A comparison of self-bias measures across cognitive domains

Abstract Background The ‘self-bias’—i.e., the human proneness to preferentially process self-relevant stimuli—is thought to be important for both self-related and social processing. Previous research operationalized the self-bias using different paradigms, assessing the size of the self-bias within a single cognitive domain. Recent studies suggested a reduced self-bias in autism, yet findings are inconsistent. The lack of consensus across existing studies may result from variation in paradigms and cognitive domains tested. Therefore, the primary goal of the current study was to investigate whether self-biases found across cognitive domains (i.e., perception, memory, attention) are related or independent. The secondary goal was to explore the relationship between these self-biases and the extent of autistic traits in a neurotypical sample. Methods In an online procedure, 99 Dutch-speaking adults performed three self-processing tasks in counterbalanced order—i.e., the shape-label matching task (perception), the trait adjectives task (memory) and the visual search task (attention)—and completed two self-report measures of ASD symptomatology, i.e., AQ-10 and SRS-A. To control for level of familiarity, self-, close other- and famous other-relevant stimuli were included in each task. Repeated measures ANOVAs were conducted for each task, and both frequentist as well as Bayesian analyses were applied to investigate the correlational patterns between self-bias measures. Results We observed significant correlations of the self-bias magnitude between memory and attention, as well as attention and perception. However, Bayesian analysis provided only weak support for the latter association. Further, the size of the self-bias was not significantly related across memory and perception. No significant correlation between autistic traits and the self-bias magnitude was found for any of the three tasks, with Bayesian analyses strongly favoring the null hypothesis. Conclusions In contrast with the view of a ‘unidimensional’ self-bias, our findings provide evidence for a heterogeneous and multifaceted self consisting of a variety of related and unrelated aspects. None of the self-bias indices were found to relate to autistic traits in our neurotypical sample.

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A comparison of self-bias measures across cognitive domains

10.21203/rs.3.rs-401846/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Letizia Amodeo ◽

Jan Roeljan Wiersema ◽

Marcel Brass ◽

Annabel Nijhof

Keyword(s):

Repeated Measures ◽

Autistic Traits ◽

The Self ◽

Self Report ◽

Cognitive Domain ◽

Matching Task ◽

Bayesian Analyses ◽

Cognitive Domains ◽

Weak Support ◽

Self Bias

Abstract Background: The ‘self-bias’ – i.e., the human proneness to preferentially process self-relevant stimuli – is thought to be important for both self-related and social processing. Previous research operationalized the self-bias using different paradigms, assessing the size of the self-bias within a single cognitive domain. Recent studies suggested a reduced self-bias in autism, yet findings are inconsistent. Therefore, the primary goal of the current study was to investigate whether self-biases found across cognitive domains (i.e., perception, memory, attention) are related or independent. The secondary goal was to explore the relationship between these self-biases and the extent of autistic traits in a neurotypical sample.Methods: In an online procedure, 99 Dutch-speaking adults performed three self-processing tasks in counterbalanced order – i.e., the shape-label matching task (perception), the trait adjectives task (memory) and the visual search task (attention) – and completed two self-report measures of ASD symptomatology, i.e., AQ-10 and SRS-A. To control for level of familiarity, self-, close other- and famous other-relevant stimuli were included in each task. Repeated measures ANOVAs were conducted for each task, and both frequentist as well as Bayesian analyses were applied to investigate the correlational patterns between self-bias measures.Results: We observed significant correlations of the self-bias magnitude between memory and attention, as well as attention and perception. However, Bayesian analysis provided only weak support for the latter association. Further, the size of the self-bias was not significantly related across memory and perception. For neither of the tasks, a significant correlation between autistic traits and the self-bias magnitude was found, with Bayesian analyses strongly favoring the null hypothesis.Conclusions: In contrast with the view of a ‘unidimensional’ self-bias, our findings provide evidence for a heterogeneous and multifaceted self consisting of a variety of related and unrelated aspects. None of the self-bias indices were found to relate to autistic traits in our neurotypical sample.

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Self-processing in relation to emotion and reward processing in depression

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291721003597 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-13

Author(s):

Catherine Hobbs ◽

Jie Sui ◽

David Kessler ◽

Marcus R. Munafò ◽

Katherine S. Button

Keyword(s):

