Dual-Process and Framing Models in Sociology: European Contributions and Cross-Disciplinary Bridges

Human behavior can vary markedly across situations, yet it at times exhibits striking persistence. To account for these characteristics, cognitive sociologists have focused on two aspects: how situational cues—including the presence and behavior of others—activate mental structures and predispositions, such as schemas, frames, or repertoires, and how behavior is governed by dual processes, whether through autonomous, associative activation or controlled, effortful deliberation. Building on research in cognitive and social psychology, these insights became central to the literature on culture and cognition in North American sociology. Even earlier, ideas about framing and dual processes had been adopted in European sociology. We introduce this largely separate body of scholarship, discuss its relationship to its North American counterpart, and highlight related developments in axiomatic decision theory and mathematical psychology. We also demonstrate how sociologists can employ dual-process and framing models to generate new hypotheses across diverse areas of research.