LECTURE 2 SOCIAL COGNITION Chapter 3

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LECTURE 2SOCIAL COGNITIONChapter 3

• Administration
• Social Cognition
• Schemas
• Break
• Dual Processes
• Automatic Processes
• Controlled Processes
• Gut Feelings versus Analyses
• Next Class

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Questions?
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Memory Test
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Memory Test

• ADVENTUROUS
• SELF-CONFIDENT
• INDEPENDENT
• PERSISTENT

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Memory Test
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Memory Test

• RECKLESS
• CONCEITED
• ALOOF
• STUBBORN

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What is Social Cognition?
Social Psychology The scientific study of how
people think and feel about, influence, and
relate to one another
Cognitive Psychology The scientific study of
basic mental abilities such as perception,
learning, and memory

• SOCIAL COGNITION Social cognition studies how
  people think about themselves and the social
  world how they select, interpret, remember and
  use social information to make judgments and
  decisions

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Social Cognition is

• Related to process
• Related to what is in our head
• Our cognitive representations or schemas
• About people (it is social)

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Social Cognition strives to examine

• how we take information from the outside world
  and encode it (select)
• how this interpretation of the information is
  stored in memory (interpret)
• how this information is retrieved from memory and
  used (remember and use)
• In general, social cognition is the use of
  cognitive methodologies (and theories) to
  understand people and social situations.

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Memory Test
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Donald the story
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Memory Test

• ADVENTUROUS RECKLESS
• SELF-CONFIDENT CONCEITED
• INDEPENDENT ALOOF
• PERSISTENT STUBBORN

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Schemas

• Schemas are mental structures that represent
  knowledge about a concept or type of stimuli,
  they often include attributes and the
  relationship among those attributes

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Types of Schemas

• Role Schemas expectations about people in
  particular roles and social categories (e.g., the
  role of a social psychologist, student, doctor,
  Blacks)
• Self-Schemas expectations about the self that
  organize and guide the processing of
  self-relevant information
• Person Schemas expectations based on personality
  traits. What we associate with a certain type of
  person (e.g., introvert, warm person)
• Event Schemas expectations about sequences of
  events in social situations. What we associate
  with certain situations (e.g., restaurant schemas)

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Why are schemas important?

• They reduce the amount of information to process
• They reduce ambiguity
• They guide our
• Attention and encoding
• How quick we notice
• What we notice
• How we interpret what we notice

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Schemas Influence Attention and
Encoding/Categorization

• http//boingboing.net/2009/12/14/change-blindness-
  exp.html
• http//viscog.beckman.uiuc.edu/grafs/demos/15.html
  

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Why are schemas important?

• They reduce the amount of information to process
• They reduce ambiguity
• They guide our
• Attention and encoding
• How quick we notice
• What we notice
• How we interpret what we notice
• Our memory
• Our judgments

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When do we use schemas?

• Accessibility X Fit (Higgins, Rholes, Jones,
  1977)
• Accessibility
• the extent to which schemas and concepts are at
  the forefront of peoples minds (and therefore
  are likely to be used when making judgments about
  the social world) So how available the schema is
  in our head.
• Fit (applicable, representative, similar)
• the degree to which the accessible construct
  fits the object/person under judgment.

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When do we use schemas?

• Applicable Nonapplicable
• ADVENTUROUS OBEDIENT
• SELF-CONFIDENT NEAT
• INDEPENDENT SATIRICAL
• PERSISTENT GRATEFUL
• RECKLESS DISRESPECTFUL
• CONCEITED LISTLESS
• ALOOF CLUMSY
• STUBBORN SHY

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The problem with schemas

• Schemas can distort reality and memories
• Schemas can persist, even when discredited
• - Belief perseverance
• Schemas can be self-fulfilling
• - People often live up to our expectations
  because we treat them in ways that make them act
  in accordance with these expectations

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Self-fulfilling Prophecies

1. We have expectations (schemas) about other
   people.
2. These expectations can influence how we act
   toward these people.
3. These actions can cause these people to act in
   ways that are consistent with our expectations.