Learning Task ◽

Reward Processing ◽

The Self ◽

Self Report ◽

Implicit Associations ◽

Social Evaluation ◽

Cognitive Domains ◽

Effective Interventions ◽

Precise Relationship

Abstract Background Depression is characterised by a heightened self-focus, which is believed to be associated with differences in emotion and reward processing. However, the precise relationship between these cognitive domains is not well understood. We examined the role of self-reference in emotion and reward processing, separately and in combination, in relation to depression. Methods Adults experiencing varying levels of depression (n = 144) completed self-report depression measures (PHQ-9, BDI-II). We measured self, emotion and reward processing, separately and in combination, using three cognitive tasks. Results When self-processing was measured independently of emotion and reward, in a simple associative learning task, there was little association with depression. However, when self and emotion processing occurred in combination in a self-esteem go/no-go task, depression was associated with an increased positive other bias [b = 3.51, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.24–5.79]. When the self was processed in relation to emotion and reward, in a social evaluation learning task, depression was associated with reduced positive self-biases (b = 0.11, 95% CI 0.05–0.17). Conclusions Depression was associated with enhanced positive implicit associations with others, and reduced positive learning about the self, culminating in reduced self-favouring biases. However, when self, emotion and reward processing occurred independently there was little evidence of an association with depression. Treatments targeting reduced positive self-biases may provide more sensitive targets for therapeutic intervention and potential biomarkers of treatment responses, allowing the development of more effective interventions.

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Self-bias and the emotionality of foreign languages

Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology ◽

10.1177/1747021818781017 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 72 (1) ◽

pp. 76-89 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Lela Ivaz ◽

Kim L Griffin ◽

Jon Andoni Duñabeitia

Keyword(s):

Foreign Language ◽

Emotional Processing ◽

The Self ◽

Foreign Languages ◽

Matching Task ◽

Bias Effect ◽

Self Bias ◽

Emotional Distance ◽

Language Effects ◽

Language Context

Foreign language contexts impose a relative psychological and emotional distance in bilinguals. In our previous studies, we demonstrated that the use of a foreign language changes the strength of the seemingly automatic emotional responses in the self-paradigm, showing a robust asymmetry in the self-bias effect in a native and a foreign language context. Namely, larger effects were found in the native language, suggesting an emotional blunting in the foreign language context. In the present study, we investigated the source of these effects by directly comparing whether they stem from a language’s foreignness versus its non-nativeness. We employed the same self-paradigm (a simple perceptual matching task of associating simple geometric shapes with the labels “you,” “friend,” and “other”), testing unbalanced Spanish–Basque–English trilinguals. We applied the paradigm to three language contexts: native, non-native but contextually present (i.e., non-native local), and non-native foreign. Results showed a smaller self-bias only in the foreign language pointing to the foreign-language-induced psychological/emotional distance as the necessary prerequisite for foreign language effects. Furthermore, we explored whether perceived emotional distance towards foreign languages in Spanish–English bilinguals modulates foreign language effects. Results suggest that none of the different indices of emotional distance towards the foreign language obtained via questionnaires modulated the self-biases in the foreign language contexts. Our results further elucidate the deeply rooted and automatic nature of foreign-language-driven differential emotional processing.

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A biobehavioural approach to understand how mindfulness-based cognitive 4 therapy reduces dispositional negative self-bias in recurrent depression

10.31234/osf.io/53trs ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Hans Kirschner ◽

Willem Kuyken ◽

Anke Karl

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Therapy ◽

Untreated Control ◽

The Self ◽

Self Report ◽

Control Group ◽

Recurrent Depression ◽

Untreated Control Group ◽

Psychophysiological Responses ◽

Self Compassion ◽

Self Bias

Negative self-bias is a detrimental vulnerability factor of recurrent depression. Here we examine the potential of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) to reduce this bias by assessing self-report and psychophysiological responses to a previously validated self-compassion exercise in individuals with recurrent depression. One group (n= 25) received eight sessions of MBCT between two assessments (2.5 – 3 months apart). The second group was an untreated control group (n = 25) tested at similar intervals.Our results indicate that, when the MBCT group engaged in the self-compassion exercise after MBCT, they showed reduced physiological arousal and enhanced parasympathetic activity whereas no changes were observed in the control group. Interestingly, self-reported state self-compassion after the exercise increased in both groups at both timepoints, but only in the MBCT group the overall levels of state and dispositional self-compassion were increased significantly. This suggests that MBCT reduces both strategic (self-report) and automatic (psychophysiological) negative self-bias.

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Perceiving the Self and Emotions with an Anxious Mind: Evidence from an Implicit Perceptual Task

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph182212096 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (22) ◽

pp. 12096

Author(s):

Michella Feldborg ◽

Naomi A. Lee ◽

Kalai Hung ◽

Kaiping Peng ◽

Jie Sui

Keyword(s):

Early Diagnosis ◽

Anxiety Disorders ◽

Mental Distress ◽

The Self ◽

Matching Task ◽

Perceptual Task ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Healthy Individuals ◽

Self Bias ◽

Emotional Bias

Anxiety disorders cause mental distress and low wellbeing in many people worldwide. Theories of anxiety describe negative worldviews and self-views as maintaining factors of the disorders. Recent research in social cognition has found a link between depression and altered perceptual biases to emotions, but the same research on anxiety is still missing. In this study, we measured perceptual biases to emotional and self-related stimuli in sub-clinically anxious participants and healthy controls using a self-emotional shape-label matching task. Results demonstrate that anxious participants had a diminished perceptual self-bias compared with healthy controls. Furthermore, the severity of anxiety was related to an emotional bias towards valanced other-related stimuli. The findings confirm the hypothesis that anxious individuals display an altered self-prioritisation effect in comparison with healthy individuals and that anxiety severity is linked to altered responses to emotionally valanced others. These findings have potential implications for early diagnosis and treatment of anxiety disorders.

