1. What is Social Cognition? How people think about themselves and the social world

2. Key Points All of the information in our environment is too much to process. Need filter. All of the information in our environment is too much to process. Need filter. Past experience provides a filter to help us interpret and evaluate new people and events. Past experience provides a filter to help us interpret and evaluate new people and events.

3. Social Cognition Do we generally use all of the available information about a person when forming impressions of him/her? Do we generally use all of the available information about a person when forming impressions of him/her? Why not? Why not? Impractical or impossible; too much information Impractical or impossible; too much information Time constraints Time constraints

4. What information do we use? Categories, schemas Categories, schemas

5. Schemas Mental structures that help organize knowledge about the social world and guide the selection, interpretation, and recall of information. Mental structures that help organize knowledge about the social world and guide the selection, interpretation, and recall of information.

6. What do schemas do? “The human mind must think with the aid of categories…orderly living depends upon it.” --Allport, 1954 Help us organize information Help us organize information Help us remember certain things Help us remember certain things Help us to fill in details when our information is incomplete Help us to fill in details when our information is incomplete Can influence behavior Can influence behavior Help us to interpret ambiguous behavior Help us to interpret ambiguous behavior Influence what information we attend to Influence what information we attend to

7. Examples Read story Read story Demonstration Demonstration

8. Schemas influence attention Study Study IV: Grad student office included schema consistent (stapler, filing cabinets, book shelves) and schema inconsistent (exercise equipment) objects. IV: Grad student office included schema consistent (stapler, filing cabinets, book shelves) and schema inconsistent (exercise equipment) objects. DV: Leave room and recall what was in the room. DV: Leave room and recall what was in the room. What were the findings? What were the findings?

9. Schemas help us to interpret ambiguous information Donald example Donald example IV: Priming pos or neg IV: Priming pos or neg DV: Positivity of impression DV: Positivity of impression Priming = the process by which recent experiences increase the accessibility of a schema, trait, or concept. Priming = the process by which recent experiences increase the accessibility of a schema, trait, or concept. What were the findings? What were the findings?

10. Schemas influence behavior Bargh and colleagues IV: Primed polite or rude words IV: Primed polite or rude words DV: How long participant waited to interrupt the experimenter DV: How long participant waited to interrupt the experimenter What were the findings? What were the findings?

11. How do we decide which schema to use? Depends on schema accessibility Depends on schema accessibility Situational cues Situational cues Recency of schema activation Recency of schema activation Priming Priming Bargh studies Bargh studies The Donald Study The Donald Study Do not need conscious awareness (Bargh & Pietromonaco, 1982, in text) Do not need conscious awareness (Bargh & Pietromonaco, 1982, in text) Personal chronic constructs Personal chronic constructs

12. Sometimes schemas can get us into trouble Confirmation biases: Tendencies to interpret, seek, and create information that verifies our preexisting beliefs or schemas. Confirmation biases: Tendencies to interpret, seek, and create information that verifies our preexisting beliefs or schemas. Examples of confirmation biases Examples of confirmation biases Belief perseverance: The tendency to maintain beliefs, even after they have been discredited. Belief perseverance: The tendency to maintain beliefs, even after they have been discredited.

13. Perseverance Effect Ross et al. (1975) Ross et al. (1975) IV: Success, failure, or average feedback about ability to detect “real” or “fake” suicide notes IV: Success, failure, or average feedback about ability to detect “real” or “fake” suicide notes Intervention: E explained feedback was randomly assigned (discredited belief) Intervention: E explained feedback was randomly assigned (discredited belief) DV: Estimated how well would actually do at task DV: Estimated how well would actually do at task Results? Results?

14. Confirming Prior Expectations Snyder & Swann, 1978 Snyder & Swann, 1978 IV: Expectations about person to be interviewed: introverted vs. extraverted IV: Expectations about person to be interviewed: introverted vs. extraverted DV: Selection of interview questions. Slanted toward extraverted, introverted, or neutral. DV: Selection of interview questions. Slanted toward extraverted, introverted, or neutral. Results? Results?