Summary: Social Perception & Cognition
Friday, 14 March, 2025 10:13 PM
Social Perception and Cognition
1. Dual Thinking Systems
• System 1 (Fast, Automatic)
○ Operates quickly, with little/no effort
○ Example: Identifying colors, solving simple math (e.g., 2+2=?)
• System 2 (Slow, Effortful)
○ Allocates attention to complex mental activities
○ Example: Focusing on a lecture, evaluating logical arguments
• How They Work Together
○ System 1 runs automatically; System 2 remains in low-effort mode
○ System 1 provides suggestions (impressions, intuitions, feelings)
○ If System 2 endorses them → Beliefs & Actions
○ Key Fact: System 1 cannot be turned off
2. Perceiving the Social World
• Priming
○ Activation of knowledge/goals by related knowledge
○ Example: Bargh et al. (1996) – Participants primed with aging-related words walked
slower
○ Everyday Example: Depressed moods prime negative thoughts
• False Memories
○ Recall of events that did not happen (memories are "constructed" during retrieval)
○ Influenced by mood, attitudes, and context
3. Judging the Social World
• Intuition in Judgment
○ Helps in quick social judgments
○ Downside: Prone to errors due to schemas & emotions
• Judgment Errors
○ Judgmental Overconfidence: Overestimating accuracy of one’s beliefs (linked to
confirmation bias)
○ Heuristics: Mental shortcuts for quick decision-making (not always accurate)
○ Illusory Thinking:
▪ Seeing correlations where none exist
▪ Believing uncontrollable events are within one’s control
Week 7 Page 1
Friday, 14 March, 2025 10:13 PM
Social Perception and Cognition
1. Dual Thinking Systems
• System 1 (Fast, Automatic)
○ Operates quickly, with little/no effort
○ Example: Identifying colors, solving simple math (e.g., 2+2=?)
• System 2 (Slow, Effortful)
○ Allocates attention to complex mental activities
○ Example: Focusing on a lecture, evaluating logical arguments
• How They Work Together
○ System 1 runs automatically; System 2 remains in low-effort mode
○ System 1 provides suggestions (impressions, intuitions, feelings)
○ If System 2 endorses them → Beliefs & Actions
○ Key Fact: System 1 cannot be turned off
2. Perceiving the Social World
• Priming
○ Activation of knowledge/goals by related knowledge
○ Example: Bargh et al. (1996) – Participants primed with aging-related words walked
slower
○ Everyday Example: Depressed moods prime negative thoughts
• False Memories
○ Recall of events that did not happen (memories are "constructed" during retrieval)
○ Influenced by mood, attitudes, and context
3. Judging the Social World
• Intuition in Judgment
○ Helps in quick social judgments
○ Downside: Prone to errors due to schemas & emotions
• Judgment Errors
○ Judgmental Overconfidence: Overestimating accuracy of one’s beliefs (linked to
confirmation bias)
○ Heuristics: Mental shortcuts for quick decision-making (not always accurate)
○ Illusory Thinking:
▪ Seeing correlations where none exist
▪ Believing uncontrollable events are within one’s control
Week 7 Page 1
