Cognitive Processes and Social Interactions

Social cognition plays a critical role in a person’s ability to interact with the social surroundings . Social cognition involves the understanding of others and oneself. It also focuses on the ways of controlling oneself and the processes that emerge during social interactions. Social cognition covers different skills that relate to the determination and analysis of emotions such as facial expressions. The interference of an individual’s mind is also a concept of social cognition. Individuals with outstanding social cognition characteristics are known to lead a purposeful and healthier life (Grison, Heatherton, & Gazzaniga, 2017). Social cognition is influenced by peoples’ judgments, stereotypes, conformity to community’s perception, obedience to authority and revenge. However, social cognition can be measured using various variables which include trustworthiness, facial expressions, gestures, and movements. Culture is used to heal the affective and psychotic disorders. Individuals may find it difficult to handle social situations which terminate their relationships, reduce their self-esteem and increase the risks of being bullied but they can get treatment through cultural or emotional therapy . 

Background 

There is a difference between the traditional interaction framework and modern approach to social cognition. The traditional framework of social cognition explains the difference between personal situations and cognition debates. On the contrary, the modern approach to cognition involves the integration of the personal situation and cognition (Skorburg, 2017 p. 455-457) . Traditionally, social cognition could not be treated because the researchers encountered difficulties in establishing specific signs and symptoms. Through the integration of the two concepts, social cognition can be studied clearly and treatment has been established. 

Doctrines of Social Cognition 

The first approach to social cognition is the doctrine of traits . Social behavior is dependent on personality dispositions. Personality enhances the stability, coherence, consistency, and predictability of an individual’s personal behavior (Skorburg, 2017 p. 456) . People of similar personality interact because they exhibit the same social behavior. Individuals with same personality traits form long-lasting relationships. Alternatively, people with different personalities find challenges in interacting and sustaining relationships. The relationships of people with different personality traits are characterized by instability which leads to the emergence of conflicts. 

The second approach to social cognition is the doctrine of situationism . Social behavior relies on the external environment and situational factors (Skorburg, 2017 p. 456) . The social responses of people on interactions are based on environmental and situational elements. The external factors that influence peoples’ social behaviors include the location and settings of the surroundings. People react differently based on present situations. For instance, people are excited in happy moments but they became dull in sad situations. The situation factors have a direct influence on the social behaviors of individuals. However, environmental factors influence the social behaviors of individuals indirectly. 

Literature Review on Social Cognition 

Supporting Arguments 

Proponents and opponents of social cognition perceive that examinations of cognition processes are empirical . The analyses that are related to cognitive processes are based on facts rather than fictional information (Skorburg, 2017 p. 454). It is true that cognitive processes are not only influenced by the mental conditions of an individual but environmental factors also play part in one’s thoughts. The external environment of an individual involves the location which affects their thinking processes. People engage in the external environments every day which influence their approaches to thinking. External environments have a partial effect on a person’s thinking but the body plays the main role. 

There is a close relationship between the development of personal-situation argument and the philosophy of mind . There is a common interest in the nature of the relationships, surroundings, and agents of personal situation debate as well as the philosophy of mind (Skorburg, 2017 p. 461). The factors that influence the personal situation debates and philosophy of the mind are similar. People must have similar perceptions and personality for them to establish long-lasting relationships. Further, personality traits influence the interactions between individuals. 

Objections 

The traditional approach to the explanation and prediction of behavior is not related to the concepts of the nature of cognitive processes . Proponents perceive that behavioral and cognitive concepts are different (Skorburg, 2017 p. 465). The social behavior of people is converse to the mental abilities. The factors that influence social behaviors are different from the elements that affect cognitive processes. However, this is not true because personality influences cognitive processes and social behaviors. Also, environmental factors affect the social behaviors and cognitive processes of individuals. The objection is weak because the factors that influence social cognition are supported by the doctrine of traits and situationalism. 

The second objection to social cognition literature is that people and agents are influenced by situations differently . Agents and people portray different behaviors in various situations (Skorburg, 2017 p. 465). People have different reactions towards situations which affects their social behavior. Individuals react to situations depending on the emotional and psychological effects. It is true that people and agents can exhibit different reactions to situations. 

Signs 

The psychotic disorder is one of the signs of social cognition. The psychotic disorders affect the brain where the victim experiences hallucinations, delusions, and disorder ways of thinking (Koelkebeck et al., 2017 p. 104) . Individuals with psychotic disorders cannot communicate effectively which destroys their social relationships. The victims make poor judgments about situations which influences their emotional responses. People with psychotic disorders cannot understand reality and it affects their thoughts. Subsequently, they cannot conduct the daily activities because they engage in hallucinations. The victim develops a different behavior from the normal human beings which affect their social interactions. 

The second sign of social cognition is affective disorders. Affective disorders vary according to culture due to various factors such as different languages, loss of control, and biased character which influence the depressive levels (Koelkebeck et al, 2017 p. 104) . Individuals with affective disorders have low interest in conducting daily activities and express dissatisfaction in their lives. Affective disorders have an effect on the physical conditions of the victim including weight loss (Koelkebeck et al., 2017 p.104) . Consequently, people with affective disorders are not interested in creating relationships. 

Culture-bound syndromes influence the social cognition of individuals. They are clinical representations symptoms that are based on an individual’s culture (Koelkebeck et al., 2017 p.104) . People rely on their social-cultural beliefs to interact with their counterparts. Therefore, individuals with different social-cultural beliefs cannot socialize which increases their relationship gaps. Further, social-cultural beliefs affect the mentality of community members. People with the culture-bound syndrome interact with individuals of their respective origin because they share similar beliefs. Culture-bound individuals fear socializing with people from different backgrounds because they perceive they might influence their beliefs. 

