype?

Participants primed with stereotypes of the elderly took longer to exit the experiment.