Self-consciousness, self-attention, and social interaction.

Conducted 2 experiments with a total of 128 female undergraduates to test the effects of self-focused attention on positive and negative social interactions. In Study 1 the behavior of dispositionally high and low publicly self-conscious women (as measured by the Self-Consciousness Scale) was examined in an interpersonal situation involving rejection by a group. It was hypothesized that persons high in self-consciousness, being more aware of how they are perceived by others, would be more sensitive and react more negatively to the rejection than those low in self-consciousness. The predictions were confirmed. In Study 2, female Ss were presented with favorable or unfavorable feedback in the context of an interview, and self-attention was experimentally manipulated by exposing half the Ss to their images in a mirror. Self-awareness increases the negative response to the negative evaluation and tended to increase the positivity of the positive evaluation. The implications of self-awareness theory for the social self and social interaction are discussed. (38 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-consciousness and the processing of self-relevant information.

Three experiments were conducted to examine cognitive processes involved in self-conscious behavior. According to Hull and Levy (1979), self-consciousness is associated with processes involved in self-referent encoding. The present studies advance the more specific hypothesis that self-consciousness is involved with the aspect of self-reference associated with the activation of knowledge about the self. Experiment 1 used a self-reference paradigm and found that self-consciousness increased the extent to which a manipulation of accessible self-knowledge influenced self-referent encoding. Experiment 2 used a self-perception paradigm and found that self-consciousness increased the extent to which a manipulation of accessible self-knowledge affected subsequent self-perception. Experiment 3 used a correlational design to demonstrate how cognitive processes associated with self-reference may mediate self-conscious behavior. Individual differences in self-referent encoding were associated with individual differences in self-consciousness; both variables were associated with increased affective reactions to self-relevant feedback; and partialing out individual differences in self-referent encoding eliminated the effects of self-consciousness. These results are discussed in terms of their implications for reconciling various theories of self-consciousness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Success, failure, and self-assessment ratings.

Investigated the effects of success and failure experiences on subsequent self-ratings of positive and negative social-psychological characteristics. 60 teacher trainees were assigned to success, failure, or control experiences on 3 achievement tasks ostensibly testing intellectual ability. Posttest minus pretest gains were assessed on variables of self-reported self-confidence, self-worth, opportunity, efficacy, and true unto self, which were categorized as positive dimensions. Similar gains were assessed on variables of self-reported need for isolation, worried and afraid, need for help, troubles and obstacles, and cynicism, categorized as negative dimensions. As hypothesized, Ss who experienced success made significantly greater gains in positive self-assessments, and failure Ss made significantly greater gains in negative self-assessments. No significant Success-Failure * Sex interaction was found. Implications for clinicians, psychotherapists, and procedures employed in self-rating scales are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-consciousness and the overperception of self as a target.

Three studies, with 233 undergraduates, examined an egocentric bias toward overperceiving the self as the target of an action or event and the relation of this bias to dispositional self-consciousness. The 1st study found that, immediately prior to the return of their test results, Ss were more likely to believe that an especially good or an especially bad exam singled out by the teacher was theirs rather than a classmate's. In the 2nd study, Ss in a group experiment overestimated the likelihood that they, rather than another person in the group, had been chosen to participate in an experimental demonstration, regardless of whether the demonstration was described as enjoyable or unenjoyable. This study also found that the self-as-target bias was enhanced by public self-consciousness, as assessed by the Self-Consciousness Scale. The 3rd study showed that Ss high in public self-consciousness were more likely than those low in public self-consciousness to perceive hypothetical social situations as being relevant to or targeted toward themselves. Discussion focuses on the cognitive and motivational bases of the tendency to perceive the self as a target and the relation between self-consciousness and egocentric attributions. (30 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-consciousness and self-presentation: Being autonomous versus appearing autonomous.

Privately self-conscious people may resist social pressures because (a) they tune out the social matrix and express their beliefs irrespective of how they make them appear to an audience (the social obliviousness hypothesis) or (b) they prefer to create an identity of being autonomous and will monitor and control their self-presentations to construct this image for audiences (the autonomous identity hypothesis). The results of three studies supported the latter. The self-identifications of privately self-conscious subjects emphasized autonomy and personal identity, whereas those of publicly self-conscious subjects emphasized conformity, social identity, and social trepidations. An experiment found that privately self-conscious subjects publicly changed their attitudes if by so doing they protected the appearance of autonomy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of human self-assessment responding on learning.

