The Hierarchical Relationship Between the Relational-Self and the Collective-Self During Attention Processing

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Cultural Psychology
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Chinese collectivism emphasizes social connections, distinguishing between relational self (RS) and collective self (CS).
• Previous research suggests a hierarchy between RS and CS, but its stage-dependent nature requires further investigation.
• Understanding this hierarchy is crucial for self-construal within Chinese collectivist cultural contexts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the hierarchy between the relational self (RS) and collective self (CS) at different processing stages.
• To investigate attentional processing differences between RS and CS using an eye-movement method.

Main Methods:

• A dot-probe task was administered to 38 young adults (aged 18-24).
• Participants processed high-relevant (mother's name, China) and low-relevant (famous person's name, USA) information related to RS and CS.
• Eye-movement (EM) indices, including reaction time bias and gaze duration, were recorded.

Main Results:

• Young Chinese adults exhibited a stronger reaction time bias towards relational self (RS) information.
• Longer total gaze duration was observed for RS information compared to collective self (CS) information.
• These findings indicate a prioritization of the RS over the CS in later stages of attentional processing.

Conclusions:

• While both interpersonal and in-group information capture attention, RS information sustains it longer.
• The findings support the primacy of the RS in the Chinese collectivist context, underscoring the significance of close relationships.
• Emphasizes the need to consider the impact of interpersonal support on mental health in clinical applications.