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Tyrone Schiff
First Impressions: Early Behaviors
Human beings are inherently social creatures who crave interactions and
interpersonal relationships. What indelibly makes all humans so unique is the fact that
each one’s social behavior is distinctly different to the next. It ought to be established that
people encounter and react to situations in varying manners. Certainly, interactions and
behaviors amongst people evolve gradually over time, yet at the onset of these
interactions, what are the initial behaviors that are employed? When people interact for
the first time, what are their ideas, cognitions, and stereotypes about each other? The first
time that people interact with one another is an absolutely critical point in the
Entering a large school like the University of Michigan, one will undoubtedly
become proficient in the rituals that take place during the primary interaction with
another. Students attending Michigan come from all over the country, and one of the
highest priorities is to become familiar with their surroundings. Getting to know people
Personally, one of the deciding factors in picking Michigan was the opportunity to
meet a number of new and interesting people. I came to Michigan knowing only a few
people, but those that I did know were involved in the Greek system. I was advised that
partaking in the “rush” events held by these Greek Fraternities was an easy way to meet
and get to know a lot of different guys on campus. Without much vacillation, I decided to
At all of these events there were a number of guys that I could introduce myself
to. Men in the fraternity are always trying to recruit new prospects, and the initial
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interaction between myself and a member named Sam Scharff during these “rush” events
is indicative of the type of social behaviors exhibited by two people interacting for the
first time.
Initial interactions are essentially standard processes, and this is clearly evidenced
by the mundane nature in which they occur. Each time I met a new person it was as if it
was a carbon copy of the last conversation; similar questions, surprisingly similar
answers, and very little emotional attachment to the conversation. Specifically, this paper
discusses the social behavior associated with the cognitions immediately before and
during the initial interaction one has with another. Thus, initial interaction shall be
defined as a brief meeting with someone with whom an individual has never been
acquainted with before. Allow me to speak more in depth about the social behaviors I
encountered when interacting with Sam Scharff for the first time.
notice the firmness of his grip and would attempt to figure out what type of personality I
was dealing with solely based on this fact. While this goes on, I took a look at what he
was wearing, trying to learn as much as I possibly can before either one of us has opened
our mouths. He is dressed in shirt and tie and looks well put together. As we begin to
session of simple questions and answers then occurs. Names were exchanged, where we
were both originally from, what courses we were taking, sports I played in high school,
and what we intended to major in eventually. Each of these answers did not require too
much though on my part, and seemed to almost come naturally from within. Essentially,
this initial process was merely in pursuit of trying to find commonalities between us. For
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instance, when he heard that I was Northbrook, Illinois he asked whether or not I knew
some of his friends who were from my hometown who also attended the University of
Michigan. After talking about these superficial topics for a while, there would be a lull in
the conversation, at which point I would be passed off to meet someone new. After
walking away I would reconsider the types of things I had said and imagined the
interaction going differently. Even with a new person, the process would occur just as it
There are a few select pieces of this social interaction that require further scrutiny.
In particular, consider the fact that during this initial interaction the questions asked and
answers given were not filled with a lot of emotion. It was almost as though I had been
programmed to give a particular answer to a given question. This point will be analyzed
throughout the rest of the paper as it relates quite blatantly to the cognitive heuristics
theory, which entails the fact that people are “cognitive misers”. Furthermore, consider
the fact that when I first interacted with him, I looked and listened for signals which I had
attitude and forming stereotypes about this person who I had known for no more than
three minutes. In sociological terms this correlates to the symbolic interactionism theory.
psychology at Cornell University, puts it, “[…] all things being equal, people prefer to
“cognitive miser”, which establishes the foundation for heuristics. Due to the fact that
when people first meet one another they aren’t as willing to open up, they employ
make reasonably accurate judgments about one another without trying to work too hard.
