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Related Concept Videos

Understanding Self-Concept01:20

Understanding Self-Concept

The self-concept encompasses individuals' beliefs about themselves, structured through cognitive frameworks known as self-schemas. These schemas function as mental representations of specific traits or behaviors, influencing how self-relevant information is perceived, processed, and remembered. For example, individuals who are schematic for body weight are more likely to interpret routine experiences—such as dining out or shopping—through the lens of that trait. Conversely, those aschematic for...
Self-Schemas02:16

Self-Schemas

In general, a schema is a mental construct consisting of a cluster or collection of related concepts (Bartlett, 1932). There are many different types of schemata, and they all have one thing in common: schemata are a method of organizing information that allows the brain to work more efficiently. When a schema is activated, the brain makes immediate assumptions about the person or object being observed.
Understanding the Self01:28

Understanding the Self

The self is a central aspect of human identity, encompassing an individual’s beliefs, emotions, perceptions, and experiences. It is a cognitive and psychological construct that enables individuals to interpret their traits and behaviors, influencing how they perceive themselves and interact with the world. While personality consists of stable and enduring characteristics, the self is shaped by self-perception and social experiences. This distinction highlights the dynamic nature of the self,...
Self-Awareness and Its Effects01:21

Self-Awareness and Its Effects

Self-awareness is a psychological state in which the individual becomes the focal point of their attention. This inward focus transforms the self into an object of contemplation and assessment, influencing how individuals perceive their actions and their alignment with personal and societal standards.Triggers and Contexts for Self-AwarenessSelf-awareness can be activated by external stimuli that make individuals visually or audibly aware of themselves, such as mirrors, cameras, or recordings.
Subconsciousness and No Awareness01:15

Subconsciousness and No Awareness

The concept of subconscious awareness refers to the processing of information below the level of conscious thought, which significantly influences both behaviors and decisions. It is also known as waking subconscious awareness. This complex level of cognition operates without the direct awareness of the individual, facilitating rapid and simultaneous handling of multiple information streams.
An illustrative example of subconscious processing is its role in problem-solving. Often, individuals...
The Sense of Self: Reflected Self-Appraisal and Social Comparison02:57

The Sense of Self: Reflected Self-Appraisal and Social Comparison

According to Charles Cooley, we base our image on what we think other people see (Cooley 1902). We imagine how we must appear to others, then react to this speculation. We don certain clothes, prepare our hair in a particular manner, wear makeup, use cologne, and the like—all with the notion that our presentation of ourselves is going to affect how others perceive us. We expect a certain reaction, and, if lucky, we get the one we desire and feel good about it. But more than that, Cooley...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Observing the Transformation of Bodily Self-consciousness in the Squeeze-machine Experiment
07:20

Observing the Transformation of Bodily Self-consciousness in the Squeeze-machine Experiment

Published on: March 8, 2019

Consciousness as recursive, spatiotemporal self-location.

Frederic Peters1

  • 1fhpeters@aapt.net.au

Psychological Research
|September 19, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Consciousness emerges as unified self-awareness, rooted in biological self-regulation. Evolutionary pressures shaped cognitive systems for efficient environmental interaction and subjective experience.

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Last Updated: Jun 20, 2026

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Virtual Hand with Ambiguous Movement between the Self and Other Origin: Sense of Ownership and 'Other-Produced' Agency
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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Science
  • Philosophy of Mind

Background:

  • Consciousness is a unified field of self-awareness with spatial and temporal orientation.
  • Cognitive systems evolved to support biological self-regulation and environmental interaction.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explain the emergence of subjective self-awareness.
  • To understand the evolutionary basis of consciousness.

Main Methods:

  • Theoretical analysis of cognitive systems and evolutionary pressures.
  • Examination of self-regulatory mechanisms and processing architectures.

Main Results:

  • Subjectivity arises from an orientative reference frame and feedback-based processing.
  • Evolution favored energy efficiency, leading to anticipatory feedforward mechanisms.
  • Recursive self-referential processing generates subjective experience.

Conclusions:

  • Consciousness-as-subjectivity is a product of evolved self-regulatory cognitive systems.
  • The subjective experience of 'being oneself' is generated by recursive self-locational schema processing.