Social Cognition

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Social Cognition
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We cant attend to everything in our environment!
Social Cognition The way in which we interpret,
analyze, remember, and use information about the
social world. Explicit Cognition Implicit
Cognition
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Sometimes we are cognitively lazy!

• Cognitive miser perspective- the perspective that
  conceives of human beings as creatures more than
  willing to engage in timesaving mental shortcuts
  when trying to understand their social world.
• Naïve scientist tries to think logically
• Cognitive miser tries not to think

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Can we be logical and lazy?
Motivated tactician model
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Categorization and Stereotyping

• Humans must think with the aid of categorizations
• These categorizations apply to people
• Such categorization makes things easier for us
• The categorization of people is natural
• Social categorization- the classification of
  people into groups based on their common
  attributes.

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How do we put things into their proper categories?
Prototypes- the most representative member of a
category. A patrol officer is closer to our
prototypical police officer, but an undercover
officer is still in the category.
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Errors can occur when we categorize
Initially, we focus on race, sex, age, and
attractiveness Stereotypes- fixed ways of
thinking about people that put them into
categories and dont allow for individual
variation. Once someone is classified into a
category, that individual is presumed to have the
characteristics of that category.
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We think of stereotypes as probability judgments

• What activates stereotypes?
• Physical appearance
• Looking like the prototype
• Behavioral prototype
• Salience
• Standing out
• Self-esteem threat

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Stereotyped thinking is very fast
Using stereotypes frees up cognitive resources
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Stereotypes are resistant to change

• Gender stereotypes
• Males dominant, independent, adventurous, etc.
• Females sentimental, submissive, superstitious,
  etc.

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Psychological masculinity
Possession of instrumental personality traits
(stereotypically associated with men).
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Psychological femininity
Possession of expressive personality traits
(stereotypically associated with women).
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Stereotypes Are Often Based on Illusory
Correlations.

• Illusory Correlation The belief that two
  variables are associated with one another when in
  fact there is little or no actual association.
• Associative meaning
• Shared distinctiveness

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Mental ShortcutsandSimulations
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• Heuristics Timesaving "rules of thumb" that
  simplify thinking.

• The representativeness heuristic
• Base rates
• Anchoring and adjustment heuristic
• The availability heuristic
• The attitude heuristic
• Halo effect
• False consensus effect

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When do we use heuristics?

• When we dont have time to engage in careful
  analysis.
• When we are overloaded with information.
• When the question is not very important.
• When we have little other knowledge about the
  issue.
• When something about the situation calls a
  heuristic to mind.

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Mentally Simulating Events Can Alter Our Social
Thinking.
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Mentally Simulating Events Can Alter Our Social
Thinking.
The hindsight bias The tendency, once events
have occurred, to overestimate our ability to
have foreseen the outcome.
There is no bias when something has affected us
personally and it was negative
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Mentally Simulating Events Can Alter Our Social
Thinking.
Counterfactual thinking The tendency to
evaluate events by imagining alternative versions
or outcomes.
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Why do we engage in counterfactual thinking?
1. The thoughts may help us feel better
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Why do we engage in counterfactual thinking?
2. The thoughts may prepare us for the future
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Counterfactual thinking can be counterproductive!
Davis (1995) interviews of survivors
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Social World Beliefs
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Confirmation Bias The tendency to seek
information that supports our beliefs while
ignoring disconfirming evidence.
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Self-Fulfilling Prophecy The process by which
someones expectations about a person leads to
the fulfillment of those expectations.
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Self-Fulfilling Prophecy in the Classroom

• Rosenthal Jacobson (1968)
• Students who are positively labeled are treated
  differently by their teachers.
• Not all self-fulfilling prophecies are positive.

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Who Said This?
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Jerry Falwell 9/13/01
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Just-World Belief
A belief system in which the world is perceived
to be a fair and equitable place, with people
getting what they deserve.
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Just-World Belief

• This belief system is a defensive reaction
• It is calming and comforting
• It makes us feel safe
• It gives us a false sense of control