social perception processes social perception - includes attribution, social cognition, and...

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Social Perception Processes Social Perception - includes attribution, social cognition, and impression formation process of understanding social events and social objects, - give meaning to events processing information about these events and objects – find organization choosing responses/reactions to them strategy for using information efficiently prediction about future behaviors/reactions – anticipate and control Goals: understand and react appropriately, and predict accurately – -- to be a Successful Social Being

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Page 1: Social Perception Processes Social Perception - includes attribution, social cognition, and impression formation process of understanding social events

Social Perception Processes

Social Perception - includes attribution, social cognition, and impression formation

process of understanding social events and social objects, - give meaning to events

processing information about these events and objects – find organization

choosing responses/reactions to them – strategy for using information efficiently

prediction about future behaviors/reactions – anticipate and control

Goals: understand and react appropriately, and predict accurately –

-- to be a Successful Social Being

Page 2: Social Perception Processes Social Perception - includes attribution, social cognition, and impression formation process of understanding social events

Social Perception Processes

Process Varies with Experience – working toward increased efficiency/effectiveness

want to be right, but often need to be fast/efficient

Initially – the ‘naïve’ perceiver

know “nothing” except what built in – which is what?

must identify variables, relationships, and learn strategiesfor extracting meaning

use self, and how self is shaped by those around as initial guide

must attend carefully to new experiences in order to learn

(thoughtful processor)

Page 3: Social Perception Processes Social Perception - includes attribution, social cognition, and impression formation process of understanding social events

Social Perception Processes

Imagine you are a ‘naïve’ social perceiver – I approach you and pat your head

What do you want to know?

what was it,

what does it mean,

why did I do it,

how do you feel about it

what should you do,

what do you think of me,

will I do it again,

what else might I do,

How much of this is available in what you see?

Page 4: Social Perception Processes Social Perception - includes attribution, social cognition, and impression formation process of understanding social events

Social Perception Processes

Over time you become – the ‘experienced/sophisticated’ perceiver

What if I approach you and pat you on the head?

Experience provides understanding about,

expectations –

strategies –

structure –

you develop into a skillful, efficient, inference maker

– process can become more “automatic/unconscious”

(thoughtless processor)

Page 5: Social Perception Processes Social Perception - includes attribution, social cognition, and impression formation process of understanding social events

Distal Stimuli

“Reality”

MediationProximal Stimuli

Construction Process

Information Processed

Perception

Elaboration – perception with ‘meaning’ and ‘motives’, etc.

Integration with prior experiences

AppearanceBehavior Context

Social Perception Processes – General Model

Decide on reaction/response based on understanding

Organize/Categorize

Interpret in context of past information

Prepare to be more efficient next time

Page 6: Social Perception Processes Social Perception - includes attribution, social cognition, and impression formation process of understanding social events

Can Focus on:

Consistencies in the process –

Changes in process as we become more experienced –

Group/Individual Differences –

Biases or Errors –

Overall Experience –

Social Perception Processes

Page 7: Social Perception Processes Social Perception - includes attribution, social cognition, and impression formation process of understanding social events

To Fully Understand Others and Social Contexts, must process information

Recognizing Transient States AND Identifying Stable Qualities

Recognizing Transient States

Facial Expressions as windows to emotions

Do emotions lead to consistent facial expressions?

Are facial expressions of emotions correctly recognized?

Six ‘universal’ facial expressions

happiness, surprise, fear, anger, disgust, sadness

Why are we not always accurate in everyday interactions?

The emotion-expression loop

Social Perception Processes

Page 8: Social Perception Processes Social Perception - includes attribution, social cognition, and impression formation process of understanding social events

Identifying Stable Qualities – evaluating the individual behavior

Heider’s (1958) Model and Jones and Davis (1965) Correspondent Inference model

Assumes a logical thoughtful perceiver trying to interpret a single event and decide what it reveals about the ‘actor’ (like a legal judgment)

To what degree does the behavior allow for a ‘correspondent inference’

Level of Responsibility - learn more as PERCEIVED PERSONAL responsibility increases

AssociationCausalityForeseeabilityIntentionalityJustifiability

Naïve perceiver may have more difficulty separating/appreciating these levels

Social Perception Processes

Page 9: Social Perception Processes Social Perception - includes attribution, social cognition, and impression formation process of understanding social events

The Correspondent Inference Model (Jones & Davis)

Effect

Effect

Effect

Effect

Behavior

Ability

Knowledge

CanIntentionQuality

Quality

Quality

Quality

Context

Behaviors that are assumed to have been rejected provide clues about effects intended

Page 10: Social Perception Processes Social Perception - includes attribution, social cognition, and impression formation process of understanding social events

Correspondent Inference Overview

Basic Idea – what information gain can I get from this behavior?

Effects produced by Intentional acts will provide greatest potential gain,but less so if Justifiable (response to external factors)

Behaviors reflect CHOICES among alternative forms (often assumed)

Behavior produces multiple effects

Which effects carry ‘meaning’ –

Which was the intended effect, if any

Label for intended effect applies to the person

Discounting -

Augmentation -

Social Perception Processes

Page 11: Social Perception Processes Social Perception - includes attribution, social cognition, and impression formation process of understanding social events

Identifying Stable Qualities – accumulating information across behaviors

Causal Attribution Model - Kelley (1967)Covariation Model - naïve scientist approach

accumulating information and finding the patterns

Causes Lie within the Social Environment Low High

Person’s (Actors) ConsensusEntities (Objects) DistinctivenessContext (Time/Place) Consistency

Main effects – when/if the data are clearACTOR - Low Low HighOBJECT - High High High

InteractionsACTOR x OBJECT – Low High High

When do you have enough “evidence”?Once causal locus is determined, still must ‘label’ based on effects

like in Correspondent Inference Model

Social Perception Processes

Page 12: Social Perception Processes Social Perception - includes attribution, social cognition, and impression formation process of understanding social events

Goal - to become so good at the process that it takes less time and effort

but you make few mistakes!

