Abstract
Recent research has revealed that self-referential processing enhances perceptual judgments - the so-called self-prioritization effect. The extent and origin of this effect remains unknown, however. Noting the multifaceted nature of the self, here we hypothesized that temporal influences on self-construal (i.e., past/future-self continuity) may serve as an important determinant of stimulus prioritization. Specifically, as representations of the self increase in abstraction as a function of temporal distance (i.e., distance from now), self-prioritization may only emerge when stimuli are associated with the current self. The results of three experiments supported this prediction. Self-relevance only enhanced performance in a standard perceptual-matching task when stimuli (i.e., geometric shapes) were connected with the current self; representations of the self in the future (Expts. 1 & 2) and past (Expt. 3) failed to facilitate decision making. To identify the processes underlying task performance, data were interrogated using a hierarchical drift diffusion model (HDDM) approach. Results of these analyses revealed that self-prioritization was underpinned by a stimulus bias (i.e., rate of information uptake). Collectively, these findings elucidate when and how self-relevance influences decisional processing.
DOI
10.3758/s13421-017-0722-3
Publication Date
2017-10-01
Publication Title
Memory & Cognition
Volume
45
Issue
7
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
ISSN
1532-5946
Embargo Period
2024-11-22
First Page
1223
Last Page
1239
Recommended Citation
Golubickis, M., Falben, J., Sahraie, A., Visokomogilski, A., & et al. (2017) 'Self-prioritization and perceptual matching: The effects of temporal construal', Memory & Cognition, 45(7), pp. 1223-1239. Springer Science and Business Media LLC: Available at: https://doi.org/10.3758/s13421-017-0722-3
