Transcript Social Cognition - Simply Psychology

Social Cognition
Lecture 4
Social Psychology
Dr Amanda Rivis
Learning Outcomes
With this lecture and independent
study, you should be able to:
Define and discuss the nature of “social
cognition”
 Discuss theories of the impression
formation process
 Discuss biases in the impression formation
process
 Discuss types of social schema and the
role of categorisation

What is Social Cognition?

Social cognition is the study of “the

Social cognition is concerned with people’s
construals of the social world

Social cognition borrows techniques and
methods from cognitive psychology to
examine social psychological phenomena
cognitive processes and structures that
influence and are influenced by social
behaviour” (Hogg & Vaughan, p42)
What is Social Cognition?
Field of Study
How a researcher might
study prejudice
Social Psychology
Examine effect of manipulations of
contact between people of different
groups on degree of prejudice
exhibited
Social Cognition
Examine effect of manipulation of
exposure to a member of some
category of people and measure the
thoughts and concepts that are
automatically activated
Impression Formation: Asch’s (1946)
Configural Model

Asch’s model is a Gestalt-based model of
impression formation

According to Asch, some traits (central traits)
are more influential than others (peripheral
traits) in the impression formation process

Central traits influence the meanings of other
traits
Asch’s (1946) Impression
Formation Study
•Intelligent
•Skilful
•Industrious
The empty space
contains either:
Warm or Cold
•Determined
•Practical
•Cautious
or
Polite or Blunt
Asch’s (1946) Impression Formation
Study
% assigning additional traits as function of focal
trait inserted:
Additional
traits
Generous
Wise
Happy
Good-natured
Reliable
Focal
traits
inserted
Warm
Cold
Polite
91
65
90
94
94
8
25
34
17
99
in list
Blunt
56
30
75
87
95
58
50
65
56
100
Asch’s (1946) Impression Formation
Study

Conclusion: People form a coherent image of a
person on the basis of disparate pieces of
information (‘holistic’ information processing)

Problem: The impact of the ‘central’ traits may
have been influenced by context (cf. sociability
versus intelligence dimensions – Rosenberg, et
al. 1968)
Theories of Impression Formation:
Anderson’s (1981) Alternative



This approach argues against Asch’s configural approach
Judgments are combined in an algebraic model of
impression formation
Judgments can be combined in an additive model or an
averaging model, e.g.,
– Diana is spontaneous (+3), funny (+3) and beautiful
(+3)

– Margaret is attentive (+8) and ugly (-1)
Diana ‘wins’ using additive model (impression=9 vs. 7);
Margaret ‘wins’ using averaging model (impression=3.5
vs. 3)
Weighted average model regarded as best model
Biases in Impression Formation:
The Primacy Effect
Traits which appear first have more impact upon
our impressions (primacy effect):
 Asch (1946):

– Condition 1: participants asked to form an impression
of the kind of person who is: intelligent-industrious-
impulsive-critical-stubborn-envious
– Condition 2: same task but trait list presented in
reverse order
– Results:
 In Condition 1 person described as competent and
ambitious;
 In Condition 2 person described as overly emotional and
socially maladjusted
Biases in Impression Formation:
The Primacy Effect
Two explanations for the Primacy Effect:

Change-of-meaning hypothesis
– Subsequent information interpreted in light of initial
impression

Attention
– More attention paid to earlier than later information
 E.g., “proud” can mean self-respecting or conceited
 E.g., “critical” can mean astute or picky
Biases in Impression Formation

Perceiver characteristics
– E.g., mood

Evaluative Bias (i.e., ‘Halo’ effect)

Target characteristics:
– Negative/Extreme information weighted more heavily
– Physical appearance

Implicit personality theories
Schemas: Definition
A schema is:
“A cognitive structure that represents
knowledge about a concept or type of
stimulus, including its attributes and the
relations among those attributes”
(Fiske & Taylor, 1986, p.98)
Categories and Prototypes
Membership
1978)
Members
Family
of a category is probabilistic (Rosch,
range from typical to atypical
resemblance
Categorisation
‘Fuzzy’
E.g.,
on basis of similarity to prototype
boundaries between categories
birds -v- mammal categories
Categories and Prototypes

Hierarchical relationship between categories

Intermediate (basic level) categories default
option

Alternative view to prototypes is the exemplar
view of category representation
– Prototypes and exemplars have differential effects on
judgments and behaviour
Schema Acquisition and
Development
Schemas develop from encounters with
instances or from abstracted communications of
the schema’s general characteristics
 Schemas become more abstract with experience
 Schemas become more complex as they develop
 As schemas develop, they become more
resistant to change (e.g., belief perseverance
effect: Ross, et al. 1975)

Schemas and the Self-Fulfilling
Prophecy
1. Expectancy
about target
person
2. SchemaConsistent
Behaviour
Towards target
4. Expectancy
confirmed
3.Target responds
in similar
manner
Social Schemas: Types of Schema

Person Schema

Role Schema
– Achieved (e.g., doctor, psychologist)
– Ascribed (gender, age, race)
 Stereotype = ‘expectations we have about members of a
social group’

Event Schema (‘Scripts’)
– e.g., eating at a restaurant

Self-schema
– Schematicity –v- aschematicity
Functions of Social Schemas

Schemas simplify the complexity of the social world

Schemas guide the processing of schema relevant
information
 NB: ‘schema-relevant” = schema-consistent and
schema-inconsistent information

Schemas influence our inferences and evaluations

Schemas guide our behaviour
Conditions of Schema Use
Which schema becomes activated and used
depends upon:

Salience

Vividness

Accessibility
– Priming (e.g., Bargh, et al. 1996)
– Chronic accessibility
READING

Brehm, S. S., Kassin, S. M., & Fein, S.
(2002) pp. 113-126

Hogg, M. A., & Vaughn, G. M. (2005).
Chapter 2