Trustworthiness is an early sign of social cognition among children. Children draw conclusions on one’s facial expression and the information can be used in important social contexts. Children prefer people with an attractive facial expression because they perceive that they are trustworthy (Sakuta, Kanazawa, &Yamaguchi, 2018 p. 11). Trustworthy people interact freely with people and exhibit an attractive facial expression. On the contrary, untrustworthy individuals are unfriendly and have low interest in creating relationships. Social relationships are built on trust and untrustworthy individuals find it difficult to maintain relationships with people who can be close to them. 

Causes/Development 

Facial appearance influences social interactions of individuals . The first impression of someone influences the decisions on establishing interactions. The first impressions that are exhibited in the facial expression assist individuals to make judgments in social settings such as court proceedings, business meetings, and political rallies. Thus, courts can base the rulings on the facial expressions of the accused and people can elect leaders according to their attractiveness (Sakuta, Kanazawa, &Yamaguchi, 2018 p. 11). An individual interacts with people who have attractive behaviors and facial expressions. Individuals base their judgments on body movements and gestures of a person. People make conclusions after assessing a person’s first impression. Making judgments at the first meeting is not guarantee in drawing the right conclusions. 

Personality traits influence the social behaviors of people . The social behaviors of individuals are influenced by their personal attributes which include values, intentions, traits, perceptions, and emotions (Skorburg, 2017 p. 456). People socialize on the basis of their similarities in personality types. Individuals with different personalities form strained relationships which exist in the short-term. However, people with similar personalities interact because they share various traits, perceptions, and values. Individuals with the same personality have common reactions towards situations which establish their relationships. 

Situations influence the social behaviors of individuals . Situational factors affect the social interactions among individuals (Skorburg, 2017, p. 456). People exhibit different behaviors in situations which has a direct influence on their social interactions. Consequently, individuals with similar reactions to the situations tend to create relationships leaving out the people with different responses. Individuals with similar perceptions towards the situations interact to support the arguments or concepts. Further, people with similar emotional reactions interact during situational settings. 

External factors have an influence on the social interactions of individuals . The physical environment affects the social behavior of individuals (Skorburg, 2017 p. 456). The physical surroundings shape the social behaviors of a person which affects their relationships. People from the same physical environment can interact easily because their behaviors are shaped by similar elements. Conversely, individuals from different environments encounter challenges in establishing their social interactions. The physical settings also affect an individual’s response to social relationships. For instance, people from a specific location can be ready to establish relationships but others can resist close interactions. 

Assessment 

The 2D model can be used to assess trustworthy faces and dominance of individuals. The faces are computer generated to enhance the assessment of trustworthiness (Sakuta, Kanazawa, &Yamaguchi, 2018 p. 11). The 2D framework will determine the social evaluations and judgments using trustworthiness as the axes. High levels of trustworthiness indicate positive judgments of attraction and responsibility. Alternatively, high levels of dominance indicate low attractiveness and irresponsibility. It is important to assess trustworthiness to establish the levels of social judgment. 

Randomized examinations of face stimuli can be used to assess trustworthy and untrustworthy faces of individuals . The CTR monitor under the control of a computer can be used to enhance the assessment of the face stimuli (Sakuta, Kanazawa, &Yamaguchi, 2018 p. 4). The face stimuli must be computer generated for effective assessment of the main variable which includes trustworthiness and untrustworthiness. There is a need for additional apparatus such as the Adobe Photoshop Software is required to crop the picture for effective assessment. The CCD (Charge Couple Devices) camera is important in monitoring the face stimuli in the CTR. Through carrying out the assessment, trustworthy and untrustworthy faces can be distinguished to identify individuals with low social-cognition levels. 

Treatment 

Culture can shape the mental disorders . The change in cultural practices can influence the social cognition behavior positively which improves the condition of the patient (Koelkebeck et al., 2017 p.103) . A community can change some of the education styles, behaviors, and speech to improve the social cognition of the patient. People adopt behaviors through cultural ties within different generations. Communities need to eliminate the practices of the former generations to enhance the social interactions among the members. Education is significant in the patient’s recovery from psychotic disorders. The patient can acknowledge reality after receiving the education. 

Personal Reflection 

Conducting this research has assisted me to gain insights on social cognition. I thought that I had a psychotic disorder but had little knowledge in the area of social interactions and cognitive processes. I always heard myths about the disorder but conducting the research has assisted me to gather the actual factual about psychosis. I like facing reality which makes me avoid hallucinations. I think in critically and orderly which makes me perform well in my academics. I have an interest in gathering facts to avoid delusions. My siblings used to joke that I have a mental disorder but I have discovered that I am healthy. Analyzing the topic has helped me to realize I have challenges in controlling my emotions which is one of the signs of psychotic disorders. I need to improve on emotional regulations to sustain my healthy condition. I can use this information to assist individuals with psychotic and affective disorders to improve their social cognition. 

References  

Grison, S., Heatherton, T., & Gazzaniga, M. (2017). Psychology in Your Life . Norton. 

Koelkebeck, K., Uwatoko, T., Tanaka, J., & Kret, M. E. (2017). How culture shapes social cognition deficits in mental disorders: A review.  Social Neuroscience ,  12 (2), 102-112.Retrieved from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17470919.2016.1155482 

Sakuta, Y., Kanazawa, S., &Yamaguchi, M.K. (2018). Infants prefer a trustworthy person: An early sign of social cognition in infants. PLoS ONE 13(9): e0203541. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0203541 

Skorburg, J. A. (2017). Lessons and new directions for extended cognition from social and personality psychology.  Philosophical Psychology ,  30 (4), 458-480.Retrieved from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09515089.2017.1282606