Social Cognition
We are social creatures. From early on in life we seek to make sense of events, the world and ourselves, by interpreting the behavior of others. We interpret the motives and behaviors of others on multiple levels through observation, emotional responses, mentalizing, simulation, and cognitive analysis. Inferring Intentions
People can infer social intentions on the basis of minimal cues. In 1944, a classic experiment by professors of psychology Fritz Heider and Marianne Simmel demonstrated that rudimentary stick images of nvolving chasing triangles and evading circles.
More recent work has shown that children above age 4 and adults in disparate cultures (Germans and Amazonian Indians) can categorize intentions—chasing, fighting, following, playing, and courting (for adults)— from no more than the motion patterns of computerized v-shaped arrowheads.
This implies a universal capacity of people to infer intentions from rudimentary data.
Social Facilitation
Research confirms that when we think others can see us, our level of performance changes—we tend to put more effort into our tasks. Well-learned tasks are executed more quickly and accurately, while unmastered tasks are done more slowly and less accurately. Social Loafing People’s effort and creativity tend to decrease when they work in groups, especially when individual performance within a group cannot be evaluated or separated from the success of the entire group. |
|
- Home
- Overview
-
Understanding Hate
- Introduction
- What is Hate? >
-
The Roots of Hate
>
- Early Imprints >
- What Are We Doing To Our Children? >
- Effects of Trauma and Abuse >
- Causes and Effects of Bullying
- Trauma, bigotry, violence linked
- Authoritarian Upbringings >
- Absolutism and Insularity >
- Papers: Early Roots of Prejudice
- Impaired Cognition >
- The Violent Brain >
- Roots of Violence and Cruelty >
- Ghosts of the Past >
-
How Hate Manifests
>
- Hate in the News >
-
Group Influence
>
- Social Defenses >
- Fanning the Flames >
-
How We Fool Ourselves
>
-
Brain and Belief
>
- Search for Certainty >
- Index: All Biases, Distortions and Influences
-
Overcoming Hate
- Overview of Topics
- Introduction
-
Prevention
>
- Education >
-
Intervention
>
- Social Support and Inclusion >
- Helping Children in Dire Conditions >
- Preventing Violence and Bullying >
- Standing Up To Prejudice, Racism, and Bigotry >
- Training Our Protectors >
- Healing the Hurt >
- Educating Our Leaders >
- Resolving Conflict >
- Israel-Palestine >
- Promoting Dignity >
- Healing the Ghosts of the Past >
- Restorative Justice >
- Confronting Mass Atrocities >
- Social Advances >
- More Solutions >
-
Resources
- Tools