Social Cognition, Essay Example

According to the research conducted by Lawrence E. Williams and John A. Burg, human beings are more inclined to respond positively to warmer temperatures. This is owing to the underlying fact that warmth has been associated with a positive sensation in a human being’s nervous system. A person will relate warm temperatures to the sensations of love, affection, intimacy and closeness (Williams and Bargh). Someone would therefore be predisposed to select the warm coffee mug with the patter of the heart as the true representation love as opposed to the icy heart. Colder temperatures are largely associated with feelings of loneliness and negativity.

As human beings grow up, their brains absorb information and assigns certain meaning to given sensations. Each sensation is triggered by a given stimuli from the surrounding. Depending on one’s experience with a given stimuli at first, an individual will automatically prime their response to the given stimuli even before experiencing the given emotion (Fiske). This means that human beings react based on a template that they have created over time. When an individual is exposed to stimuli such as a heart in a warm mug of coffee, the stimuli of warm temperatures automatically activates the emotions and sensations of love, thus affecting how someone receives gestures of love and closeness.

As human beings have primed their responses towards certain responses, they rely on information that they had obtained earlier to prime their reactions. In the case where an individual believes that their partner loves them, they would receive the gift of a heart-shaped snow sculpture with enthusiasm. They will focus on the fact that the gift is in the shape of a heart, a difficult task to accomplish with snow (Williams and Bargh). However, if one believes their partner does not love them, they would perceive the gift to be an indication of the cold state of their emotions and the lack of love and closeness.

The role and importance of the American flag to a citizen is determined by their level of patriotism. Patriotism is determined by how an individual consciously or subconsciously assigns meaning and value to the nation’s flag. As such, an individual with a bad experience with the different arms of the government would readily step on the American flag to view the artist’s work. However, an individual with a positive experience with the different arms of the government wold tend to respect the sanctity of the nation’s flag.

In the case that I was standing by watching people react to those standing on the American flag, it would be easy to identify feelings and emotions of disgust regardless of their culture. Facial expressions are largely similar across all cultures as human beings react in a certain way to specific stimuli. Disgust may be expressed in different ways. Some may frown to show disgust while others may portray it as surprise.

Different cultures would react differently to the fact that the American flag is on the ground and being stepped on. According to Dread Scott Tyler’s work, individuals from those cultures that are considered minorities would readily step on the American flag as opposed to the major cultural group(s) (Leepson). As such, individuals from the major cultural group(s) would tend to frown upon the sight of an individual stepping on the American flag.

Works Cited

Fiske, Susan T. Social Cognition. London: SAGE, 2013. Print.

Leepson, Marc. Flag: An American Biography. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2013. Print.

Williams, Lawrence E and John A Bargh. “Experiencing physical warmth promotes interpersonal warmth.” Science 322.5901 (2008): 606-607. Print.