The Processing of Social Stimulus Information: A Conceptual Integration

It is clear from the theory and research described in this volume that substantial progress has been made in understanding how information about people is represented and stored in memory, and what the effects of these representations are on social perception. However, it is desirable that we periodically step back from the myriad of specific research findings and attempt both to organize and integrate existing knowledge and to identify presently uncharted areas of investigation that require future research. It is hoped that the present chapter will serve these dual functions by: (I) presenting a comprehensive theoretical framework of social information processing that can be used to conceptualize and integrate many of the phenomena identified by other contributors to this volume; and (2) providing a structure within which new and creative research in social cognition can continue to be performed and evaluated.