"Social" Cognition and Social Cognition: From the Subjective to the Intersubjective

In: Small group research: an international journal of theory, investigation, and application, Volume 25, Issue 2, p. 294-315

Abstract

Following Kuhn, it is proposed that there are two major paradigms for the study of social cognition. The first and most traditional paradigm relies on single-subject designs, and is therefore limited to the study of subjective phenomena. It prescribes that subjects 'responses be kept independent, and treats any interdependence in these responses as a statistical nuisance. In contrast, the second paradigm relies on dyadic and small group designs and addresses both subjective and intersubjective phenomena It prescribes that the naturally occurring interdependence in the subjects' responses be preserved and studied as an important set of phenomena in their own right. This second, intersubjective paradigm may be especially conducive to the integration of research on social cognition with research on social interaction and group dynamics.