When you meet someone new, you process many different types of information available to you. This processing of social information is what is known as social cognition. You may see if a person fits into some group with which you are familiar and then try to make sense of the personâs behavior in light of others in that group. In addition, you probably have your own goals for relating to the person, which also influence your impression. If your goal is to form a long-term relationship with the person, you will process the information differently than you would the information from a store clerk with whom you do not plan to have any kind of relationship.
The information you focus on, the strategies you use in processing the information, and the resulting impressions and preconceived ideas you form about a person comprise what is called social perception. Since social psychology encompasses relating to others, be it an individual or a group of people, social perception is a fundamentally important topic of study for social psychologists.
Focus on the following factors involved in impression formation: attributions, automatic and controlled thinking, schemas, and cultural influences.
Review the article âPerson Perceptionâ found in this weekâs Learning Resources.
Watch the video on selective attention. Consider ways in which selective attention might impact how you perceive others.
Think about two people. One person should be someone you have known for some time and for whom you can remember first impressions. The other should be someone you do not know and probably wonât see again, (e. g., a grocery store clerk.)
Boeree, C. G. (1999). Person perceptionLinks to an external site.. In social psychology basics. http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/socpsy.html
Submit a 1.5 to 2 page paper that responds to the following:
Select one person in each category below:
A person you do not know and whom you probably will not see again (e.g., a clerk at the grocery store)
A person you have known for some time and for whom you can remember your first impressions (e.g., a coworker or boss, friend, spouse). Do not select someone you have known since your birth or since their birth.
Briefly describe each person, including their specific behavior at your first meeting, the context of your interaction with each person, and your first impression of each person.
Explain the attributions you made for the personâs behavior and identify whether the attributions you made were internal, external, or both. Provide details and explain the implications of making that external or internal attribution.
Explain how you engaged in automatic thinking or controlled thinking in forming your first impression of each person. Describe what it means to engage in that type of thinking and why you engaged in that type of thinking. Also, describe which schemas or heuristics you might have used or, if you did not, why not.
Describe the culture(s) with which you identify. Then analyze how your culture influences your impressions of others by responding to one of the following:
Select a schema and explain how your culture influences the content of that particular schema.
Describe which culturally specific display rule(s) influence your impressions.
Explain why your culture would lead you to engage in either holistic or analytic thinking, and describe when and how you have engaged in holistic or analytic thinking as your culture would predict.
Please no plagiarism
When you meet someone new, you process many different types of information avail
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