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

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Decision Making

Background:

• The self-prioritization effect (SPE) is known for sensory working memory (WM).
• Its impact on response selection within WM is less understood.
• Self-referential processing influences cognitive functions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how self-referential processing modulates response selection in working memory.
• To examine the SPE in both voluntary and forced-choice response contexts.
• To elucidate the computational mechanisms underlying self-bias in decision-making.

Main Methods:

• A novel rule-based paradigm associating social labels (self/friend) with visual features and keypress responses.
• Experiments included voluntary and forced-selection contexts.
• Hierarchical drift-diffusion modeling analyzed decision processes.

Main Results:

• A robust SPE was observed, with higher selection proportion and faster reaction times for self-referential responses.
• In voluntary choice, SPE was driven by increased drift rate, not starting bias.
• In forced choice, SPE involved increased drift rate and decision threshold, indicating enhanced efficiency and caution.

Conclusions:

• The SPE extends beyond perception to fundamentally reconfigure the decision-making stage in WM.
• Self-relevance acts as a contextual anchor optimizing action-oriented representations.
• Self-prioritization enhances processing efficiency while maintaining response accuracy through heightened caution.