Theories of Social Cognition In Psychology: EQ: How do theories of Social Cognition explain how we feel about ourselves and the people around us?

Self-Esteem: DEF: The evaluations people make about how worthy the are as human beings. While this appears to be all about one’s self, our self-esteem can be influenced by various factors -Relationships -Values -Media -etc…

Q/A: How does the media influence your self-esteem?

Making Comparisons: Temporal Comparisons: Using one’s previous performance or characteristics as a basis for judging oneself in the present. Social Comparisons: Using other people as a basis of comparison for evaluating oneself. Reference Groups: Categories of people to which people compare themselves.

Relative Deprivation: DEF: The belief that, in comparison to a reference group, one is getting less than deserved. In many cases, this is not founded in reality, but based on perceptions promoted by peers and the media.

Q/A How does the media cause us to feel relatively deprived?

Social Identity: DEF: The beliefs we hold about the groups we belong to These beliefs can form the dynamic of the group itself and change how we behave within the group. As people move from group to group, their identity can change.

Self-Schemas: DEF: Mental Representations that people form about themselves These can be correct or incorrect

Social Perception: DEF: The Process through which people interpret information about others, draw inferences about them, and develop mental representations of them. In the case of a first impression, we will latch on to something we notice about the individual These first impressions can be hard to change.

Q/A Describe a time when you made a first impression that was incorrect and what did it take to change that impression?

Self-Fulfilling Prophecies: DEF: A process through which an initial impression of someone leads that person to behave in accordance to that impression. In many cases, the way we set expectations for other can lead them to behave in a certain way If we set good expectations, we will get good results. If not…

Attribution: DEF: The process of explaining the causes of people’s behavior, including one’s own This is, however, not an exact science and can lead us to make mistakes due to our own pre-conceptions and biases We must be careful and aware of this

Biases in Attribution: Fundamental Attribution Error: A bias toward overattributing the behavior of others to internal causes Actor-Observer Bias: The tendency to attribute other people’s behavior to internal causes while attributing one’s own behavior (especially errors or failures) to external causes. Self-Serving Bias: The tendency to attribute one’s own success to internal characteristics while blaming one’s failures on others.

Q/A When have your attribution biases caused you to make mistakes in evaluating others?

Attitudes: DEF: A predisposition toward a particular cognitive, emotional, ore behavioral reaction to objects These can be incredibly hard to modify, much less hide

Cognitive Dissonance Theory: DEF: A theory that asserts that attitude change is driven by efforts to reduce tension caused by inconsistencies between attitudes and behaviors. We are acutely aware when people’s attitudes do not match up with their behaviors, but are often blind to it when it is us.

Self-Perception Theory: DEF: A theory that suggests that attitudes can change as people consider their behavior in a certain situation and then infer what their attitude must be. Many of us behave differently, depending on the people we are around at any given time.

Q/A When have you changed your behavior based on the company you are in?