Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Automatic Processing and Automatic Social Behavior

Automatic Processing and Automatic Social Behavior

Automatic processing refers to the cognitive operations that occur without conscious intent or awareness, playing a fundamental role in shaping social cognition and behavior. These processes enable individuals to navigate complex social environments efficiently by relying on mental shortcuts and pre-existing knowledge structures known as schemas. One of the most influential mechanisms underlying automatic processing is priming, which subtly activates mental representations through exposure to...

System of Memory

System of Memory

Memory is categorized into three major systems: sensory memory, short-term memory (STM), and long-term memory (LTM). These systems differ in their capacity and the duration for which they can hold information. Sensory memory captures raw sensory input from the environment, holding it for just a few seconds or less. For example, on hearing a brief, loud sound, like a car horn honking, the sound seems to linger in the mind for a moment even after it stops. This is an instance of sensory memory...

Working Memory

Working Memory

Working memory refers to a combination of components, including short-term memory and attention, that allow an individual to hold information temporarily as we perform cognitive tasks. It is an essential cognitive function that enables the execution of complex tasks such as problem-solving, comprehension, and reasoning. Unlike short-term memory, which simply involves the storage of information for a brief period, working memory involves the active manipulation and processing of this...

Long-Term Memory

Long-Term Memory

Long-term memory is a relatively permanent type of memory, capable of storing vast amounts of information over extended periods. Its storage capacity is generally considered unlimited.
Long-term memory can be categorized into two primary types: explicit and implicit memory. Explicit memory, also known as declarative memory, involves the conscious recollection of information that we deliberately try to remember, recall, and articulate. This type of memory encompasses specific facts, events, and...

Traumatic Memory

Traumatic Memory

Emotionally traumatic events often lead to memories that are exceptionally vivid and enduring, sometimes persisting with remarkable clarity throughout an individual's life. A classic example of this phenomenon is a person who survives a car accident. Even years later, they may recall every detail of the event with startling accuracy — the screeching of the tires, the jarring impact, and the acrid smell of burning rubber. Such vividness contrasts sharply with how an individual...

Repressed Memory

Repressed Memory

Repressed memories are a psychological phenomenon where memories of traumatic events are unconsciously blocked from a person's awareness. This process occurs as a defense mechanism, protecting the mind from the emotional impact of distressing or painful experiences. For example, a person who has experienced childhood trauma may grow up with no conscious recollection of the event. In such cases, the memories are thought to be buried deep within the subconscious, inaccessible to the conscious...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Selective behavioral, computational, and neural efficiency in executive function among open-skill athletes.

Psychology of sport and exercise·2026

Same author

Age-dependent cross-level gradients of exercise-associated advantages in behavioural, latent, and neural efficiency.

Psychology of sport and exercise·2026

Same author

Editorial: Social interaction in cyberspace: online gaming, social media, and mental health.

Frontiers in psychiatry·2026

Same author

Self-prioritization in response selection: Computational evidence for biased evidence accumulation.

Cognition·2026

Same author

Post-traumatic growth among parents of burn-injured children: A cross-sectional survey.

Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries·2026

Same author

Amygdala-putamen connectivity links gratitude to greater well-being.

Dialogues in clinical neuroscience·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 30, 2026

Irrelevant Stimuli and Action Control: Analyzing the Influence of Ignored Stimuli via the Distractor-Response Binding Paradigm

Irrelevant Stimuli and Action Control: Analyzing the Influence of Ignored Stimuli via the Distractor-Response Binding Paradigm

Published on: May 14, 2014

Automatic Prioritization of Self-Referential Stimuli in Working Memory.

Shouhang Yin¹, Jie Sui², Yu-Chin Chiu³

¹1 Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality of the Ministry of Education, Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University.

Psychological Science

|January 18, 2019

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

People automatically prioritize self-related information in working memory (WM). This self-reference bias in WM is not strategic and may influence decision-making.

Keywords:

internal attention open data open materials self-bias self-prioritization effect self-reference working memory

More Related Videos

A Real-world What-Where-When Memory Test

A Real-world What-Where-When Memory Test

Published on: May 16, 2017

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Memory-Enhancing Effect of Emotion

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Memory-Enhancing Effect of Emotion

Published on: May 4, 2011

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jan 30, 2026

Irrelevant Stimuli and Action Control: Analyzing the Influence of Ignored Stimuli via the Distractor-Response Binding Paradigm

Irrelevant Stimuli and Action Control: Analyzing the Influence of Ignored Stimuli via the Distractor-Response Binding Paradigm

Published on: May 14, 2014

A Real-world What-Where-When Memory Test

A Real-world What-Where-When Memory Test

Published on: May 16, 2017

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Memory-Enhancing Effect of Emotion

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Memory-Enhancing Effect of Emotion

Published on: May 4, 2011

Area of Science:

Cognitive Psychology
Neuroscience
Memory Research

Background:

Individuals exhibit a self-reference effect, favoring self-related external stimuli.
It remains unclear if this bias extends to internal representations in working memory (WM).

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate whether a self-reference bias exists within working memory.
To determine the mechanisms underlying this potential bias and its strategic nature.

Main Methods:

Four experiments were conducted using a delayed match-to-sample spatial working memory task.
Participants associated social labels (self, friend, stranger) with colors and recalled color locations.
Attentional allocation during encoding, retrieval, and maintenance phases was assessed.

Main Results:

Participants responded faster to probes at locations associated with self-referential colors.
This self-bias was attributed to internal attentional prioritization during WM maintenance, not encoding or retrieval.
The bias persisted even when it impaired WM performance, indicating it is nonstrategic.

Conclusions:

A self-reference bias automatically prioritizes self-related items in working memory.
This automatic prioritization may contribute to egocentric biases observed in decision-making processes.