Cognitive Processes Unfold in a Social Context: A Review and Extension of Social Baseline Theory

Psychologists often assume that social and cognitive processes operate independently, an assumption that prompts research into how social context cognitive processes. We propose that social and cognitive processes are not necessarily separate, and that social context is innate to resource dependent...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Frontiers in psychology 2020-03, Vol.11, p.378-378
Main Authors: Gross, Elizabeth B, Medina-DeVilliers, Sara E
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
attachment theory
Bayesian theory
dyadic interactions
economy of action
Psychology
social baseline theory
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Summary:Psychologists often assume that social and cognitive processes operate independently, an assumption that prompts research into how social context cognitive processes. We propose that social and cognitive processes are not necessarily separate, and that social context is innate to resource dependent cognitive processes. We review the research supporting social baseline theory, which argues that our default state in physiological, cognitive, and neural processing is to incorporate the relative costs and benefits of acting in our social environment. The review extends social baseline theory by applying social baseline theory to basic cognitive processes such as vision, memory, and attention, incorporating individual differences into the theory, reviewing environmental influences on social baselines, and exploring the dynamic effects of social interactions. The theoretical and methodological implications of social baseline theory are discussed, and future research endeavors into social cognition should consider that cognitive processes are situated our social environments.
ISSN:1664-1078
1664-1078
DOI:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00378