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Self-fulfilling Prophecies
Academic Success Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968)
- Pygmalion effect Teenage Drinking
Behavior Madon, Willard, Guyl,, Trudeau, and
Spoth (2006)

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Teenage Drinking Behavior
Asked mothers to rate the likelihood that their
child would drink when the same child was in
grade 6, grade 7, grade 8, grade 10, and grade
12. How likely do you think that your child will
drink alcohol regularly as a teenager? Certain
this will Certain this will not
happen happen 1 2
3 4 5 6
7 8 9 10 If your
child was at a party and one of his or her
friends offered him/her an alcoholic beverage,
how likely would your child be to drink?
Certain this will Certain this
will not happen
happen 1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8 9
10

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Teenage Drinking Behavior

• They also measured the childs alcohol use in
  grade 7, grade 8, grade 10 and grade 12 with
  open-ended questions.
• During the past month, how many times have you
  had beer, wine, wine coolers, or other liquor?
• During the past month, how many times have you
  had three or more drinks?
• They also controlled for important predictors
  such as
• Parents drinking
• Accessibility to alcohol
• Perceived norms about teenage drinking
• Attitudes toward alcohol use

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Childrens Alcohol Use
The process of accumulation of expectations over
time for mothers who consistently overestimated
their childs alcohol use.
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Childrens Alcohol Use
The additive effects of expectations over time
worsen an initial difference in alcohol use
between mothers who overestimate and
underestimate their childs alcohol use.
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Schemas influence

• Our attention and encoding
• Our memory
• Our judgments
• Our behaviour
• which can in turn influence our social environment

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Questions?
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Dual Processes Automatic vs. Controlled
Processing

• An Automatic Process is
• unintentional/spontaneous
• efficient
• fast
• implicit/nonconscious
• uncontrollable
• 2. How do we measure this type of process?

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Automatic/Implicit Measures

• Reaction Time Tasks
• Lexical Decision Task/Sequential Priming Task
• Stroop Task
• Implicit Association Test - IAT
• Physiological/Social Cognitive Neuroscience
  Measures
• ECG (heart rate)
• Cortisol Levels
• FMRI, EEG (brain activity)
• Subtle and Nonverbal Behaviours

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Name Letter Task
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How much do you like this letter? ___ really
dislike really like 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 ___
really dislike really
like 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 ___ really dislike
really like 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 ___ really
dislike really like 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 ___
really dislike really
like 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 ___ really dislike
really like 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
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Name Letter Task
How much they like each letter of the
alphabet F really dislike really
like 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 C really dislike
really like 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Compare mean ratings
of own first and last initials to overall liking
across all subjects of those first and last
initials
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Self-Esteem

• A persons overall self-evaluation or sense of
  self-worth.

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How is the Name Letter Task Automatic?

• An Automatic Process is
• unintentional/spontaneous
• efficient
• fast
• implicit/nonconscious
• uncontrollable

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SELF-ESTEEM IAT
pleasant or SELF
unpleasant or OTHER
THEM
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SELF-ESTEEM IAT
pleasant or SELF
unpleasant or OTHER
love
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SELF-ESTEEM IAT
unpleasant or SELF
pleasant or OTHER
ME
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SELF-ESTEEM IAT
unpleasant or SELF
pleasant or OTHER
war
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How is the IAT Automatic?

• An Automatic Process is
• unintentional/spontaneous
• efficient
• fast
• implicit/nonconscious
• uncontrollable

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Subtle and Nonverbal Behaviours

• What are subtle and nonverbal behaviors?
• What is an example of this type of behaviour
  related to self-esteem?
• How are these effects automatic?Are they
  intentional? Controlled? Are participants aware
  that they are making these types of responses?
• Nonverbal leakage
• Definition the unintentional transmission of
  information through nonverbal channels of
  communication.
• Might occur because
• dont think to control nonverbals
• arent able to control nonverbals

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Dual Processes Automatic vs Controlled
Processing

• A Controlled Process is
• intentional/deliberative
• capacity consuming/inefficient
• generally slower
• explicit/conscious
• controllable
• 2. How do I measure this type of process?

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Controlled/Explicit Measures

• Self-Report Measures
• Standard Personality Measures/Attitude Measures
  (e.g., surveys, questionnaires, interviews)
• Explicit Behaviours
• What say, how act, who choose, etc. when able to
  deliberate and control responses

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Self-Esteem

• A persons overall self-evaluation or sense of
  self-worth.

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Examples of Explicit Measures of Self-Esteem

• Self-Esteem
• overall self-evaluation or sense of self-worth
• Rosenberg (1965) Trait Self-Esteem Scale
• Pennebaker (1997) Writing Task

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Rosenberg (1965) Trait Self-Esteem Scale

• 10 items
• I feel that I am a person of worth, at least on
  an equal plane with others.
• Strongly disagree Strongly agree
• 1 2 3 4

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Pennebaker (1997) Writing Task

• Instruct participants to write about their
  deepest thoughts and feelings about themselves.

