Social cognition is the study of how people perceive the social world and make judgments that help them interpret the social world, whether in the past, the present, or the future (Ackerman, January 26, 2021; Gilovich et al., 2019). Though helpful, the information available to base our perceptions of others can be misleading and lead us to make inaccurate judgments about a person or situation.
One way firsthand information can be misleading is through the self-fulfilling prophecy. The self-fulfilling prophecy occurs when our experiences and behavior bring about what we see, such as the behavior we expect from others (Ackerman, January 26, 2021; Gilovich et al., 2019). For example, if I think that this person is mean, I will likely behave in a different, more cold manner than if I thought the person was kind and friendly.
In 1968, Rosenthal and Jacobsen conducted a study called the Expectancy Effect, which demonstrates the consequences of the self-fulfilling prophecy in the classroom (Ackerman, January 26, 2021). In this study, the researchers told elementary school teachers that according to “IQ tests,” some students were expected to succeed while other students were not. In reality, the test feedback was randomly assigned, so there weren’t students who had more potential than others. Despite being completely random, the results were that children labeled as having more potential ended up performing better, and the teachers also thought that these students were happier, better adjusted, and more affectionate. Unfortunately, the students who were not expected to succeed but still improved were judged more negatively (Ackerman, January 26, 2021).
Similarly, in their 2003 study, Kassin et al. demonstrated the effects of the self-fulfilling prophecy when considering whether suspects are guilty or innocent (Gilovich et al., 2019). The researchers had some students commit the crime of stealing $100 from a locked laboratory cabinet. Before student interrogators questioned these students, the interrogators were left to believe whether the student was guilty or innocent beforehand. What happened was that when the interrogators thought the student they were interrogating was guilty, they asked more incriminating and aggressive questions, which led the students to be examined to act more defensively, which then made them appear more guilty (Gilovich et al., 2019).
In both studies, we can see the self-fulfilling prophecy at work as a person’s expectation is translated into action, which then confirms the person’s initial expectation. In the Expectancy Effect study, teachers gave more attention and had a more positive attitude towards those they thought would succeed, which in turn increased the chance that those they thought would succeed would actually succeed relative to the other students. Similarly, in Kassin et al.’s study, the expectation of whether the students who committed the crime were guilty or innocent, the way they delivered and conducted the questions differed, which in turn affected the reaction of the student being interrogated. Their reaction then reflected how the interrogators initially perceived them.
The self-fulfilling prophecy has been prevalent in my life as well, especially in the classroom setting. For example, teachers tend to believe that men are better at math and thus invest more time in helping men improve in math. I used to really enjoy math, just like my brothers. However, as I got older, math not only became harder, but I learned that math teachers called on guys more and put more effort into helping the guys. Thus, due to the increase in difficulty, and the teacher’s lower commitment to helping me try to succeed in math, I am no longer doing math, while my brother and guy friends still do.
Another example of the self-fulfilling prophecy affecting my life is when I believe that I will not succeed and thus do much worse. In high school, I was on the varsity soccer team. I loved soccer but had no friends on the team, so I was timid and scared to mess up. Before each game, I was convinced that I would fail, which in turn impacted the way I played negatively.
Overall, the self-fulfilling prophecy is an important term to consider when studying social cognition. By understanding the self-fulfilling prophecy more, we can hopefully prevent its negative aspects, such as the negative consequences of the self-fulfilling prophecy in a classroom setting.
References:
Gilovich, T., Keltner, D., Chen, S., & Nisbett, R. E. (2019). Social psychology. W.W. Norton and
Company.
Ackerman, Joshua. Social Cognition 1. University of Michigan, Psych 280: Social Psychology.
Ann Arbor, Michigan. January 26, 2021.
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