SOCIAL COGNITION

DEFINITION OF TERMS

• Social Psychology
• the study of how the thoughts, feelings, and behaviour of
individuals are influenced by the actual, imagined, or
implied presence of others
• Cognitive Psychology
• the study of how people process, store, and retrieve
information
• Social Cognition
• the scientific study of how individuals attend to, interpret,
and remember information about their social worlds
FOUR CORE PROCESSES OF
SOCIAL COGNITION

• Attention
• Interpretation
• Judgment
• Memory
ATTENTION

Attention –
This is the process of consciously focusing on features of the
environment or oneself
• Attention is limited, and different people may focus on
different features of the same situation.
INTERPRETATION

Interpretation –
Refers to the process through which we give meaning to the
events we experience
• Many social situations can be interpreted in more than
one way.
JUDGMENT

Judgment –
This is the process of using information to form impressions
and make decisions
• Because we often have limited information, many social
judgments are “best guesses.”
MEMORY

Memory –
This is storing and retrieving information for future use
• Memory can influence our decisions by affecting what
we pay attention to, and how we interpret it.
MANAGING SELF-IMAGE

• Desire to See Self as Effective and Desire to See Self as Having Good
Relationships makes one to try to manage the self image

Self-Enhancement & Protection Strategies:

1. Social Comparison
• Downward social comparison –
This is the process of comparing ourselves with those who are less well off
• Example: Breast cancer patients compared themselves to those who had more serious
surgery
MANAGING SELF-IMAGE

• Upward social comparison –

This refers to the process of comparing ourselves with those who are better off than
ourselves
• Example: Comparing yourself to an “A” student in order to inspire yourself to study more.

2. Self-Serving Attributions
• If you get a great grade on your next exam, why will that be?
• Because you’re smart?
• Because you studied hard?

• What if you get a lousy grade? Will that be because the exam was too hard? Because I
have a lousy teacher?
SCHEMAS

• A schema is a mental concept that informs a person about what to expect

from a variety of experiences and situations.
• Schemas are mental frameworks or structures that help individuals
organize and interpret information based on prior knowledge and
experiences.
• Schemas are developed based on information provided by life experiences
and are then stored in memory.
• Our brains create and use schemas as a short cut to make future
encounters with similar situations easier to navigate.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE CULTURAL ROLE
OF SCHEMAS AND HEURISTICS
Schemas and heuristics both play important roles in shaping human cognition and behavior, particularly
in the context of culture. However, they serve distinct functions and operate in different ways.
Schemas
• Cultural Role: Foundation of Worldview: Schemas are deeply influenced by cultural norms,
values, and practices, shaping how individuals perceive the world.
• Shared Understanding: Within a culture, schemas create a common ground for understanding
behaviors, rituals, and social interactions.
• Guiding Long-term Interpretation: They provide a structured way to understand complex or new
information over time, such as cultural norms regarding family roles or societal expectations.
• Examples: In collectivist cultures, schemas may emphasize interdependence and community, while
in individualistic cultures, they might focus on personal achievement and independence.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE CULTURAL ROLE
OF SCHEMAS AND HEURISTICS
Heuristics
• Definition: Heuristics are mental shortcuts or rules of thumb that simplify decision-making and
problem-solving processes.
• Cultural Role
• Influencing Quick Judgments: Heuristics help individuals make rapid decisions in culturally relevant
contexts (e.g., deciding how to greet someone based on cultural norms like bowing or shaking hands).
• Culturally Shaped Biases: The type of heuristics used and their outcomes can reflect cultural
tendencies. For instance, cultures with high uncertainty avoidance may rely on heuristics that prioritize
caution and predictability.
• Adaptability: Heuristics allow people to function efficiently in their cultural environment by focusing on
practical, situation-specific solutions rather than detailed analysis.
• Examples: Availability heuristics might be influenced by culturally salient events, such as common
festivals or tragedies that dominate a society's collective memory.
 KEY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SCHEMAS AND HEURISTICS

