Question

Explain how we think about the social world, our perception of the world, and how we view ourselves in the social environment. Draw in-depth conclusions about each of the topics.

Then, select and respond one (1) of the following in the discussion forum:

- List the two (2) major types of social cognition. Discuss the differences between them and give an example of each type.

- Explain how culture influences social thinking. Give an example of a culture that has shown to influence social thinking. It can be a personal experience or a general example. Provide a detailed explanation of how do you consider that the culture identified influences social thinking.

- Provide an in-depth explanation of how people use nonverbal cues to understand others. What are some examples of nonverbal cues?

- How do we determine why people do what they do? Provide an example of a time when you performed an academic or professional action to enable your academic or professional success. Were you successful? If not, what could you have done differently?

Answer 1

Note: This response is in UK English, please paste the response to MS Word and you should be able to spot discrepancies easily. You may elaborate the answer based on personal views or your classwork if necessary. Also, since I don’t know your textbook, you will have to draw in-depth conclusions about each topic that your teacher has asked.

(Answer) From the time we are children, our brain stores memories of what we have experienced and seen. These memories help us formulated thoughts, opinions views about everything and everyone around us. A person might generally tend to base their actions and words around these thoughts that they harbour. This is known as their perception.

1. Culture has a major role in the influence of perception. For instance, the west celebrates an individualistic culture that is a contrast from the community culture in the east. Americans are individuals who have been brought up through an individualistic culture. This means that they focus on their personal well-being, growth, happiness etc. It is an attitude of the “self” before the “community.”

On the other hand, eastern cultures have people raised with a “community living” mentality. These are people who have to make the well-being of their community a priority. People have common Gods, traditions and even the culture is a shared experience. This causes them to carry this attitude in their schools, their workplace and everywhere they go.

For instance, in American culture, it is ok to get a divorce if one is not happy with their spouse. Conversely, a person from the eastern culture would have to consider their family’s opinions, the image in society, the views of their elders etc. before taking such a decision.

Therefore, we perceive the world based on how we have been brought up and the culture that we have been exposed to. This perception that is based on our upbringing tends to dictate our thoughts, words and actions in some way or the other. Therefore, one’s perceptions of the world are an essential component of one’s personality.