Process of improving efficiency should operate at

Individual level, and evolutionary level

examples

Social Cognition Processes–

Create organized body of knowledge about

people

objects

situations

relationships among qualities

Allows us to anticipate and skip thoughtful processing

Social Perception Processes

Page 13: Social Perception Processes Social Perception - includes attribution, social cognition, and impression formation process of understanding social events

Distal Stimuli

“Reality”

MediationProximal Stimuli

Construction Process

Information Processed

Perception

Elaboration – perception with ‘meaning’ and ‘motives’, etc.

Integration with prior experiences

Will each new experience lead to further reorganization?

AppearanceBehavior Context

Social Perception Processes – General Model

Decide on reaction/response based on understanding

Organize/Categorize

Interpret

Prepare to be more efficient next time

Based on salient cues, activate schema to be able to leap to the end – understand OR respond

Bypass

Page 14: Social Perception Processes Social Perception - includes attribution, social cognition, and impression formation process of understanding social events

Begin as DATA DRIVEN processors.....move to THEORY DRIVEN bottom up top down

We become COGNITIVE MISERS - must be able to minimize effort in processing new

experiencesRely on the ‘patterns’ that appear to us

(Schemas about objects, roles, events, etc.)

- As we become ‘experienced’ we must be motivated to engage in effortful processing

when unexpected encountered -when unpleasant experience – when important decision called for -

Social Perception Processes

Page 15: Social Perception Processes Social Perception - includes attribution, social cognition, and impression formation process of understanding social events

How do Schemas operate?

Conscious – initiate intentionally, “act serious”, “drive to X”Unconscious – element in environment activates schema automatically

Representativeness, Availability

Cognitive Processes Influenced

Attention -

Interpretation –

Judgment –

Memory –

Well Developed and Accessible Schemas influence each of the Core Processes

Social Perception Processes

Page 16: Social Perception Processes Social Perception - includes attribution, social cognition, and impression formation process of understanding social events

Social Perception Processes

Schemas and Emotional Reactions

How you feel about an experience may depend on the schemas that are salient

Counterfactual Thinking – comparing an experience to an experience that might have been

– an available salient schema

Research on reactions of Olympic athletes

Upward comparison – could have been better – Silver Medalist

Downward comparison – could have been worse – Bronze Medalist

Page 17: Social Perception Processes Social Perception - includes attribution, social cognition, and impression formation process of understanding social events

Distal Stimuli

“Reality”

MediationProximal Stimuli

Construction Process

Information Processed

Perception

Elaboration – perception with ‘meaning’ and ‘motives’, etc.

Integration with prior experiences

Will each new experience lead to further reorganization?

AppearanceBehavior Context

Social Perception Processes – General Model

Decide on reaction/response based on understanding

Organize/Categorize

Interpret

Prepare to be more efficient next time

Use the bypass – but then go back to verify interpretation

Bypass

In the end, we will move between thoughtful processing and thoughtless processing, depending on the situation and

circumstances. But, as sophisticated perceivers, we do react quickly, but we can then engage thoughtful reexamination.

Page 18: Social Perception Processes Social Perception - includes attribution, social cognition, and impression formation process of understanding social events

Social Perception Processes

Group and Individual Differences

Individual differences in ‘cognitive styles’

Cognitive Needs/Strategies

Implicit Person Models

Cultural differences in fundamental assumptions/processes

East – West Culture Differences

Regional Differences in USA

Page 19: Social Perception Processes Social Perception - includes attribution, social cognition, and impression formation process of understanding social events

Social Perception Processes

Group and Individual Differences

Cultural differences in fundamental assumptions/processes (West vs. East)Nisbett, 2003

Differences found EAST WEST

Perception see things in context attend to salient objects

Organize relationships object categories

Explanations context modifies behavior dispositions guide behaviors

Control collective action believe in personal control

Individual goals merge with group stand out in group

Page 20: Social Perception Processes Social Perception - includes attribution, social cognition, and impression formation process of understanding social events

Social Perception Processes

Biases or Errors - common misuses or misinterpretations of information

Correspondence Bias - Fundamental Attribution Error

Actor/Observer Bias

False Consensus

Self Serving Bias Planning FallacySelf-centered Bias

Page 21: Social Perception Processes Social Perception - includes attribution, social cognition, and impression formation process of understanding social events

Social Perception Processes

Overall Experience –

We do get data that ‘works’ –

Expand our understanding over time (Welbourne, 2001)

impressions over time show more ‘inconsistencies’

also, can ‘explain’ the inconsistencies

- greatest if contextual diversity

Pragmatic accuracy (Gill & Swann, 2004)

consensus within relationship context

better at ‘knowing’ what is needed

Page 22: Social Perception Processes Social Perception - includes attribution, social cognition, and impression formation process of understanding social events

Social Perception Processes

Self Perception (Bem) – Observing your own behavior to understand yourself

When internal cues are weak or ambiguous, we may perceive ourselves as if we were outside observers

External cues can override internal information

Other’s behaviors can alter our interpretations of our own behaviors

Making your own behavior ‘salient’ as a cue