Social_Cognition_Others_student_p2
Page 1: Social Cognition
Social cognition involves how we think about and perceive other people.
Page 2: Attraction to Others
Explores the various factors that lead to attraction between individuals.
Page 3: Physical Appearance
Physical appearance is the most significant predictor of dating outcomes.
Equal importance for both genders in dating scenarios.
Women tend to be more selective about who they find attractive.
Women often express interest in those they do not rate as attractive.
Men are less selective but only pursue those they find attractive.
Page 4: How Much Does Physical Appearance Matter?
Generally, people prefer those who are attractive.
Individuals may date someone of similar attractiveness to avoid rejection.
Attractive individuals tend to pair up, creating natural sorting in relationships.
Page 5: Why Appearance Makes Such a Difference
Physical appearance impacts perceptions beyond dating.
The "what is beautiful is good" stereotype leads to biases.
Attractive individuals are often perceived as smarter, friendlier, and kinder.
Page 6: Features of Appealing Faces
Agreement on characteristics of attractiveness among people.
Symmetrical faces are generally found more appealing.
Youthful facial features are linked to attractiveness.
Average features also contribute to perceived attractiveness.
Page 7: Attraction & Close Relationships
Predictors of Attraction:
Likability: personality traits, humor, kindness.
Physical attraction and proximity (mere exposure) contribute to attraction.
Similarity also plays a significant role.
Close Relationships:
Defined by interdependence, intimacy (self-disclosure), and uniqueness of connection.
Page 8: Impressions of Others, Expectations of Others
Expectations shape our impressions of others substantially.
Page 9: Study by Harold Kelley (1950)
Investigated whether expectations influence impressions.
Same instructor lectured to different groups with contrasting descriptions.
Ratings varied based on whether the instructor was described as warm or cold.
Page 10: Comparison of "Warm" and "Cold" Observers
Ratings of stimulus persons influenced by the perceived warmth or coldness of the instructor.
Differences in various character traits observed based on the description given to the students.
Page 11: Will We Use a Schema, and If So, Which One?
Accessibility: how easily a schema can be brought to mind.
Influenced by past experiences, current goals, and recent experiences.
Priming: recent experiences can enhance the accessibility of schemas.
Page 12: Example of Priming Effects
Response time to the word "nurse" is quicker following "doctor" (positive association).
Kindness priming influences perceptions of others' positive traits.
Page 13: Category Accessibility and Impression Formation (Higgins, Rholes, & Jones, 1977)
Participants involved in two studies related to colors and reading comprehension.
Positive and negative traits associated with the character of Donald.
Page 14: Donald's Description
Donald's adventurous activities influence how participants perceived him.
This description can lead to biased interpretations based on accessibility of traits.
Page 15: Category Accessibility in Impression Formation
Participants' judgments of Donald were influenced only by applicable traits they were primed with.
Inapplicable traits didn’t influence impressions, emphasizing the need for relevance in priming.
Page 16: Reasons Schemata Can Be Accessible
Concepts can be temporarily or chronically primed to influence thoughts and behaviors.
Page 17: Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
Expectations shape behavior towards others, causing them to meet those expectations.
Positive beliefs can lead others to live up to them, while negative beliefs can reinforce poor behavior.
Page 18: Social Perception and Interpersonal Behavior Study
Male student seen with different photos influenced the later ratings of the female's voice (warmth, humor).
Raises questions about the influence of expectations versus actual behavior changes.
Page 19: Interpreting the Study
Discusses whether the female student's behavior was due to male expectancy or his own behavioral changes.
Page 20: Social Cognition
Explore mental shortcuts and simplifications in processing social information.
Page 21: Schema Functionality
Responses to information that challenge our schemas can lead to ignoring or minimal adapting of the schema.
Page 22: Disconfirmation Bias
Tendency to uphold beliefs despite contradictory evidence.
Example: Dismissing a chicken that lays eggs due to a pre-existing belief.
Confirmation Bias: Preference to seek evidence that confirms existing beliefs while ignoring contradictions.
Page 23: Heuristics: Tversky and Kahneman
Heuristics as mental shortcuts in decision-making, originally discussed by Herbert Simon.
Tversky and Kahneman introduced cognitive biases related to heuristics in the 1970s.
Page 24: Automatic Thinking: Heuristics
Heuristic use can lead to biases we are often unaware of.
Availability Heuristic: Judgments based on readily recalled information.
Page 25: Automatic Thinking: Heuristics
Representativeness Heuristic: Categorizing based on typical characteristics, often ignoring base rate information.
Page 26: Representativeness Heuristic Example
Analyzes a scenario to determine the most likely occupation for a person based on described traits.
Page 27: Representativeness Heuristic Continued
Discusses base rate information about the frequency of different occupations and fails to consider these rates.