ABSTRACT
I should begin by saying that I find Dodge’s model a very reasonable and useful framework within which to dissect social interaction. It is reasonable in that it subjects social cues to the same cognitive processes that we assume are used to interpret nonsocial stimuli; it is useful in that it provides a guide to segmenting the behavioral selection process, a necessity if we are to make sense of complex social decision making. Although the model was developed in order to describe the steps involved in children’s selection of aggressive or nonaggressive actions, it can readily be generalized and employed to more broadly delineate the processing steps involved in a wide variety of social decisions.
