Social Cognition Today and Tomorrow

Abstract

Abstract The present volume was prepared following a time of remarkable upheaval in social psychology and during a time of remarkable upheaval in society. This chapter documents both. First, it argues that social cognition (and social psychology more broadly) has been through a substantial process of methodological maturation in recent years, changing both techniques and values when it comes to doing social cognition. The field has adopted a large variety of methods, meaning that there is no longer a shared template for science, and trustworthy inferences are valued like never before. Second, the chapter argues that social cognition is ripe for a pivot toward real-world concerns, in the vein of Fiske and Taylor’s classic definition of social cognition. The chapter argues that this will make for a more impactful, influential, and just discipline, which befits what some see as a leading discipline in social psychology.