Cognitive miser
Cognitive miser is a theory that people use as little information as possibly to and rely on cognitive shortcuts (such as drawing on prior information and knowledge) are used instead to filter relevant information and arrive at a decision. The term cognitive miser was coined by Susan Fiske and Shelly E. Taylor (1984) in an early book on social cognition.[1]
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Main Principles of the Cognitive Miser Theory [edit]
In the area of psychology, perception is one of the base fields. It is defined as how one views the world, but is not necessarily an accurate interpretation of it. A cognitive miser, therefore, refers to how people cannot possibly assimilate all the information they are bombarded with by the world. The mind will either take in relevant information into the conscious mind, or information that may be relevant to the unconscious mind. The information taken into the unconscious will later undergo an internal screening. Anything useful will be reinforced with ties to other areas where it is of use, anything not of use will typically be forgotten.
The cognitive miser idea is fundamental in the information-processing model of social cognition because it would be enormously taxing on individuals' to attend to all information in the world scientifically (basically, with a high degree of analysis), with individuals becoming overwhelmed by the confusion and complexity of the social stimuli that they are attending to. As a result, people ignore large amounts of information from the social world, and in doing so, make rapid inferences about information, and use categories to organize information. People use heuristics, which are mental shortcuts, in order to make sense of the world around them. These mental shortcuts allow people to categorize learned information and as a result solve problems, make decisions, and understand the world through schemas. As a result, people aim to expend the minimum amount of cognitive resources as required.
Stereotypes are an example of cognitive miserliness, as people assign different stimuli, such as people of certain races, to particular categories with certain characteristics so that they can attend to just the category, rather than the individual when engaged in social situations.
Key Assumptions of the Cognitive Miser Theory [edit]
The first key assumption of this theory is, people do not use all available information to make decisions or come to conclusions about issues, including new technologies or scientific discoveries [2]. Instead people rely on heuristics and cognitive shortcuts such as religious beliefs, media portrayals, and morals in order to form judgments and opinions about issues that they have little knowledge about.[3]
The second key assumption in the cognitive miser theory is that it describes overall social patterns. For the majority of the general public the cognitive miser theory can be used because many people have low information levels that require cognitive shortcuts to be made to make decisions on complex topics.The cognitive miser model may not be true for audiences that are heavily interested in the issue at hand. These people gain as much information as possible before making an opinion or decision on a topic. [4] [5]
Criticisms [edit]
1) The Cognitive Miser Theory believes people are not motivated to gain information to make decisions, which is not true in all situations leading to the update of Fiske and Taylor’s book Social Cognition in 1991.[6]
The Future of the Cognitive Miser Theory [edit]
In 2004, Dietram A. Scheufele and Bruce V. Lewenstein conducted a study on knowledge and attitudes toward nanotechnology that shows how people make decisions or come to conclusions about developing technology. The results of the study found the cognitive miser model was still applicable in today’s society even after being conceptualized two decades earlier in Fiske and Taylor’s book Social Cognition.[7]
A later revision by Fiske and Taylor (1991) suggested that motivated tacticians should replace the idea of the cognitive miser model. This update stated that people are sometimes motivated and are fully engaged thinkers who have multiple cognitive strategies available and chooses among them based on goals, motives, and needs. [8]
See also [edit]
References [edit]
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This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. (August 2009) |
- ^ Fiske, S.T., & Taylor, S.E. (1991). Social cognition (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
- ^ Fiske, S.T., & Taylor, S.E. (1991). Social cognition (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
- ^ Scheufele, Dietram A.; Bruce V. Lewenstein (17). "The public and nanotechnology: How citizens make sense of emerging technologies". Journal of Nanoparticle Research 7: 659-667. doi:10.1007/s11051-005-7526-2.
- ^ Fiske, S.T., & Taylor, S.E. (1991). Social cognition (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
- ^ Scheufele, Dietram A.; Bruce V. Lewenstein (17). "The public and nanotechnology: How citizens make sense of emerging technologies". Journal of Nanoparticle Research 7: 659-667. doi:10.1007/s11051-005-7526-2.
- ^ Fiske, S.T., & Taylor, S.E. (1991). Social cognition (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
- ^ Scheufele, Dietram A.; Bruce V. Lewenstein (17). "The public and nanotechnology: How citizens make sense of emerging technologies". Journal of Nanoparticle Research 7: 659-667. doi:10.1007/s11051-005-7526-2.
- ^ Fiske, S.T., & Taylor, S.E. (1991). Social cognition (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
- Fiske, S.T. (1992). Thinking is for doing: Portraits of social cognition from Daguerrotypes to Laserphoto. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 63, 877-839.
- Fiske, S.T., & Taylor, S.E. (1991). Social cognition (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
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