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
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)
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?
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)
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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