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Explicit and Deliberative Behaviours

• What are explicit, controlled, deliberative
  behaviors?
• What is an example of this type of behaviour
  related to self-esteem?
• How are these effects controlled/explicit?Are
  they intentional? Are participants aware that
  they are making these types of responses? Are
  they controlled?

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Jordan, Spencer, Zanna, Hoshino-Browne, Correll
(2003)

• Measured Explicit Self-Esteem (Rosenberg scale)
• conscious and deliberately reasoned evaluations
  of self
• Measured Implicit Self-Esteem (IAT)
• automatic evaluations of self that occur
  unintentionally and outside of awareness
• Examined relationship with Narcissism
• Grandiose self-views (potentially concealing
  unacknowledged self-doubt)
• I really like to be the center of attention
• I like to look at myself in the mirror
• I am more capable than other people

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Jordan, Spencer, Zanna, Hoshino-Browne, Correll
(2003)

• Examined relationship of Implicit and Explicit
  Self-Esteem with Narcissism
• Narcissists have grandiose self-views
  (potentially concealing unacknowledged
  self-doubt)
• I really like to be the center of attention.
• I like to look at myself in the mirror.
• I am more capable than other people.

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Jordan, Spencer, Zanna, Hoshino-Browne, Correll
(2003)
Explicit Self-Esteem Low
High
Real low Self-esteem Defensive Self-Esteem
? Real high (secure) Self-esteem
Low High
Implicit Self-Esteem
So which group would be high in narcissism (i.e.,
Who would have a grandiose self-view
(potentially concealing unacknowledged
self-doubt)?
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Self-Esteem

• A persons overall self-evaluation or sense of
  self-worth.
• Is high self-esteem good or bad?
• good it protects us from depression, drug
• abuse, some types of delinquency
• bad terrorists and gang leaders have high
  self-esteem,
• if we reject people with high self-esteem they
  can become ugly and abusive
• The answer may be related to dual processing
  theories.

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Jordan, Spencer, Zanna, Hoshino-Browne, Correll
(2003)
Explicit Self-Esteem Low
High
High levels of Narcissism -
Low levels of Narcissism
Low High
Implicit Self-Esteem

• These findings suggest that we may need to
  re-conceptualize the way we think about and
  measure self-esteem and the importance of taking
  these dual processes into account.

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Gut Feelings vs. AnalysisDual Attitudes

• Wilson (1989) - dating

Attitudes
Behaviors?
How happy are you in your relationship? This
predicts (in general) whether a couple will be
dating a few months later.
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Gut Feelings vs. AnalysisDual Attitudes

• Dijksterhuis (2004) Apartment Study
• Information about 4 apartments in Amsterdam
• Described each with 12 different attributes
• Apt. A sizeable, bad neighbourhood, cheap, bay
  window, etc
• Apt. B nice area, far from stores, expensive,
  subway, etc
• Apt. C cheap, nice neighbours, ugly, small
  bedrooms, etc
• Apt D unfriendly landlord, no fireplace, small
  kitchen, poor condition, etc
• One apartment was more desirable and one less
  desirable than others.

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Gut Feelings vs. AnalysisDual Attitudes

• Dijksterhuis (2004)
• All subjects asked to evaluate each apartment
• 1/3 did so immediately
• 1/3 given 3 minutes to think about it consciously
• 1/3 told that they would have to choose later but
  they were distracted for 3 minutes to prevent
  them from conscious thought (2-back task)

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Gut Feelings vs. AnalysisDual Attitudes

• Dijksterhuis van Olden (2006) - Poster Study
• Subjects were allowed to choose 1 of 5 poster to
  take home
• 1/3 look briefly at poster and choose
• 1/3 look at poster briefly and allowed to think
  about choice for 9 minutes
• 1/3 look briefly at poster and then distracted
  for 9 minutes

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Gut Feelings vs. AnalysisDual Attitudes

• Dijksterhuis van Olden (2006) - Poster Study
• Experimenter called them a few weeks later
• Guess who was happiest with their poster?
• Also asked how much money they needed to sell the
  poster back

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Questions?
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Next Class

• Class 3 Social Perception and Self-Perceptions
• Reading material
• Chapter 4 Social Perception
• How We Come to Understand Other People,
• pp. 88-123.
• Chapter 5 Self-Knowledge and the Need to
  Maintain Self-Esteem,
• pp. 124-151.