Social Change

Discussion 2: Social Change

As Moskowitz notes, there exist “…general forces that shape social cognition, even though we remain naïve to their influence” (Moskowitz, 2005, p. 233). Social psychologists continue to study the social “forces” that influence how one thinks and in turn, how such thoughts impact behavior. This course has covered several areas of social cognition including the following:

Presence of both conscious and unconscious processing

Memory processes; conceptualization of the self

Attempts to understand causality in the social world

Accuracy of personal cognitive processing

Attitude formation

Stereotypes and prejudice behavior

Impact of gender, culture, and emotion on cognitive processing

Behavior change through social cognitive channels

How might one or more of these elements of social cognition inform your attempts at social change or your daily interactions?

For this Discussion, consider ways you might use your knowledge of social cognition for social change in your future role.

Reference: Moskowitz, G. B. (2005a). Attribution. In Social cognition: Understanding self and others (pp. 233–266). New York, NY: Guilford Press.

Read a selection of your colleagues’ postings.

By Day 7

Respond by Day 7 to at least two of your colleagues’ postings in one or more of the following ways:

Ask a probing question.

Share an insight from having read your colleague’s posting.

Offer and support an opinion.

Validate an idea with your own experience.

Make a suggestion.

Expand on your colleague’s posting.

Return to this Discussion in a few days to read the responses to your initial posting. Note what you have learned and/or any insights you have gained as a result of the comments your colleagues madee.