Which concept refers to how people think about themselves and the social world?

Study for the UVA Social Psychology exam. Enhance your understanding with multiple choice questions that provide hints and explanations. Prepare effectively for your test!

The concept that refers to how people think about themselves and the social world is social cognition. This term encompasses the processes through which individuals interpret, analyze, and remember information about themselves and the social environments they inhabit. It involves understanding how we perceive social situations, form impressions of others, and develop attitudes and beliefs.

Social cognition plays a crucial role in determining how we behave in social contexts and how we interact with others. It includes understanding how we process information about social groups and our place within those groups, as well as how societal norms and values influence our self-concept and behavior. By studying social cognition, researchers can gain insight into the mechanisms that underlie social interactions and individual responses to various social stimuli.

Other concepts mentioned, such as social identity, social influence, and social perception, play important roles in the field of social psychology but do not specifically capture the broader cognitive processes involved in thinking about oneself and the social world. Social identity focuses on how individuals define themselves in terms of group memberships, social influence examines how individuals change their thoughts or behaviors due to the presence of others, and social perception is the process of forming impressions and understanding others' behaviors. Each of these concepts contributes to our understanding of social interactions, but social cognition stands out in focusing

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