The principle of representativeness heuristics was exercised when the Sam heard I went
to the same high school as some of the members of the fraternity. Representativeness
similar to a typical case from that category.” Therefore, based on this principle, Sam
began formulating opinions about me based on his relationships with the people in the
fraternity that were from my same hometown. Regardless of whether or not they were
accurate, the cognition was taking place. The behaviors during this first interaction are
Another heuristic was present throughout our interaction. During our brief
question and answer session, we discussed which sports he and I played. I told him that I
liked to play golf. Immediately, he asked if Tiger Woods was my favorite golfer. This
wasn’t an unreasonable statement, but it is one I often get from people who I do not
know. If Sam realized that I was originally from South Africa, it wouldn’t be hard to
piece together that my favorite golfer is in fact Ernie Els. The heuristic principle present
here is called the availability heuristic. Simply put, it is “a mental shortcut that involves
judging [...] how easily [something] comes to mind” (p.37). Obviously, when people
think golf they think Tiger Woods, only with further analysis would they figure out an
Finally, the last heuristic principle occurs just as the interaction has ended. In
imagines an alternative scenario or outcome that might have happened but did not.” I felt
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personally responsible for the lull in conversation that ended the initial interaction
between Sam and me. I started to think up questions I should have asked but didn’t. This
principle helps an individual understand their own regrets. If I had any regrets, I
abolished them by allowing myself to have “backup” questions for the future.
The other sociological framework that was alluded to earlier is called symbolic
interactionism. As the name suggests, this theory involves the way that people act
towards things based on the meaning that those things or symbols have for them. Based
meaning that is specific to the individual. When I attended these “rush” events, I was
unaware of what exactly occurred at them. Sam, however, was dressed in shirt and tie,
and because I have an established stereotype about the kind of the individual who wears
certain things that have been oversimplified and may not be true in all cases if at all.
Similarly, I possessed a stereotype about what a confident tone of voice would sound like.
organized knowledge regarding experience and in affect influences what people notice.
Schema was clearly evident when I came into contact with Sam as I tried to formulate an
opinion about him. Although we only spoke for a little while, my cognitions were hard at
work organizing my thoughts and opinions about this initial interaction. What is
important to note is that since that first meeting, I have interacted with him more and
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have gotten to know him better. A principle of the symbolic interactionism theory that
explains this progression is that the meanings that symbols possess will and do
continually change. Ever since that “rush” event, I have seen him in clothes either than a
shirt and tie and can see that wearing these clothes were quite out of character. The
behaviors exhibited during this initial interaction become even more interesting when one
begins to consider the ways that the aforementioned theories compare and contrast.
It is quite an interesting phenomenon that during this one social behavior there
can be multiple sociological theories and principles at work. Even more interesting is the
fact that they can be simultaneously similar and different to one another. It is surprising
how many points of similarity cognitive heuristics have with symbolic interactionism.
In the context of this social behavior one notices that with heuristics and symbolic
interactionism both have developed within the person and are thoroughly intact at the
time of the initial interaction. To elaborate further, when two people meet for the first
time they have obviously had different experiences and therefore have developed
differing attitudes even when encountering a similar situation. This is attributed to the
way that people have a tendency to only remember certain things in a given event, and
interpret the event based on that selective account. This links directly back to schema, the
both theories. When people interact for the first time it makes the most sense that they
will try and maintain their attitudes and beliefs that have been structured from prior
Upon interacting with Sam, I wasn’t going to alter my view of what caliber of
person wears a shirt and tie. Furthermore, upon being asked if I were having a good time,
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I wasn’t going to complain and tell him that I hadn’t gotten an opportunity to get some
food yet, or that I had a Spanish exam the next day. Rather a simple yes sufficed. This
our own biases and stereotypes. Thomas Gilovich explains, “What all these mental
shortcuts [heuristics] do, however, are create biases in how we interpret the events around
us” (p.39). Due to the fact that our attitudes are already established in a given situation,
heuristics condition the individual to merely regurgitate past knowledge. By taking the
thought out of a situation, one is unlikely to consider his or her actions. After I answered
a question when talking to Sam I didn’t give much thought to what I was saying. Perhaps
there was a negative connotation on some of the things I was saying, but due to heuristics
am lead to believe that there are aspects of my environment which may not be accurate. I
have mentioned that I have gotten to know Sam better now, and I see that wearing a shirt
and tie was unlike him. Yet, when I met him initially, he and I acted as though he dressed
this way often. Symbolic interactionism can subconsciously lead to the development of a
likely to occur.” It will also typically guide one’s behavior in the given situation.
