Abstract:

The two fundamental dimensions of social cognition are warmth and competence of Stereotype Content Model (SCM). Compesation effect is a tendency to differentiate two social targets in a comparative context on the two fundamental dimensions by contrasting them in a compensatory direction. There are two means of measuring the compensation effect, that is, direct measurement and indirect measurement. In addition, there are two basic categories in the compensation effect, one is the mutual compensation between competence and warmth, the other contain compensation of competence for warmth and compensation of warmth for competence. The psychological mechanisms of the compensation effect could probably be contrast effect, system justification theory and mixed stereotypes. Admittedly, the compensation effect, which was widely applied in interpersonal and intergroup social cognition, needs further deepening and expansion in respect of theoretical research and practical applications.

Key words: compensation effect, stereotype content model (SCM), warmth, competence, social cognition