Social perception, impression formation and the utilisation of schemas applied in the context of Hong Kongs new found slimming culture.

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ARTHUR WONG z3258781

PSYC2061 Social Psychology Report

4/6/09

Social perception, impression formation and the utilisation of schemas applied in the context of Hong Kong’s new found “slimming culture.”

Throughout the ages, humans have distinguished themselves from the animal kingdom through the ability to reflect. This fundamental need to search for reasons in the interactive world has allowed us to exponentially improve our quality of life. This ability to think is pivotal in understanding social interactions. Thinking processes that include impression formation and the use of schemas are just some of the frequently used cognitive skills to interpret the world we live in. Impression formation deals with the assumptions made about the nature of a group or individual. These assumptions help simplify and differentiate the mass of information we are exposed to everyday. (Mrug & Hoza 2007) Before even uttering a single word, characteristics about that person or group of people have already been identified and categorised into their respective social schemas. According to Kuhl (2000), an individual’s cognitive schemas are dependent on the availability of schematic cues and the salient nature of the stimulus, with highly salient stimuli accelerating learning and retention. This can be applied to explain the sudden emergence of a “slimming culture” in Hong Kong. With advertisements scattered throughout the city, they arrogate the use of various slimming products and services and seem to be gaining support and recognition as more companies start to emerge. Mainly targeting the female population, due to factors such as modern globalisation, what used to be typically a Western pattern of body dissatisfaction, is now becoming more and more prevalent in the Hong Kong population. (Lee, 2001) This factor is central to the success and spread of this new found slimming culture. Driven by dissatisfaction for one’s own body, this trend can be explained with the processes of perception particularly in the domain of impression formation. Having seen first hand the dramatic effects of slimming centres on social perception, this paper attempts to explain this obsession through the aspects of personal and social perception specifically impression formation and the establishment and utilisation of social and personal schematic representations.

Perception can be divided in many different aspects. As mentioned in the introduction, human interaction does not begin with the verbal conversation but rather the formation of impressions and the categorisation of these nonverbal cues. When forming impressions, humans tend to be very subjective, applying disproportionate value on certain pieces of information. Those that place a greater impact on the final impression are known as central traits with the rest of the pieces that do not have much influence, collectively known as the peripheral traits. (Asch 1946) Many elements come into play as information is processed into these subsequent categories one of which being physical appearance. Although seldom admitted, appearance is very influential in the formation of impression. As studies (Spezio, Rangel, Alvarez, et al. 2008; Patry 2008) have shown, this emphasis on physical appearance diffuses into all aspects of society from jury deliberation to even election outcomes. It is shown that humans tend to show bias towards attractive people, who are generally associated with positive characteristics. (Dion, Berscheid &Walster, 1972) In this regard, the slim ideal culture in Hong Kong seen today does not come as a surprise. Physical appearance, particularly body size and weight, is now seen as the key to success in life due to the constant exposure to advertisements showcasing slimming products and clinics. Over time, these advertisements have directly affected implicit personality theories of the Hong Kong people. With the words “beauty” and “slim” always appearing together, it is now a widely accepted assumption that being slim is equal to being beautiful. Although this bias towards physical appearance is instinctive, when fuelled by advertisements littering the community enforcing these ideas, it has very serious effects on the psychological wellbeing on those people.

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After the impression is formed, it is sorted into its appropriate schema, which is a cognitive representation of the interactive world that helps one quickly make sense of the one’s surroundings. Schemas serve two main purposes; they help in the encoding of new information as well as in the inference of ambiguous information in a schematic-consistent manner. When exposed to a new situation, humans tend to automatically process their surroundings according to the various schemas they have established. These include person schemas, which form the basis of unique knowledge structures of the people that we encounter. There are many ...

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