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Cognition and Behavior

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Cognition and Behavior
Cognition and Behavior In Social Psychology

In social psychology both cognition and behavior are used to draw conclusions. Cognition is defined as our metal processes of acquiring knowledge and information, whereas behavior is defined as how we act, or conduct ourselves in a given situation. Recently, social psychologists believe that in order to understand why someone acts the way they do in a given social situation we have to first understand their mental processes. Social psychologists now believe that behavior and cognition are closely and continuously related. Behavior plays a large role in the study of social psychology. Social psychologists aim to discover the reason behind certain behaviors in social settings. For example, it is almost a known fact that we will behave differently around someone who we find attractive, whether this is a conscious thought or an unconscious thought. Further, social psychologist have determined that the way others behave in social situations has a large impact on the way we will act in that same social situation. Another interesting aspect of behavior in social psychology is formulating impressions about someone’s personality traits strictly on the basis of their appearance. Although drawing conclusions about a person’s character from appearance is frowned upon, it is not always wrong. It may also be relatively accurate. Mood also plays a valuable role in the way we behave in a social situation. It has been found that depending on our mood, we will act differently. For example, if you are in a good mood you are much more likely to have a positive or enjoyable experience, whereas if you are in a bad mood you may experience something negatively. Perhaps the more obvious aspect of social psychology is cognition, or our mental process and the way we perceive things. Our cognitive processes are closely related to our behavior, however cognition also depends on past experiences as well. For example, if a student comes up with

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