social psych lecture 2/14

Introduction to Information Processing

• Discussion on the necessity of saving time and effort in information processing.

• Behavior in social settings, such as classroom seating arrangements:

  • Students prefer to leave an empty seat between themselves and others to reduce discomfort.

  • Similar behavior observed in other public settings (e.g., movie theaters).

Social Cognition

• Definition: Involves attention, encoding, interpretation, storage, retrieval, and the use of information about the social world.

• Cognition is fundamentally about thinking processes.

• Steps in cognition:

  1. Attention: Crucial initial stage of processing; affects what information is noted.

  2. Encoding: Involves writing information into memory; can be working or long-term memory.

  3. Interpretation: Making sense of the encoded information to derive meaning.

  4. Storage and Retrieval: Storing significant information for future use and retrieving it when necessary, with more emphasis on immediate relevance.

Types of Cognition

1. Effortful Cognition

• Characterized by conscious, deliberate thinking processes.

• Requires cognitive resources; actively engaged in the decision-making process.

• Influences behavior based on defined reasoning.

  • Example: Choosing where to sit based on personal preferences or situational needs.

2. Effortless Cognition

• Involves automatic, nonconscious associations; less demanding on cognitive resources.

• Functions unconsciously and frequently leads to immediate, instinctual responses.

• Examples of automatic responses include emotional reactions and certain habitual behaviors.

• Important for efficient day-to-day functioning; reduces cognitive load.

Dual Process Theory of Cognition

• Both effortful and effortless cognition occur simultaneously.

• Conscious and intentional thinking involves effortful cognition, typically applied to significant decisions requiring attention.

• Effortless cognition handles background processing and automatic responses, influencing behavior without active awareness.

The Role of Attention in Cognition

• Attention acts as an attentional spotlight but is limited in capacity; cannot process all information simultaneously.

• Cognitive load occurs when processing demands exceed obtainable resources.

  • Example: The Stroop task illustrates this idea by complicating simultaneous reading and color recognition tasks.

Motivation and Resources in Cognition

• The extent of effortful cognition depends on the objectives at hand, influenced by:

  • Situational demands

  • Individual emotional state

• Efficient cognition generally favors simplicity over complexity, with sufficient accuracy being more important than perfection.

Cognitive Practice and Learning

• Continuous practice in specific tasks strengthens neural connections linked to those activities.

• Expert performance exemplifies how effortful cognition can become effortless through repeated actions (e.g., sports skills).

• Performance in one area (e.g., sports) does not automatically transfer to unrelated skills (e.g., academic tasks).

Conclusion

• Understanding both types of cognition and their application in real-world interactions enhances comprehension of social behavior and decision-making.

• Effective cognition relies on balancing between effort and efficiency, guiding reasonable actions and choices.