SOCIAL STEREOTYPES AND COGNITIVE MECHANISM OF THEIR PROCESSING
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Given study tests cognitive model related to social information processing - Parallel Constraint Satisfaction Theory. The study was conducted as one of the research steps within another scientific project, which explored stereotypic mode of impression formation. Unlike other models, PCST presents stereotypic mode of thinking as the process, in which received information just as a neural impulse flows in the endless web of mental associations in observer’s mind and automatically acxites/inhibites certain information stored in there. We decided to test these two cognitive processes on the content of real social stereotypes. We explored stereotypes of five social categories (Cook, Lecturer, Doctor, IT and Typical Georgian Man). Then, we measured the level of acxitation/inhibition of certain characteristics within the stereotype of each category. After comparing the level of character activation-deactivation between each category, as well as to the textual characterizations obtained from focus groups about the same categories, it became clear that activation/deactivation process indeed takes place. Moreover, associations activate/deactivate in such a way, that they automatically fit (satisfy) the content of stereotype, held by the observer about perceived social category.
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