ABSTRACT
The field of social cognition attempts to explain how thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are affected by the “actual, imagined, or implied presence of others” (Allport, 1985, p. 3). It examines individuals within a social or cultural context and the means by which people process information (Sternberg, 1994). Experts in the area of social cognition include Bandura (1986) who studied learning within social contexts, Bern (1972) who was responsible for the developmental of self-perception theory; and Weiner (1986) who introduced attribution theory. Several important constructs that are relevant to child assessment in pediatric settings include health care beliefs and attitudes, attributions (e.g., locus of control), and motivation to engage in healthy behaviors.
