Deck 5: Section 2: Self in Social Cognition

Question 1

What is meant by "social projection"? What are some of the motives and mechanisms underlying this phenomenon, and what are some of the consequences?
a. People tend to assume their own characteristics preferences, traits, etc.) to be characteristic of others; even when they have time to think, receive accuracy feedback, or have relevant information about the others.
b. Arising from a desire to see our own characteristics as good, but also because self characteristics are a useful set of cognitive heuristics for rapid inferences.
c. Tend to project our most favorable qualities to more attractive targets and our undesirable ones onto unfavorable targets.

Answer 1

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Question 2

Discuss one positive outcome and one negative outcome of social projection. In your estimation, is social projection a useful process? Why or why not?

Answer 2

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Question 3

Describe the likely difference in conceptions of the self for a child growing up in an independent culture versus one growing up in an interdependent culture.
a. Independent:
i. Culture: Eastern American.
ii. Definition: self as a bounded, unique, integrated motivational/cognitive universe; center of awareness, emotion, judgment, action, organized into a distinctive whole & set.
iii. Internal qualities: fixed/stable from situation to situation.
b. Interdependent:
i. Culture: East Asian, Southern European, Latin American.
ii. Definition: Self as part of encompassing social relationships and adjusting one's behavior to what one perceives to be the thoughts, feelings, and actions of others in the relationship.
iii. Internal qualities: situation-specific and unstable, not defining characteristics of the self.
c. Differences in self-perception, motivation, memory, emotion.

Answer 3

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Question 4

Give an example of a person's need for self-improvement and a different example of a person's need for self-enhancement. How do these motives differ in their probable outcomes?

Question 5

Describe three benefits of self-enhancement. Cite empirical examples.
a. Mental health: feel better about self, develop motivation to pursue goals, persist in goals achievement.
b. Social relationships.
c. Feedback response: More receptive to negative feedback, less defensive, more positive to other people.
d. Biological: lower cortisol stress hormone) levels, lower heart rate, lower blood pressure when under laboratory stress tasks.