PSYC 334 Study Guide - Quiz Guide: Extraversion And Introversion, Impression Management, Positive Illusions

• School: University of Maryland
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 334
• Professor: Ryan Curtis

Document Summary

Social cognition includes all of the processes of perception and thought with which we make sense of our social worlds. First impressions (and beyond): when we first meet others, we jump to conclusions because of stereotypes and primacy effects. Confirmation biases then affect our selection of subsequent data, and overconfidence leads us to put unwarranted faith in our judgments. The power of perceptions: partners" perceptions can be very consequential. Idealizing our partners: happy partners construct positive illusions that emphasize their partners" virtues and minimize their faults. Attributional processes: the explanations we generate for why things happen are called attributions. Partners are affected by actor/observer effects and self-serving biases, and they tend to employ either relationship- enhancing or distress-maintaining patterns of attribution. Memories: we edit and update our memories as time goes by. This process of reconstructive memory helps couples stay optimistic about their futures. Relationship beliefs: dysfunctional relationship beliefs such as destiny beliefs are clearly disadvantageous.