Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 8, 2026
10:33
Correlating Behavioral Responses to fMRI Signals from Human Prefrontal Cortex: Examining Cognitive Processes Using Task Analysis
Published on: June 20, 2012
Self-Associations Influence Task-Performance through Bayesian Inference
Sara L Bengtsson1, Will D Penny
1Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute , Stockholm , Sweden.
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
|August 23, 2013
Summary
Self-perception influences behavior. This study shows that priming "clever" or "stupid" concepts affects performance and attention, with a computational model explaining these cognitive biases.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Computational Neuroscience
- Behavioral Economics
Background:
- Self-perception significantly impacts human behavior and cognitive processes.
- Understanding how self-concepts influence decision-making and performance is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of self-concept priming on cognitive task performance.
- To develop and validate a computational model explaining priming effects on behavior.
Main Methods:
- Behavioral study using a scrambled sentence task for priming (clever/stupid).
- Measurement of response time and error rates on a rule-association task.
- Development of a computational model incorporating adaptive decision thresholds based on Bayes' rule.
Main Results:
- Observed confirmation bias: 'stupid' priming decreased performance, 'clever' priming did not.
- Demonstrated selective attention modulation by self-concepts.
- Identified a double dissociation in response times (RTs) post-error vs. post-correct responses based on priming.
Conclusions:
- Priming self-concepts selectively affects attention and cognitive performance.
- The computational model successfully explains observed behavioral effects like confirmation bias and double dissociation.
- Bayesian inferential principles offer a framework for studying self-concept influences on behavior.
More Related Videos
05:22Dissociation of the Confounding Influences of Expectancy and Integrative Difficulty Residing in Anomalous Sentences in Event-related Potential Studies
Published on: May 9, 2019
08:24The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies
Published on: August 25, 2023
Related Concept Videos
01:15Theory of Attribution I: Correspondent Inference Theory
Correspondent inference theory, proposed by Jones and Davis in 1965, seeks to explain how individuals infer stable personality traits from observed behaviors. It suggests that people attribute actions to underlying dispositions rather than external circumstances, particularly when the behavior appears intentional and socially significant.Voluntary Behavior and Dispositional AttributionAccording to this theory, individuals are more likely to attribute behavior to personal traits when it appears...
01:29Theory of Attribution II: Kelley's Covariation Theory
Attribution theory plays a crucial role in social psychology, helping to explain how individuals interpret the causes of behavior. One prominent model within this field is Harold Kelley's covariation theory, which provides a systematic approach to determining whether internal traits or external circumstances drive a person's actions. The model posits that individuals rely on three key types of information—consensus, consistency, and distinctiveness—to make these judgments.Consensus: Comparing...
01:27Associative Learning
Associative learning is a fundamental concept in behavioral psychology, wherein a connection is established between two stimuli or events, leading to a learned response. This process is critical in understanding how behaviors are acquired and modified. Conditioning, the mechanism through which associations are formed, can be divided into two main types: classical conditioning and operant conditioning, each elucidating different aspects of associative learning.
Classical conditioning, also known...
Classical conditioning, also known...
01:53Cause and Effect
While variables are sometimes correlated because one does cause the other, it could also be that some other factor, a confounding variable, is actually causing the systematic movement in our variables of interest. For instance, as sales in ice cream increase, so does the overall rate of crime. Is it possible that indulging in your favorite flavor of ice cream could send you on a crime spree? Or, after committing crime do you think you might decide to treat yourself to a cone?
01:37Reason and Intuition
The human brain processes information for decision-making using one of two routes: an intuitive system and a rational system (Epstein, 1994; popularized by Kahneman, 2011 as System 1 and System 2, respectively). The intuitive system is quick, impulsive, and operates with minimal effort, relying on emotions or habits to provide cues for what to do next, while the rational system is logical, analytical, deliberate, and methodical. Research in neuropsychology suggests that the brain can only use...
01:23Implicit Personality Theories
Implicit personality theory explains how individuals make assumptions about the relationships between personality traits, behaviors, and character types. When people learn that someone possesses a particular trait, they tend to infer the presence of other related characteristics, forming a cohesive impression. This cognitive shortcut plays a crucial role in social interactions and interpersonal judgments.Central Traits and Their InfluenceSolomon Asch's seminal 1946 study highlighted the power...