Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

The Influence of Cognition on Affect

The Influence of Cognition on Affect

Cognition plays a pivotal role in shaping emotional experiences, as demonstrated by Schachter and Singer’s two-factor theory of emotion. According to this model, emotion arises from a combination of physiological arousal and cognitive interpretation. The body’s physiological response to stimuli is ambiguous and only gains emotional significance through cognitive labeling. For instance, an increased heart rate and adrenaline surge while standing near an attractive person may be interpreted as...

Causes of Social Behavior II: Cognitive Processes

Causes of Social Behavior II: Cognitive Processes

Cognitive processes affect social behavior by guiding how individuals perceive, interpret, and respond to social stimuli. These mental processes enable individuals to assess others' behaviors, attribute causes to their actions, and form expectations based on past experiences.Causes of Behavior and Social JudgmentsIndividuals determine the causes of others' behaviors by distinguishing between personal traits and external circumstances. For example, if a friend frequently arrives late, an...

Social Cognitive Perspective on Personality

Social Cognitive Perspective on Personality

Social cognitive perspectives on personality emphasize the importance of conscious awareness, beliefs, expectations, and goals in shaping behavior. These perspectives incorporate behaviorist principles, such as learning through reinforcement and conditioning, but extend beyond them by highlighting human reasoning and planning. Unlike traditional behaviorist views, social cognitive theory focuses on how individuals reflect on their past experiences and plan for future outcomes by considering...

Lazarus's Cognitive Appraisal Theory

Lazarus's Cognitive Appraisal Theory

Cognitive psychologist Richard Lazarus proposed the cognitive-mediational theory of emotions, which emphasizes how individuals' assessments of stressors significantly affect their experience of stress. According to Lazarus, the stress response is determined by a two-step appraisal process: primary appraisal and secondary appraisal. These cognitive appraisals help individuals evaluate the potential impact of a stressor and determine the adequacy of their coping resources.
Primary Appraisal:...

Impact of Social Context on Individuals

Impact of Social Context on Individuals

Social psychology examines how the real or imagined presence of others influences individuals' thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. A key concept in this field is the role of social context in shaping behavior. The same individual may act differently depending on the social setting, due to the varying expectations and norms associated with each environment. This context-dependent behavior illustrates the influence of social roles, which prescribe appropriate conduct in specific situations.Social...

Cognition and Behavior

Cognition and Behavior

Social psychology examines the complex interplay between individual mental processes and social interactions. Historically, the field was divided into two domains: social behavior and social cognition. Researchers focusing on social behavior analyzed actions within social contexts, such as conformity, aggression, or cooperation. Meanwhile, social cognition researchers investigated how people perceive, interpret, and mentally represent their social environments. However, modern perspectives no...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Introspection without execution: Evidence for introspective switch costs in NoGo trials.

Consciousness and cognition·2026

Same author

The asymmetric list shift effect - flexible adaptation to new context demands?

Attention, perception & psychophysics·2026

Same author

Task switching promotes switch readiness: Evidence from forced and voluntary task switching.

Cognition·2026

Same author

The (in)flexibility of updating a mental task representation: On the origins of costs when shifting from a task-switching to a single-task context.

Journal of experimental psychology. Human perception and performance·2025

Same author

How a co-actor's (Un-) reliability modulates goal selection in a novel joint goal-setting paradigm.

Psychological research·2024

Same author

Binding of the feature <i>stimulus duration</i> in the auditory domain: S-R or S-S binding; or both?

Quarterly journal of experimental psychology (2006)·2024

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 11, 2026

The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies

The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies

Published on: August 25, 2023

How the social-evaluative context modulates processes of cognitive control.

Gesine Dreisbach¹, Svenja Böttcher

¹Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, 93053 Regensburg, Germany. Gesine.Dreisbach@psychologie.uni-regensburg.de

Psychological Research

|July 8, 2010

Summary

Social evaluation increases distractibility during cognitive tasks. When attractive women

More Related Videos

Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation of the Posterior Medial Frontal Cortex to Experimentally Reduce Ideological Threat Responses

Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation of the Posterior Medial Frontal Cortex to Experimentally Reduce Ideological Threat Responses

Published on: September 28, 2018

Exploring the Neural Correlates of Cognitive Reappraisal in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Using Task-based Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Exploring the Neural Correlates of Cognitive Reappraisal in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Using Task-based Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Published on: March 14, 2025

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 11, 2026

The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies

The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies

Published on: August 25, 2023

Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation of the Posterior Medial Frontal Cortex to Experimentally Reduce Ideological Threat Responses

Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation of the Posterior Medial Frontal Cortex to Experimentally Reduce Ideological Threat Responses

Published on: September 28, 2018

Exploring the Neural Correlates of Cognitive Reappraisal in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Using Task-based Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Exploring the Neural Correlates of Cognitive Reappraisal in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Using Task-based Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Published on: March 14, 2025

Area of Science:

Cognitive psychology
Social psychology

Background:

Cognitive control is crucial for filtering distractions.
Social-evaluative contexts can impact cognitive processes.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how social-evaluative context influences cognitive control.
To determine if social evaluation of attractive stimuli increases distractibility.

Main Methods:

Participants performed the Erikson flanker task.
Stimuli included attractive women and landscapes.
Social evaluation of stimuli was manipulated concurrently.

Main Results:

Increased flanker interference occurred when attractive women's pictures were evaluated by another person.
No such effect was observed in control conditions (social presence alone or evaluation alone).
Concurrent evaluation in a social context selectively heightened distractibility.

Conclusions:

Social-evaluative context, particularly when evaluating attractive individuals, impairs cognitive control.
Affective reactions to social-evaluative situations likely mediate increased distractibility.
Findings highlight the interplay between social factors and cognitive performance.