PSYCH 1103 1st Edition Lecture 16Outline of Last Lecture Exam 2Outline of Current Lecture I. Definition II. Social cognition III. Social comparison a. Evaluate many properties of oneselfb. Temporal comparison c. Social comparison IV. Social comparison strategies a. Upward social comparison b. Downward social comparison V. Protecting the selfa. Terror Management Theory VI. Social identity VII. Self-schemasVIII. Schemas for others IX. First impressionsCurrent LectureI. Definition a. There are no species with one population b. Study of how people’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors influence, and are influenced by others II. Social cognition a. Mental processes that give rise to people’s interpretation of, and reactions to, other people b. Self-concept: beliefs one holds about oneself c. Self-esteem: self-evaluation of one’s worth as a person III. Social comparison a. Evaluate many properties of oneself i. Intelligence ii. Honesty iii. Athleticism iv. Attractiveness b. Temporal comparisoni. Compare to previous self ii. (Comparing in time)1. ex: yesterday I didn’t find myself attractive, but today I’m looking really good c. Social comparison i. Compare to others ii. Reference to group 1. Can be a single person but usually is a collection of people IV. Social comparison strategies a. Upward social comparison i. Compare to more skilled, better looking, etc. b. Downward social comparison i. Compare to less skilled, less able, etc. c. Both can protect self-esteem i. Upward comparison  “I can’t be expected to do as well as those at the top” ii. Downward comparison  “I may not be the best, but I’m much better than them” d. Exaggerate the difference between self and reference group i. “He’s been playing pool for 20 years” V. Protecting the selfa. Terror Management Theory i. Humans have ability to reflect on inescapable death ii. People are afraid of dying but somehow you have to manage that fear iii. May create overwhelming anxiety “terror” iv. Self esteem reduces anxiety b. Constant drive toward self-esteem to counteract existential anxiety i. Self-esteem is grounded in cultural values c. Studies show that increasing self-esteem buffers effects of exposure to disturbing images, ideas VI. Social identity a. Self is also tied to group i. Jersey-ites, rugby players, nuns, conservatives b. Social identity is part of self-concept i. Allows us to feel part of larger collective ii. Can be a powerful motivation iii. Can also lead to discrimination, prejudice, conflict VII. Self-schemasa. Help people organize and process information about themselvesi. Lots of overlap with self-concept ii. Schemas used to interpret incoming information iii. Often have direct consequences on behavior iv. Major attributes: healthy, smart, socially graceful 1. Work to meet these expectations2. Have hard time remembering events that are not consistent with schema VIII. Schemas for others a. Often grounded in some base rate probabilitiesb. Or at least the perception of probabilitiesc. Schema’s can affect memory, perception, problem solving IX. First impressions a. Made very quickly b. Based on schemas, similarity to known othersc. Change very slowly d. Tend to assume that others are like us i. “Others have my values” ii. “She’s about my age” e. Tend to affect subsequent behavior i. Self-fulfilling prophecy ii. Don’t like X iii. Thus avoid X. Never get to know more about X f. How long does it take you to form an impression from someone’s face?g. Wilis&Tordorovi. Manipulated time of exposure 1. 1/10 to 1 sec 2. Unconstrained ii. Rate “competence”, “trustworthiness”, etc. iii. Found exposure time did not affect people’s