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Caregiver psychoeducation for first-episode psychosis

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.eurpsy.2009.08.006 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 25 (1) ◽

pp. 33-38 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Stephen McWilliams ◽

Patrick Egan ◽

Deirdre Jackson ◽

Laoise Renwick ◽

Sharon Foley ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Repeated Measures ◽

First Episode Psychosis ◽

The Self ◽

Self Report ◽

First Episode ◽

Socioeconomic Differences ◽

Ample Evidence ◽

Lower Socioeconomic ◽

Episode Psychosis ◽

Before And After

AbstractIntroductionInternational best-practice guidelines for the management of first-episode psychosis have recommended the provision of psychoeducation for multifamily groups. While there is ample evidence of their efficacy in multiepisode psychosis, there is a paucity of evidence supporting this approach specifically for first-episode psychosis. We sought to determine whether a six-week caregiver psychoeducation programme geared specifically at first-episode psychosis improves caregiver knowledge and attitudes.MethodsCaregivers of people with first-episode psychosis completed a 23-item adapted version of the self-report Family Questionnaire (KQ) and a 17-item adapted version of the self-report Drug Attitudes Inventory (DAI) before and after the six-week DETECT Information and Support Course (DISC). Using a Generalised Linear Repeated Measures Model, we analyzed the differences in proportions of correct answers before and after the programme.ResultsOver a 24-month study period, 31 caregivers (13 higher socioeconomic; 13 lower socioeconomic; five unspecified socioeconomic; 19 female; 12 male) participated in the DISC programme and completed inventories before and after the course. Knowledge of psychosis and specific knowledge of medication treatment improved among caregivers overall (p < .01; effect sizes 0.78 and 0.94 respectively). There were no significant gender or socioeconomic differences in any improvement.DiscussionThis study confirms that caregiver psychoeducation specifically for first-episode psychosis directly improves knowledge of the illness overall and, in particular, knowledge of medication. Gender is not a factor in this, while the lack of any socioeconomic differences dispels the myth that patients in lower socioeconomic groups are disadvantaged because their caregivers know less.

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Measuring the Big Five in Self-Report and Other Ratings

European Journal of Psychological Assessment ◽

10.1027//1015-5759.16.1.31 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

pp. 31-43 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Claudio Barbaranelli ◽

Gian Vittorio Caprara

Keyword(s):

Big Five ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Structural Equation Models ◽

Error Variance ◽

The Self ◽

Self Report ◽

Sources Of Information ◽

Third Person ◽

Fit Indexes ◽

Response Modes

Summary: The aim of the study is to assess the construct validity of two different measures of the Big Five, matching two “response modes” (phrase-questionnaire and list of adjectives) and two sources of information or raters (self-report and other ratings). Two-hundred subjects, equally divided in males and females, were administered the self-report versions of the Big Five Questionnaire (BFQ) and the Big Five Observer (BFO), a list of bipolar pairs of adjectives ( Caprara, Barbaranelli, & Borgogni, 1993 , 1994 ). Every subject was rated by six acquaintances, then aggregated by means of the same instruments used for the self-report, but worded in a third-person format. The multitrait-multimethod matrix derived from these measures was then analyzed via Structural Equation Models according to the criteria proposed by Widaman (1985) , Marsh (1989) , and Bagozzi (1994) . In particular, four different models were compared. While the global fit indexes of the models were only moderate, convergent and discriminant validities were clearly supported, and method and error variance were moderate or low.

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Using the Rating Scale Model to Examine the Psychometric Properties of the Self-Efficacy Scale for Driver Competence

European Journal of Psychological Assessment ◽

10.1027/1015-5759/a000063 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 27 (3) ◽

pp. 164-170 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Anna Sundström

Keyword(s):

Psychometric Properties ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

Rating Scale ◽

Measurement Precision ◽

The Self ◽

Test Theory ◽

Self Report ◽

Scale Model ◽

Validity And Reliability ◽

Two Samples

This study evaluated the psychometric properties of a self-report scale for assessing perceived driver competence, labeled the Self-Efficacy Scale for Driver Competence (SSDC), using item response theory analyses. Two samples of Swedish driving-license examinees (n = 795; n = 714) completed two versions of the SSDC that were parallel in content. Prior work, using classical test theory analyses, has provided support for the validity and reliability of scores from the SSDC. This study investigated the measurement precision, item hierarchy, and differential functioning for males and females of the items in the SSDC as well as how the rating scale functions. The results confirmed the previous findings; that the SSDC demonstrates sound psychometric properties. In addition, the findings showed that measurement precision could be increased by adding items that tap higher self-efficacy levels. Moreover, the rating scale can be improved by reducing the number of categories or by providing each category with a label.

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