Symbolic interactionism thus can lead one to assume they are familiar with a given
situation. This then indicates to the individual that they can use past behaviors. Therefore,
While these theories interconnect at several points, they also sharply diverge from
one another. A prominent difference between these two theories is the amount of thought
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given to each. Heuristics are by nature cognitive shortcuts that people employ so that they
aren’t forced to think about the situation. Granted heuristics are influenced by attitudes
and personal experience, but one becomes numb to them due to repetition. Recall my
personal account of this behavior. The process of interacting felt standardized. I was not
emotionally attached to any of my answers, and those answers just came out naturally
with no such thought on my part. In complete contrast to that, one ought to point out how
symbolic interactionism manifests itself. The only way in which symbols can be
formulated is via interactions. Moreover, symbols are established by the individual, and it
symbolic meaning. I made a mindful observation that Sam was wearing a shirt and tie. As
a result of his appearance, a number of familiar emotions, memories, and thoughts rushed
into my head. There exists a significantly greater usage of cognition when it comes to
interactionism theories is the long term impact that it has on the individual. Heuristics are
organized in such a way that once a statement rolls off the tongue, it is no sooner
forgotten by the individual who spits it out. I probably would be unable to recall any
genuinely did not give much thought to what I was saying while talking to Sam.
Heuristics involve interactions that intrinsically don’t require much thought, and that is
exactly why they are used. On the other hand, symbolic interactionism has far more
people shape their own realities. As a result of this, the cognitions involved in this theory
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are constantly updating themselves. I didn’t know how to necessarily act during the time
that I spoke to Sam, but various symbols became apparent which helped guide my
behavior. This is the essence of the symbolic interactionism theory. It provides guidelines
involved in the initial interaction that occurs between two people who previously did not
know one another, it is plain to see that the theory that best describes this situation is
meeting a person, the conversation will take the direction of trying to find those
similarities. Irrefutably, there is a lot of comfort in finding people who possess shared
experiences.
Thus, during the initial interaction with another the conversation will tend to hit
on a variety of topics that will often times not take any thought or effort whatsoever to
answer. The questions are wide-ranging in order to gather a general grasp of what the
person is like. This question and answer session will help indicate the compatibility of the
in the interaction, falls short of the theory that would best describe this situation. Due to
the fact that symbols take time to develop, to gain meaning and significance, they do not
arise out of a ten minute conversation. Do not be fooled, however, they are most
definitely present. During my interaction, there were a number of symbols from prior
Further analysis of cognitive heuristics will indicate why in fact this is the better
of the two theories when it comes to the behavior of interacting with another for the first
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time. Heuristics occur frequently and easily, especially when interacting with someone
new. I was trying to gain as much information about Sam, but wasn’t paying much
attention to the types of answers I was giving. Heuristics takes a number of forms as well,
which facilitates in this theory occurring frequently during this behavior. Additionally,
when interacting with someone initially, the feelings between the two people are
generally neutral. This naturally prompts cognitive heuristics. One of the factors that
usually use cognitive shortcuts when they are in a good mood. By no means was I in a
good mood when I was talking to Sam, but I wasn’t aggravated or mad either. Cognitive
heuristics are at the core of the behavior in this specific social interaction.
interactionism is a theory that explains the way that I interpret my world. Through my
interactions with my environment, and the experiences that I accumulate over the years,
objects around me gain meaning and significance. These meanings are specific to me.
When I see a member of a fraternity wearing a shirt and tie the first time I meet him, I
know that this is an institution that I want to associate myself with. The environment
immediately becomes inviting and familiar. It pervades a sense of class that I associate
with the image of formal attire. Cognitive heuristics are mental shortcuts that we take to
make the best possible judgments and decisions about our environment. Many of these
judgments stem from biases we have and are coated in attitudes and beliefs we have
accumulated through the years. This sociological theory essentially dictates the behaviors