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Arousal-induced self-awareness: an artifactual relationship?
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
|February 1, 1983
Summary
Unusual behaviors, not just arousal, increase self-awareness. This study found that both fast and slow running elevated self-awareness, suggesting novelty drives this effect.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Previous research linked arousal to self-awareness (Wegner & Giuliano, 1980).
- An alternative hypothesis proposed that the unusual nature of manipulations, not arousal, might explain this link.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether unusual behavior or arousal is the primary driver of increased self-awareness.
- To test an alternative explanation for the arousal-self-awareness relationship.
Main Methods:
- Participants were assigned to three conditions: fast running (arousing and unusual), slow running (unusual, not arousing), or a control group.
- Self-awareness was measured using a sentence completion task.
Main Results:
- Both fast and slow running groups exhibited significantly higher self-awareness compared to the control group.
- The level of arousal (fast vs. slow running) did not differentially affect self-awareness.
Conclusions:
- The findings support the hypothesis that unusual behavior, rather than physiological arousal, enhances self-awareness.
- This suggests that novelty and deviation from the norm are key factors in self-awareness processes.