Chapter 3- Social Cognition Flashcards
What is social cognition?
How people think about themselves and the social world. Specifically, ho the interpret, remember, and use social information to make judgement and decisions.
What is social cognition comprised of?
- Automatic thinking processes
- Controlled thinking processes
What is automatic thinking?
Thinking that is generally unconscious, unintentional, involuntary, and effortless.
What are examples of automatic thinking?
Recognizing a common object (sunglasses) or situation (birthday party)
What does automatic thinking rely on?
Relies on schemas to put things into context to get a deeper understanding.
Without schemas, things can be taken out of context.
Why is automatic thinking important?
It helps us quickly understand new situations by relating them to our prior experiences.
What are schemas?
Mental structures people use to organize their knowledge about the social world.
Influence the information we notice, think about, and remember.
What are the functions of schemas? (3)
- Help us organize, and make sense of our world, and to fill in the gaps of our knowledge.
- Help us to have continuity and to relate new experiences to our past.
- Help us know what to do in ambiguous or confusing situations.
What are the 2 components regarding the formation, management, and manipulation of our schemas?
- Assimilation
- Accommodation
What is assimilation?
The integration of new information into existing schemas .
What is an example of assimilation?
New breed of dog gets included into our schemas of dogs
What is accommodation?
The alteration of existing schemas to adapt to new information
What is an example of accommodation?
I did not know that some dogs do not have fur. Now i do!
Which schemas are applied depends on what?
Accessibility
What is accessibility of schemas?
Thé extent to which schemas and concepts are at the forefront of people’s minds and are therefore likely to be used when making judgements about the social world.
