PSYCH 414 Lecture Notes - Shooting Of Amadou Diallo, Social Cognition
Document Summary
February 4th, 1999 four white policemen mistook diallo for a serial rapist. When he reached for his wallet they fired 41 shots, killing him instantly. The officers saw what made them feel good about themselves. Social cognition approach they were doing their best to judge the risks. People presented with a black or white face for 200 ms (1/5 of a second) Immediately followed by a picture of a weapon or tool. Participants told to ignore face, judge as quickly as possible whether second picture was a weapon or a tool. When it was a black person"s face, there were more errors to people who saw a tool, but said it was a weapon. Mental structures people use to organize their knowledge around themes or topics. Influence the information people notice, thing about, and remember eg: going to a fast food restaurant and knowing what to do. Models in your mind of how something will play out.
