CH4 - Social cognition

Question 1

Studying social cognition is…?

Answer 1

… studying errors in judgement, understanding how someone makes judgment and what can be done to avoid mistakes
… Understanding people’s interpretation of a situation

Question 2

Which aspects are critical of social judgment?

Answer 2

1. Our judgements are only as accurate as the quality of the info on which they’re based – Ø always accurate nor complete
2. Order + way info is presented can affect our judgment
3. We actively seek info, pervasive bias in way we do it can distort our conclusions
4. Preexisting knowledge + mental habits can influence how we construe new info

Question 3

What is the definition of the following concept, and what does it cause?

misperception of a group norm that results from observing people who are acting at variance with their private beliefs out of a concern for the social csq – actions reinforce the erroneous group norm – common when ‘toughness’ is the norm

Answer 3

Pluralistic ignorance.

It causes mistaken inference because there is a reluctance to express misgivings about perceived group norm = turn into false norm

Question 4

What is the fulfilling prophecy?

Answer 4

It makse ppl judgement seem more accurate than they really are – tendency to act in ways that bring about the very thing they expect to happen

Question 5

What concept is the following study tied to?

Teachers were told some of their elementary students were expected to ‘bloom’ intellectually although chosen at random
=> teachers behaviour + student/prof interaction patterns leading to the students getting a higher IQ bc more attention + encouragement + challenges

Answer 5

The fulfilling prophecy

Question 6

Explain the study of snap judgments and leisurely long judgments of people + the conclusions deducted

Answer 6

(2006) study of snap judgments – presentation of faces for short amount of time, told to make judgement abt trustworthiness, likeability etc
Other had as much time as they wanted = used as gold standard
= hurried judgments were almost as high + the same as the judgments made leisurely

Question 7

What is the difference between primacy and recency effect?

Answer 7

🡪Primacy effect: when info is presented first is more influential bc it affects the interpretation of subsequent info -> often when info is more ambiguous

🡪Recency effect: when info presented last is more influential often bc it’s more available in memory -> info is more easily remembered so affects judgment

Question 8

What are the 4 kinds of framing effects?

Answer 8

order effects: change of language/structure of info presented to create desired effect

Spin framing varies context in which info is presented, not just order (torture >< enhanced interrogation)

Positive vs negative framing (25%fat vs 75% meat)

Temporal framing: far-off = abstract terms ; imminent = concrete

Question 9

What concept is defined by the following definition?
+ ex of study?

The tendency to examine veracity of a proposition by searching for information consistent with the proposition in question

Answer 9

Confirmation bias.

Tennis match, 2 groups: does working out before a game make you more likely to win/loose? Both groups saw same stat but found supporting evidence affirming own question asked

Question 10

What is motivated confirmation bias?

Answer 10

It is the need to find evidence supporting a conclusion

or

Disproportionate tendency to find evidence supporting preexisting conclusion + come to the conclusion that their preferred one is the more valid than what it actually is

Question 11

What concept has the following definition?

data-driven mental processing in which an individual forms conclusions based on stimuli encountered in the environment

Answer 11

Bottom-up processing

Question 12

What concept has the following definition?

theory-driven mental processing in which an individual filters + interprets new info in light of preexisting knowledge and expectations

Answer 12

Top-down processing

Question 13

Are schemas an example of bottom-up or top-down processing?

Answer 13

Top-down processing

Question 14

What is the influence of schemas on behavior?

Answer 14

Schemas guide attention, memory and the construal of info - they can directly prompt behaviour. Our attention is selective so schemas focus on the most important thing

Study: Ppl playing basketball in circle, gorilla passing through but asked to count nbr of passes so only half noticed gorilla

Question 15

Explain the concept of priming + ex of study

Answer 15

The exposition of stimuli can lead to priming of the concepts w/ which they’re associated => momentarily more accessible. The frequency of schemas primed makes them more likely to be applied, and there is no need for a conscious awareness of schema.

Study: (memory) adventurous Donald, showing list of words then read text – having seen positive words tended to associate them w Donald, same with those having seen neg

Question 16

What are the two systems for processing information?

Answer 16

Intuitive system – rapid, associative process, actions happen in parallel, almost always produces an output
(“go with the flow”)

Rational system – slow, rule-based, lowkey regulates the rational system

The two systems override and regulate eachother.

Question 17

What is the definition of heuristics?

Answer 17

Mental shortcuts that provide ppl w/ sound judgments most of the time, although they can lead to errors in judgment. They are produced by the intuitive system, often forestall more effortful, rational deliberation

Question 18

What is the difference between availability heuristics and representativeness heuristics?

Answer 18

🡪Availability heuristics: process whereby judgments of frequency/probability are based on how readily pertinent instances come to mind

🡪Representativeness heuristic: process whereby judgments of likelihood are based on assessments of similarity between individuals + group prototypes or between cause and effect
(ie used to make assumptions abt someone)

Question 19

Which concept has the following definition?

the failure to recognize the influence of the regression effect + to offer causal theory for what is really a simple statistical regularity

Answer 19

Regression fallacy

Question 20

Give an example of a study showing illusionary correlation.

Answer 20

Having ppl draw persons, then having psychologists + psych grad students analyze them for any pathologies, all drew more or less the same conclusions + same for conclusions drawn by people who had never heard of them
= when associations/propositions seem plausible, ppl often believe them regardless of evidence.