1. Social Cognition January 16, 2007

2. Definitions Social cognition – structures of knowledge, the processes of knowledge creation, dissemination, and affirmation, the actual content of that knowledge, and how social forces shape each of these aspects of cognition Social cognition – structures of knowledge, the processes of knowledge creation, dissemination, and affirmation, the actual content of that knowledge, and how social forces shape each of these aspects of cognition Cognitive structures – organized representations of knowledge, the elements of cognition Cognitive structures – organized representations of knowledge, the elements of cognition

3. Schemas Definition – abstract cognitive structures that represent organized knowledge about a given concept or type of stimulus Definition – abstract cognitive structures that represent organized knowledge about a given concept or type of stimulus Types of schemas: Types of schemas: Person Person Role Role Event Event

4. Attribution theory Attribution – the formation of a causal or trait inference Attribution – the formation of a causal or trait inference Causes of behavior can be characterized as internal or external Causes of behavior can be characterized as internal or external 3 types of information used for attributions 3 types of information used for attributions Consensus – behavior of others Consensus – behavior of others Distinctiveness – behavior towards related stimuli Distinctiveness – behavior towards related stimuli Consistency – actor’s past behavior Consistency – actor’s past behavior

5. Attribution errors Fundamental attribution error – preference for attributing causality to people rather than to the environment Fundamental attribution error – preference for attributing causality to people rather than to the environment Actor-observer bias – tendency for actors to attribute causality to the environment but for observers to attribute the same behavior to the actor Actor-observer bias – tendency for actors to attribute causality to the environment but for observers to attribute the same behavior to the actor Self-serving attributions Self-serving attributions