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Published on: November 16, 2017
Hemispheric asymmetries in motivation neurally dissociate self-description processes.
Chad J Marsolek1, Colin G DeYoung, W Scott Domansky
1Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA. chad.j.marsolek-1@umn.edu
Self-description processes are neurally dissociable, with endorsing likable traits engaging the left hemisphere and rejecting unlikeable traits engaging the right hemisphere. These findings reveal basic motivational processes in the brain's self-representation.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Self-description involves endorsing or rejecting personality traits.
- Most individuals endorse likable traits and reject unlikeable ones.
- Self-judgment relies on stored personal information.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the neural dissociability of self-description processes.
- To determine if endorsing likable traits and rejecting unlikeable traits involve different neural mechanisms.
- To explore hemispheric asymmetries in self-representation.
Main Methods:
- Utilized neuroimaging techniques to observe brain activity during self-description tasks.
- Analyzed patterns of left and right hemisphere engagement.
- Compared neural responses associated with endorsing likable versus rejecting unlikeable traits.
Main Results:
- Endorsing likable traits was associated with left-hemisphere engagement.
- Rejecting unlikeable traits was associated with right-hemisphere engagement.
- Hemispheric asymmetries were specific to the endorsement/rejection process, not trait valence or directionality.
Conclusions:
- Neural processes for self-description are dissociable based on motivational valence (liking vs. disliking).
- Left-hemisphere processes support endorsing likable self-traits, while right-hemisphere processes support rejecting unlikeable self-traits.
- Self-perception is influenced by distinct motivational processes within the brain's architecture.
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