We human beings always have a definitive way of involuntarily perceiving things based on our prior experiences. This idea defines how we analyze our social environment and make decisions about them due to the schemas and heuristics that structure our judgments (Weinstock, n.d.). The premise of this essay will focus on a social environment I have once encountered, identify what types of schemas and heuristics I might have employed to understand the people within the environment, and how that impacted your actions.
Recently, I boarded a bus from town, heading home. Then came a man wearing a black hoodie, a black cap that almost concealed his eyes and with timberland boots. As we drove out of town, the guy became restless, looking around suspiciously with his back moved a few inches from the backrest. Right away, my mind developed a schema about who this person might be and his intentions. Based on how I saw thugs dress in Hollywood movies and perceived gangs within my locality, my mind was made up, and I concluded that this might be a thug or gang member who may be armed and not just an ordinary pick-pocketer. I thought his restlessness was a way to survey his environment and target a potential victim.
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From my belief, I began visualizing how I may as well be a victim of an impending robbery, which may probably be violent. My heuristic instincts went into action, and I slipped my phone into my backpack and laced it on my lap So that I could monitor any arm extensions toward it. However, the guy did not read my actions, and he carried on with his restlessness. In a bid to stay out of trouble, I decided to move to a new seat that another passenger had occupied before he alighted. This move reinstated my confidence, and I knew that my worries were in check. Besides, I made a plan to take a motorbike home immediately. I alighted so that I would disguise the guy if he thought about following me outside.
Conclusively, schemas and heuristics define what we think about our environment and help us act appropriately to adapt to social behavior or people within our social environment.
References
Weinstock, B., n.d. Social Cognition And Affect | Principles Of Social Psychology – Brown-
Weinstock . [online] Courses.lumenlearning.com. Available at: <https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-fmcc-social-psychology/chapter/social-cognition-and-affect/> [Accessed 9 July 2020].
Hess, Y., & Pickett, C. (2020). Social Cognition and Attitudes . Noba. Retrieved 9 July 2020, from
https://nobaproject.com/modules/social-cognition-and-attitudes .
