Social Comprehension and Judgment : The Role of Situation Models, Narratives, and Implicit Theories

by Wyer, Jr., Robert S.

• ISBN13: 9780805841909
• ISBN10: 0805841903
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2003-07-01
• Publisher: Lawrence Erlbau

Summary

Written by one of the foremost authorities in social cognition, Social Comprehension and Judgmentexamines how people process information encountered in their everyday lives. In the book, Dr. Wyer proposes a new theory about the way in which information acquired in everyday life is comprehended and represented in memory, and how it is later used as a basis for judgments and decisions. A major emphasis throughout is on the construction and use of narrative representations of knowledge and the way that visual images influence the comprehension of these narratives and the judgments based on them. The role of affective reactions in this cognitive activity is also discussed. Social Comprehension and Judgmentis divided into three sections. Part I provides a conceptual overview by outlining the general theoretical framework focusing on assumptions about the storage and retrieval of information and reviews recent research on the impact of knowledge accessibility on judgments and decisions. Part II deals with the comprehension of information, and examines the role of these processes in impression formation, persuasion, and responses to humor. Part III describes the inferences that are based on information conveyed in social situations. This book is ideal for advanced students and researchers interested in the areas of social cognition or social information processing.

Author Biography

Dr. Robert S. Wyer, Jr. is a Visiting Professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and a Professor (Emeritus) at the University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign

Table of Contents

Preface	xi
PART I: INTRODUCTION AND BASIC CONCEPTS
Introduction	3	(23)
Types of Social Knowledge	6	(4)
The Representation of Knowledge in Memory	10	(6)
Situation Models	16	(1)
Generalized Event Representations	17	(5)
Generalized Entity Representations	22	(4)
The Architecture of the Information-Processing System	26	(21)
Limitations of Wyer and Srull's (1989) Theory	26	(3)
Structure of the Processing System	29	(8)
Storage and Retrieval Processes	37	(4)
Goal-Directed Versus Non-Goal-Directed Processing: Spontaneous Reminding Processes	41	(4)
Concluding Remarks	45	(2)
Determinants and Effects of Knowledge Accessibility	47	(32)
General Considerations	47	(2)
Frequency and Recency Effects of Knowledge Activation on Judgments and Decisions	49	(4)
Effects of Awareness	53	(4)
Effects of Knowledge Accessibility at Different Stages of Processing	57	(6)
The Effects of Prior Judgments on Subsequent Ones	63	(2)
Determinants and Consequences of the Accessibility of Goals and Motives	65	(7)
The Activation of Behavioral Dispositions	72	(3)
Concluding Remarks	75	(4)
PART II: COMPREHENSION PROCESSES
The Comprehension and Validation of Information About Familiar People and Events: The Role of Situation Models	79	(27)
The Content and Structure of Situation Models	80	(3)
The Role of Visual Imagery in Comprehending Social Events	83	(5)
Spontaneous Comprehension Processes	88	(4)
The Comprehension of Verbal Statements	92	(6)
Spontaneous Validity Judgments	98	(6)
Concluding Remarks	104	(2)
The Construction of Episode Models and Generalized Narrative Representations	106	(18)
The Construction of Episode Models	106	(10)
The Construction of Generalized Narrative Representations	116	(8)
The Impact of Generalized Event Representations on Comprehension and Memory	124	(27)
The Role of Prototypic Event Representations in the Comprehension of One's Own and Others' Experiences	125	(12)
The Effects of Communicating About an Experience on Memory and Judgment	137	(12)
Concluding Remarks	149	(2)
Pragmatic Influences on the Interpretation of Statements Made in a Social Context	151	(38)
General Considerations	152	(3)
Responses to Uninformative Messages	155	(5)
Reactions to Communications That One Believes to Be Untrue	160	(5)
Pragmatic Influences on Impression Formation in Informal Conversations	165	(13)
The Effect of Nonverbal Behavior and Conversational Style on Impression Formation, Judgment, and Information Seeking	178	(8)
Pragmatic Communication in Close Relationships	186	(1)
Concluding Remarks	187	(2)
The Dynamics of Humor Elicitation: The Effects of Informational Context on the Interpretation and Elaboration of Narratives	189	(42)
Historical Background	192	(6)
A Comprehension--Elaboration Theory of Humor Elicitation	198	(11)
Cognitive Elaboration Processes	209	(9)
Reactions to Disparaging Humor	218	(9)
Concluding Remarks	227	(4)
PART III: INFERENCE PROCESSES
Crimes, Vacations, and Political Candidates: The Construction and Use of Narratives in Social Judgments	231	(36)
The Impact of Narratives on Jury Decision Making	232	(2)
A Comparison of Narrative-Based Versus Nonnarrative-Based Information Processing	234	(6)
The Influence of Narratives on Political Impression Formation	240	(9)
The Role of Visual Imagery on Verbal Information Processing: Additional Considerations	249	(6)
General Effects of Narrative-Based Processing on Explanation and Prediction	255	(10)
Concluding Remarks	265	(2)
The Impact of Implicational Molecules and Implicit Theories on Inferences About Oneself and Others	267	(39)
General Considerations	267	(7)
Effects of Implicit Theories on Reconstructive Memory	274	(4)
Motivational Influences on Implicit Theory Construction and Use	278	(2)
The Role of Implicit Theories in Heuristic-Based Judgments	280	(6)
Individual Differences in Implicit Theories	286	(2)
Implicit Theories of Social Support: The Effect of Perspective on Theory Activation	288	(2)
Cultural Differences in Implicit Theories	290	(5)
The Role of Implicit Theories in Marital Satisfaction	295	(4)
Effects of Implicit Theories on Behavioral Decisions	299	(6)
Final Comment	305	(1)
The Role of Affect in Information Processing	306	(59)
General Considerations	307	(5)
Affect and Concept Accessibility	312	(3)
The Influence of Affect on the Recall and Interpretation of Information	315	(7)
The Use of Affect as Information	322	(3)
Affective Versus Descriptive Bases for Judgment	325	(7)
Affect-Confirmation Processes	332	(4)
Adjustments for Bias	336	(3)
Automatic Influences of Affect on Information Processing	339	(3)
Motivational Influences of Affect on Information Processing	342	(2)
A Performance-Feedback Model of Affect as Information	344	(14)
Affect, Attitudes, and Behavior	358	(5)
Final Comments	363	(2)
Epilogue: The Book, The Author, and Philosophical Ruminations	365	(9)
Appendix: Summary of Postulates	374	(6)
References	380	(25)
Author Index	405	(10)
Subject Index	415