The human psychology is a very complex system that involves various stages. The human brain accumulates various pieces of information in every single day. The information is fostered by the activities done and different people one meets in their daily endeavors. The new data in the brain must be interpreted, analyzed, and put to use. All these steps involve what is known as mental processing. In processing information, various methods can be used including controlled processing, automatic processing, and social schemas. The discussion will analyze these three processes highlighting how they influence judgment in the social world.
Automatic and Controlled Processing
Evans and Stanovich (2013) asserted that the automatic procession is that which does not require the attention of an individual. Also, people do not need to put an effort to achieve success in controlling automatic processes. A Minimal thought is accorded while such processes occur. Long term practice enhances automatic processes. On the other hand, controlled processing requires individuals to pay maximum attention and put an intentional effort to attain success in an action ( Hogg, 2016). Here, people are conscious and well aware of the things they do. Automatic processes are usually fast, parallel, and as a result of repeated training. Light and Butterworth (2016) state that the controlled processing is slow, limited, and requires effort .
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Controlled and Automatic Processing In Creating Mental Representations of the Social World
Both automatic and controlled processes create a representation of an individual's social world. First, they enhance the learning of various skills in life that are important in the day to day development of an individual. For instance, when a young child is learning how to walk, controlled processing is essential during the latter stages to acquire the skill. The child will continue learning, and through an automatic process, the skill will be completely mastered and perfected. Therefore, the two processes combine to ensure that the child can acquire a skill that enables them to fit in the society entirely. Secondly, automatic and controlled processes ensure that the cognitive ability of an individual develops to a point where they can make critical decisions in their lives. Learning and the acquisition of knowledge and instructions are initially a controlled process that requires keen attention, reading or even writing . After the training, an individual applies the information acquired automatically in a manner that helps them to deal with various life challenges.
Controlled and Automatic Processing in Creating Judgments of the Social World
The controlled and the automatic create what is known as the dual-mental process. Both these processes are important in creating judgments of the social world. The automatic process enables a form of thinking that is effortless and non-conscious while the controlled processing is effortful and the thinking is conscious. The automatic thinking enables individuals to navigate through the social world without necessarily spending too much time and effort on trivial matters or on mundane. According to Evans and Stanovich (2013), the automatic processing also enables individuals to make automatic decisions that may either be accurate or inaccurate. The controlled processing ensures that the complicated mental facets that separate human beings from other creatures are controlled. It requires high cognitive ability and motivation and sometimes can be responsible for distracting individuals from issues and tasks in the social world.
How Social Schemas Create Mental Representations of the Social World
A social schema is a concept in the mind that functions to inform an individual what they are supposed to expect from different situations and experiences. Schemas develop depending on the information that is accorded by experiences in life and then kept in the memory for future references. Schemas are important in creating various mental representations in the life of any individual. First, they help people understand their social context where they are engaged hence enabling them to adjust according to the requirements of that given situation. A good example is when observing the life of a physician. It is expected that they carry out themselves with a professional attitude in their work place, but when they are on vacation, they are supposed to behave differently. This difference in the way one perceives the social schemas construct a situation. Social schemas enable people to develop certain expectations about the behaviors of others depending on their personality. If for example one is known to be shy and silent, they are expected to behave that way in many situations of life. Information about such traits is stored in the brain as a social schema. People also have particular schemas that give them expectations about how they are supposed to behave in various situations. Experiences and associations with others build the schemas.
How Social Schemas Create Judgments of the Social World
Social schemas are also responsible for making people make judgments about situations in life. They are used to give answers about unknown conditions using past experiences and the power of perception (Williams et al . 2013). For example, when attending a birthday party with a young individual and they ask a question concerning what is going to happen at the party, the obvious answer they would be given is that the party will be fascinating, with candles and gifts among other goodies. Such an answer is given without the knowledge of what is going to happen at the party. This is what is referred to as providing answers to unknown events. Social schemas enable individuals to form judgments about events depending on their past experiences with similar situations. Other than answering unknown questions, they can be useful in shaping one's perceptions. For example, when one meets somebody making loud noises repeatedly along the corridors, they may be scared. However, when one makes such noises in a stadium during an ongoing match, people nearby cannot be afraid. Social schemas, therefore, play an important role in building perceptions in the mind that helps one to make an informed judgment on the suitability of a given situation.
Synthesis and Integration of the Concepts
The ideas of automatic, controlled, and schematic processes play a major role in enabling one understand the mental processes. Sternberg and Sternberg (2016) asserted that the mental process includes all things that can be effectively done by the mind. They include imagination, perception, thinking, developing emotions, and memory among many others . All the mental processes are vital in shaping the judgments, activities, and how human beings can relate to one another. Controlled and automatic processes enhance the synchronization of the mental processes to physical abilities of a person. They make learning possible through applying physical effort which is in turn stored in the human mind to enhance efficiency in future endeavors. On the other hand, the schemas also emphasize mental processes such as perception, anticipation, and believing among other to make informed judgments about various things in the human life. The schemas help individuals to develop an attitude towards others depending on the kind of experience they have shared before.
The automatic, controlled, and schematic processes can be considered together in developing what is known as the cognitive process (Solso et al . 2013). If an individual can integrate all these three aspects to perfection, then they can complete the normal human cognitive processes. They could be able to learn, perform activities, make decisions, apply their experiences, and know how to adapt to different life challenges. They can also be used to debunk myths and prejudice, especially the schematic processes, through the power of perception and evidential thinking that is built on the foundation of experience.
Conclusion
In conclusion, mental processing is an important aspect of the human psychology that helps them relate to the social world. The three essential elements are the controlled, automatic, and the social schemas. Controlled processing is the deliberate effort directed towards attaining a skill. Once the skill has been mastered and stored in the brain, the automatic processing will set in that requires less intervention and effort. Lastly, the social schemas are like scripts in the brain that help human beings anticipate on judgments based on their past experiences. Coordination of all these aspects leads to a holistic mental processing.
References
Evans, J. S. B., & Stanovich, K. E. (2013). Dual-process theories of higher cognition: Advancing the debate. Perspectives on psychological science , 8 (3), 223-241.
Hogg, M. A. (2016). Social identity theory. In Understanding Peace and Conflict through Social Identity Theory (pp. 3-17). Springer International Publishing.
Light, P., & Butterworth, G. (Eds.). (2016). Context and cognition: Ways of learning and knowing . Routledge.
Solso, R. L., MacLin, O. H., & MacLin, M. K. (2013). Cognitive Psychology: Pearson New International Edition . Pearson Higher Ed.
Sternberg, R. J., & Sternberg, K. (2016). Cognitive psychology . Nelson Education.
Williams, J. C., Blair‐Loy, M., & Berdahl, J. L. (2013). Cultural schemas, social class, and the flexibility stigma. Journal of Social Issues , 69 (2), 209-234.
