What does social cognition study?

Social cognition is a subfield of psychology that focuses on how people process, store, and apply information about other people and social situations. This encompasses the ways individuals select, interpret, remember, and utilize social information to navigate their social world effectively. Elements such as attitudes, beliefs, and judgments about others all fall under the umbrella of social cognition, highlighting the cognitive processes that underpin our social interactions and perceptions.

The other options provided don't accurately capture the essence of social cognition. For instance, the study of how memories are formed pertains more closely to cognitive psychology, which examines processes such as encoding, storage, and retrieval of information, rather than focusing specifically on social contexts. The preference for certain social interactions relates more to social preferences and individual differences in social psychology rather than the cognitive mechanisms involved in processing social information. Lastly, while personality does influence social behavior, the study of how personality affects behavior is more aligned with personality psychology than with social cognition itself. Therefore, choosing the option that outlines the processes involved in interpreting social information accurately reflects the core purpose of social cognition.