?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Adc&rft.title=Making+sense+of+people%3A+Coherence+mechanisms.&rft.creator=Thagard%2C+P&rft.creator=Kunda%2C+Z.&rft.subject=Cognitive+Psychology&rft.subject=Artificial+Intelligence&rft.subject=Philosophy+of+Science&rft.description=When+trying+to+make+sense+of+other+people+and+ourselves%2C+we+may+rely+on+several+different+kinds+of+cognitive+processes.+First%2C+we+form+impressions+of+other+people+by+integrating+information+contained+in+concepts+that+represent+their+traits%2C+their+behaviors%2C+our+stereotypes+of+the+social+groups+they+belong+to%2C+and+any+other+information+about+them+that+seems+relevant.+For+example%2C+your+impression+of+an+acquaintance+may+be+a+composite+of+personality+traits+(e.g.%2C+friendly%2C+independent)%2C+behaviors+(e.g.%2C+told+a+joke%2C+donated+money+to+the+food+bank)%2C+and+social+stereotypes+(e.g.%2C+woman%2C+doctor%2C+Chinese).+Second%2C+we+understand+other+people+by+means+of+causal+attributions+in+which+we+form+and+evaluate+hypotheses+that+explain+their+behavior.+To+explain+why+someone+is+abrupt+on+one+occasion%2C+you+may+hypothesize+that+this+person+is+impatient+or+that+he+or+she+is+under+pressure+from+a+work+deadline.+You+believe+the+hypothesis+that+provides+the+best+available+explanation+of+the+person's+behavior.+A+third+means+of+making+sense+of+people+is+analogy%3A+You+can+understand+people+through+their+similarity+to+other+people+or+to+yourself.+For+example%2C+you+may+understand+the+stresses+that+your+friend+is+experiencing+by+remembering+an+occasion+when+you+yourself+experienced+similar+stresses.+This+will+allow+you+to+predict+your+friend's+likely+feelings+and+behavior.&rft.publisher=Hillsdale%2C+NJ%3A+Erlbaum&rft.contributor=Read%2C+S.+J.&rft.contributor=Miller%2C+L.C.&rft.date=1997&rft.type=Book+Chapter&rft.type=NonPeerReviewed&rft.format=text%2Fhtml&rft.identifier=http%3A%2F%2Fcogprints.org%2F669%2F1%2FMaking_Sense.html&rft.identifier=++Thagard%2C+P+and+Kunda%2C+Z.++(1997)+Making+sense+of+people%3A+Coherence+mechanisms.++%5BBook+Chapter%5D+++++&rft.relation=http%3A%2F%2Fcogprints.org%2F669%2F