Self-relevance prioritizes access to visual awareness.
C Neil Macrae, Aleksandar Visokomogilski, Marius Golubickis, William A Cunningham, Arash Sahraie
Journal of Experimental Psychology. Human Perception and Performance March 2017 DOI: 10.1037/xhp0000361 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key findings | Shapes previously associated with the self were prioritized in visual awareness under continuous flash suppression compared with shapes associated with a friend or stranger. Drift diffusion modeling indicated that this self-prioritization influenced both decisional (starting value) and nondecisional (encoding/response) parameters, suggesting self-relevance biases access to consciousness at multiple processing stages. |
Abstract
As we are cognizant of only a fraction of the available visual inputs at any given time, how is information selected for access to consciousness? In particular, does the personal significance of stimuli influence perceptual selection? Given that self-relevant information is prioritized during various stages of processing, here we hypothesized that self-association may privilege access to awareness under continuous flash suppression (CFS). The results supported this prediction. Compared with geometric shapes referenced to either a friend or stranger, those previously associated with self were prioritized in visual awareness. To establish the basis of this effect, the processes underlying task performance were investigated using a hierarchical drift diffusion model approach. These analyses showed that self-prioritization mapped onto both the decisional (i.e., starting value, z) and nondecisional (i.e., t₀) parameters of the diffusion model. The implications of these findings are considered. (PsycINFO Database Record