Schemas Heuristics
Aspect

Organizing and interpreting Simplifying decision-making

Purpose
complex information processes

Short-term, immediate
Timeframe Long-term framework
decisions

Shapes and reflects shared Reflects cultural tendencies

Cultural Influence
cultural norms in problem-solving

Deep processing of
Cognition Type Quick, intuitive thinking
information

Roles of elders in a Stereotypes used for quick

Examples
community judgments
TYPES OF ERRORS IN SOCIAL COGNITION

[Link] Errors
1. Fundamental Attribution Error:
• Tendency to overemphasize personality traits and underestimate situational factors when explaining others'
behavior.
Example: Assuming someone who cuts in traffic is rude, without considering they might be rushing to an
emergency.
2. Self-Serving Bias:
• Attributing personal successes to internal factors (e.g., effort) and failures to external factors (e.g., bad
luck).
Example: Passing an exam is due to intelligence, but failing is blamed on the difficulty of the test.
3. Actor-Observer Bias:
• Explaining one's own actions with situational factors but attributing others' actions to their disposition.
Example: "I was late because of traffic, but they’re late because they’re disorganized."
TYPES OF ERRORS IN SOCIAL COGNITION CONT’

2. Stereotyping and Prejudice

•Stereotyping:
•Applying generalized beliefs about a group to an individual, often leading to misjudgments.
Example: Assuming someone from a particular ethnic group excels at specific activities
without knowing them personally.
•Prejudice:
•Forming unjustified attitudes or emotions toward a group based on stereotypes.
Example: Feeling distrust toward someone based solely on their cultural background.
3. Confirmation Bias
•Tendency to seek, interpret, and remember information that confirms pre-existing beliefs while
ignoring contradictory evidence.
Example: Believing all politicians are corrupt and only focusing on news that supports this belief.
TYPES OF ERRORS IN SOCIAL COGNITION
CONT’
4. Halo and Horn Effects
Halo Effect:
• Judging someone positively in all areas based on one favorable trait.
Example: Assuming a physically attractive person is also intelligent and
kind.
Horn Effect:
• Judging someone negatively in all areas based on one unfavorable trait.
Example: Assuming a person with a disorganized desk is lazy or
incompetent.
TYPES OF ERRORS IN SOCIAL COGNITION
CONT’

5. False Consensus Effect

• Overestimating how much others share one's beliefs, values, or behaviors.
Example: Believing everyone agrees with your political views because your
close friends do.
[Link] Bias
• Assuming others think, feel, or act the same way you do.
Example: Thinking everyone enjoys a certain hobby because you do.
TYPES OF ERRORS IN SOCIAL COGNITION
CONT’
7. Ingroup-Outgroup Bias
• Favoring members of one's own group (ingroup) while discriminating against those in
other groups (outgroup).
Example: Supporting policies that benefit one’s own cultural group at the expense of
others.
8. Anchoring Effect
• Relying too heavily on the first piece of information encountered (the "anchor") when
making judgments.
Example: Thinking a salary offer is high because it's close to the first figure mentioned,
even if the amount is low relative to the market
CAUSES OF ERRORS IN SOCIAL COGNITION

• Cognitive Limitations

The brain uses shortcuts (heuristics) to process large amounts of information quickly, which can
lead to errors.
• Emotional Influences

Emotions like fear, anger, or happiness can distort judgment and decision-making.
• Cultural and Social Norms

Socialization and cultural upbringing influence biases and interpretations of social behavior.
• Memory Biases

Past experiences shape how current information is processed, sometimes leading to distortions
CONSEQUENCES OF SOCIAL COGNITION

1. Errors Interpersonal Conflicts

Misjudging others can lead to misunderstandings and strained
relationships.
2. Discrimination and Inequality
Stereotyping and prejudice contribute to systemic social issues.
[Link] Decision-Making
Biased judgments can result in faulty decisions in personal and
professional contexts.
STRATEGIES TO REDUCE SOCIAL COGNITION
ERRORS
1. Increase Awareness
Recognizing common cognitive biases helps mitigate their effects.
2. Seek Diverse Perspectives
Engaging with people from varied backgrounds challenges stereotypes and assumptions.
3. Practice Empathy
Understanding others' perspectives reduces attribution errors.
4. Encourage Critical Thinking
Questioning initial impressions and seeking evidence prevents snap judgments.
5. Educate on Cultural Sensitivity
Promoting cultural awareness fosters more accurate social judgments.
• THANK YOU