It's Probably Mine: Self-Prioritization Can Be a Decisional Strategy

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Decision Science

Background:

• Personal possession significantly influences decision-making, speeding up stimulus classification for self-owned objects.
• The precise timing and mechanisms of self-prioritization remain debated.
• Egocentric strategies, such as a default-to-self response, are hypothesized to underlie this effect.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether self-prioritization in decision-making originates from an egocentric strategy.
• To examine how ownership influences perceptual and decisional processing.
• To explore the role of decision-making demands on self-prioritization.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a psychophysical approach combined with computational modeling.
• Employed a modified object-classification task with blended images of self-owned and friend-owned objects.
• Conducted two experiments manipulating decisional strategy applicability and cognitive load.

Main Results:

• Self-prioritization of possessions occurred when a self-centric decisional strategy was applicable.
• This effect was amplified under increased decision-making demands.
• Computational analyses identified a prestimulus preference for self-related responses as the origin of self-prioritization.

Conclusions:

• Self-prioritization in decision-making arises from the application of an egocentric, default-to-self strategy.
• Ownership exerts a strategic influence on decision processing, particularly under high cognitive load.
• Findings contribute to understanding self-bias in cognitive processes.