THE COGNITION OF SENTIMENT AND AFFILIATIO N - FROM STRUCTURAL RULES TO MENTAL MODELS

In this contribution, several research lines are discussed concerning the perception and the cognitive processing of patterns of sentiment r elations or relations of affiliation. These approaches rely on Heider' s theory of cognitive balance, rule-based information processing, as w ell as the theory of Mental Models. Relatively early, there has been e vidence leading to the assumption of highly integrated memory represen tations of relational patterns. It was not until recently, however, th at the role was more clearly distinguished which cognitive inference r ules might play in the course of constructive memory processes. Social psychology, social cognition, and learning theory are currently provi ding convergent arguments in favour of the view that memory representa tions of patterns of sentiment relations may be conceptualized in term s of distinct classes, social categories, or cliques. The theory of Me ntal Models helps in providing new ways of formalizing such cliques wi th respect to their structural properties. Furthermore, the influences exerted by social background information in modifying the operating m ode of cognitive inference rules are discussed.