Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification03:00

Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification

5.5K
Social psychologists have documented that feeling good about ourselves and maintaining positive self-esteem is a powerful motivator of human behavior (Tavris & Aronson, 2008). In the United States, members of the predominant culture typically think very highly of themselves and view themselves as good people who are above average on many desirable traits (Ehrlinger, Gilovich, & Ross, 2005). Often, our behavior, attitudes, and beliefs are affected when we experience a threat to our...
5.5K
Self-Presentation: Self-Monitoring and Self-Handicapping02:05

Self-Presentation: Self-Monitoring and Self-Handicapping

41.7K
People can go to great lengths to protect their self-image and present themselves in ways that they want others to see them. Sociologist Erving Goffman presented the idea that a person is like an actor on a stage. Calling his theory dramaturgy, Goffman believed that we use “impression management” to present ourselves to others as we hope to be perceived. Each situation is a new scene, and individuals perform different roles depending on who is present (Goffman, 1959). Think about...
41.7K
The Sense of Self: Reflected Self-Appraisal and Social Comparison02:57

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

53.2K
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...
53.2K
Processes of Self-Presentation01:29

Processes of Self-Presentation

25
Effective self-presentation is a central component of social interaction and identity construction. It relies on the dynamic processes of defining the situation and engaging in self-disclosure. These mechanisms help individuals navigate social context expectations and manage how others perceive them, fostering mutual understanding and relationship development.Defining the SituationSocial situations are shaped by collectively understood frames—a set of widely understood rules or...
25
Self-Schemas02:16

Self-Schemas

33.6K
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.
33.6K
Strategies of Self-Presentation II: Self-Verification01:17

Strategies of Self-Presentation II: Self-Verification

26
Self-verification is a fundamental psychological drive wherein individuals seek affirmation of their self-concept from others, striving for consistency between their internal self-view and external perceptions. This drive operates even when the self-concept is negative, influencing interpersonal behavior and feedback preferences in complex and often counterintuitive ways. Unlike the self-enhancement motive, which seeks positive evaluations, self-verification prioritizes coherence and...
26

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

When less is more: single selfhood-related cues elicit higher selfhood ratings than multiple cues.

Frontiers in cognition·2026
Same author

Theta band activity during event-file retrieval is influenced by stimulus salience in the preceding action episode.

Cortex; a journal devoted to the study of the nervous system and behavior·2026
Same author

Altered neural oscillatory dynamics underlie reduced anticipatory schema use during event segmentation in adolescents with High-Functioning Autism Spectrum disorder.

NeuroImage. Clinical·2026
Same author

How the influence of cingulate-lingual interactions on event segmentation changes from early to late adolescence.

Scientific reports·2026
Same author

Negative Feedback Does Not Reverse Observationally Acquired Binding and Retrieval Effects: A Failed Replication.

Journal of cognition·2026
Same author

Learning from feedback is independent from feedback visibility, but supported by aperiodic neural activity.

NeuroImage·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 24, 2025

Creating Virtual-hand and Virtual-face Illusions to Investigate Self-representation
06:53

Creating Virtual-hand and Virtual-face Illusions to Investigate Self-representation

Published on: March 1, 2017

13.5K

The Me-File: An Event-Coding Approach to Self-Representation.

Bernhard Hommel1,2,3

  • 1Cognitive Psychology Unit, Institute for Psychological Research & Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands.

Frontiers in Psychology
|August 16, 2021
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

People represent themselves using a "Me-File," integrating sensory consequences of being oneself, similar to how other events are processed. This Humean bundle-self theory offers a mechanistic basis for understanding selfhood and creating artificial agents.

Keywords:
Theory of Event Coding (TEC)agencybody ownershipminimal selfself representation

More Related Videos

Author Spotlight: A Novel Setup to Conduct Naturalistic Laboratory Experiments with Real Human Actors in Scenarios
07:43

Author Spotlight: A Novel Setup to Conduct Naturalistic Laboratory Experiments with Real Human Actors in Scenarios

Published on: August 4, 2023

2.3K
Author Spotlight: Investigating the Impact of Emotional Prosodies on Voice Recognition and Perception
05:48

Author Spotlight: Investigating the Impact of Emotional Prosodies on Voice Recognition and Perception

Published on: August 9, 2024

1.7K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Oct 24, 2025

Creating Virtual-hand and Virtual-face Illusions to Investigate Self-representation
06:53

Creating Virtual-hand and Virtual-face Illusions to Investigate Self-representation

Published on: March 1, 2017

13.5K
Author Spotlight: A Novel Setup to Conduct Naturalistic Laboratory Experiments with Real Human Actors in Scenarios
07:43

Author Spotlight: A Novel Setup to Conduct Naturalistic Laboratory Experiments with Real Human Actors in Scenarios

Published on: August 4, 2023

2.3K
Author Spotlight: Investigating the Impact of Emotional Prosodies on Voice Recognition and Perception
05:48

Author Spotlight: Investigating the Impact of Emotional Prosodies on Voice Recognition and Perception

Published on: August 9, 2024

1.7K

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Philosophy of Mind

Background:

  • The mechanisms underlying self-representation remain largely unexplained.
  • Existing theories often assume selfhood without detailing its cognitive underpinnings.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose a mechanistic account of self-representation.
  • To integrate selfhood within a broader theory of perception and action.

Main Methods:

  • Extending the Theory of Event Coding (TEC).
  • Conceptualizing self-representation through the "Me-File" construct.
  • Applying Humean bundle-theory principles to selfhood.

Main Results:

  • Self-representation is proposed to occur via a "Me-File," analogous to event files for external stimuli.
  • This Me-File integrates sensory codes associated with the behaving self.
  • The TEC framework provides the necessary mechanisms for this self-representation model.

Conclusions:

  • The Me-File concept offers a testable, mechanistic explanation for selfhood.
  • This approach can guide future experimentation on self-representation.
  • It provides a foundation for developing artificial agents with self-like properties.