Cognitive miser
Encyclopedia
Cognitive miser is a term which refers to the idea
that only a small amount of information
is actively perceived by individuals when making decisions, and many cognitive shortcuts (such as drawing on prior information and knowledge) are used instead to attend to relevant information and arrive at a decision. The term was coined by Susan T. Fiske and Shelley E. Taylor (1984) in an early book on social cognition.
, 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 subconscious mind
. The information taken into the subconscious 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. 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.
As of late, this idea has received lessening support from the field of social psychology
, with the metaphor of people being motivated tactician
s instead gaining traction.
Idea
In the most narrow sense, an idea is just whatever is before the mind when one thinks. Very often, ideas are construed as representational images; i.e. images of some object. In other contexts, ideas are taken to be concepts, although abstract concepts do not necessarily appear as images...
that only a small amount of information
Information
Information in its most restricted technical sense is a message or collection of messages that consists of an ordered sequence of symbols, or it is the meaning that can be interpreted from such a message or collection of messages. Information can be recorded or transmitted. It can be recorded as...
is actively perceived by individuals when making decisions, and many cognitive shortcuts (such as drawing on prior information and knowledge) are used instead to attend to relevant information and arrive at a decision. The term was coined by Susan T. Fiske and Shelley E. Taylor (1984) in an early book on social cognition.
Main principles
In the area of psychologyPsychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
, perception
Perception
Perception is the process of attaining awareness or understanding of the environment by organizing and interpreting sensory information. All perception involves signals in the nervous system, which in turn result from physical stimulation of the sense organs...
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
Consciousness
Consciousness is a term that refers to the relationship between the mind and the world with which it interacts. It has been defined as: subjectivity, awareness, the ability to experience or to feel, wakefulness, having a sense of selfhood, and the executive control system of the mind...
, or information that may be relevant to the subconscious mind
Subconscious
The term subconscious is used in many different contexts and has no single or precise definition. This greatly limits its significance as a definition-bearing concept, and in consequence the word tends to be avoided in academic and scientific settings....
. The information taken into the subconscious 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
Information processing
Information processing is the change of information in any manner detectable by an observer. As such, it is a process which describes everything which happens in the universe, from the falling of a rock to the printing of a text file from a digital computer system...
of social cognition
Social cognition
Social cognition is the encoding, storage, retrieval, and processing, in the brain, of information relating to conspecifics, or members of the same species. At one time social cognition referred specifically to an approach to social psychology in which these processes were studied according to the...
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
Social reality
Social reality is distinct from biological reality or individual cognitive reality, and has been defined as 'a level of phenomena that emerges through social interactions and that cannot be reduced to the intentions of individuals'....
, and in doing so, make rapid inferences about information, and use categories to organize information. 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
Stimulus (psychology)
In psychology, stimuli are energy patterns which are registered by the senses. In behaviorism and related stimulus–response theories, stimuli constitute the basis for behavior, whereas in perceptual psychology they constitute the basis for perception.In the second half of the 19th century, the...
, 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.
As of late, this idea has received lessening support from the field of social psychology
Social psychology
Social psychology is the scientific study of how people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others. By this definition, scientific refers to the empirical method of investigation. The terms thoughts, feelings, and behaviors include all...
, with the metaphor of people being motivated tactician
Motivated tactician
The term "motivated tacticians" is used in social psychology to describe a human shifting from quick and dirty cognitively economical tactics to more thoughtful, thorough strategies when processing information depending on their type and degree of motivation...
s instead gaining traction.