Examined the effects of self-assessment (SA) responding on acquisition rate in paired-associates learning with 190 undergraduates. SA responding required the learner to indicate the degree of sureness in the correctness of each answer by pressing one of several buttons (representing different levels of sureness) either immediately before or after each answer. The number of trials required to learn the names of 8 tools by 20 Ss in each group, who made SA responses using either 2, 4, or 8 SA-response buttons, was compared with the number of trials required by Ss in 3 control groups, who either performed only the learning task or in addition pressed a single button labeled Record either before or after each answer. Results show that acquisition was expedited by as much as 25% by SA responding and was more rapid if the SA response was executed after the answer, rather than before it. The more rapid acquisition is tentatively attributed to a greater ability of the learner who engages in SA responding to identify a correct response. (6 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Task construction and persistence as means for self-assessment of abilities.

In Exp I, 80 18–22 yr old Israelis performed 2 tasks and received feedback designed to manipulate independently the uncertainty regarding their standing on 2 abilities. Ss were then allowed to construct new tasks by determining the number of items from these ability domains. As predicted, the number of items chosen from each ability domain was directly related to Ss' uncertainty in that ability, so that the self-constructed tasks were predominantly composed of problems assessing the ability of which Ss were least certain. In Exp II, 80 17–28 yr olds worked as much as they wished on a task varying in diagnostic value and received either success or failure trial-by-trial feedback. It was expected that persistence would decrease with task diagnosticity. Results support this prediction and demonstrate that Ss were equally persistent when succeeding and failing. (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-evaluation of abilities: Accurate self-assessment versus biased self-enhancement.

In Study 1, 170 volunteers (mean age 24.2 yrs) chose among 8 forms of a cognitive abilities test that varied in their diagnosticity of success, diagnosticity of failure, and difficulty. In accordance with the self-assessment view, test choice was found to be positively related to diagnosticity of success and, to a lesser extent, diagnosticity of failure. Test choice was also dependent on the interaction of diagnosticity and difficulty in a manner that was more consistent with the self-assessment view. In a 2nd study that provided more precise measurement of perceived diagnosticity and expected success, data from 40 undergraduates indicate that the motives for self-assessment and self-enhancement were each reliably related to task preference. Of the two, self-assessment motivation was a stronger determinant of task preference. Results suggest that task choice is governed largely by a concern for accurate self-appraisal and that current models may require revisions that take into account the less-than-accurate appraisal of diagnosticity. (37 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Choking under pressure: Self-consciousness and paradoxical effects of incentives on skillful performance.

Choking under pressure is defined as performance decrements under circumstances that increase the importance of good or improved performance. The present author proposes a model for choking on coordination and skill tasks, holding that the pressure increases the conscious attention to the performer's own process of performance and that this increased conscious attention disrupts the automatic or overlearned nature of the execution. Six experiments, with approximately 120 Ss, provide data consistent with this model. Three studies show that increased attention to one's own process of performance resulted in performance decrements. Three other studies show similar decrements produced by situational manipulations of pressure (i.e., implicit competition, a cash incentive, and audience-induced pressure). Individuals low in dispositional self-consciousness were shown to be more susceptible to choking under pressure than those high in it. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

When public and private self-foci clash: Self-consciousness and self-disclosure reciprocity during the acquaintance process.

Assessed in 2 experiments the responses of undergraduate Ss who differed in public and private self-consciousness to the intimate or nonintimate self-disclosures of a same-sex confederate. Results of both experiments revealed that Ss scoring high on either aspect of self-consciousness and low on the other reciprocated the intimacy of the confederate's disclosures, whereas Ss scoring either high or low on both self-aspects failed to partake in reciprocal self-disclosure. Experiment 2 provided additional information about the processes that underlie these self-consciousness effects on self-disclosure reciprocity. Taken together, the results imply that a strong and predominant focus on either the public or private aspects of self makes one more contingently responsive to the disclosures of a new acquaintance, whereas a strong concurrent focus on both self-aspects can divide one's attention, thereby limiting the extent to which either self-attribute guides self-disclosure. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Inflation bias in self-assessment examinations: Implications for valid employee selection.

In Study 1, self-assessment examinations were administered to 351 job applicants for 13 occupational classes. The self-assessments were composed of lists of tasks that were either job-related as determined by job analysis or bogus but superficially resembling the job-related tasks. Ss were asked to rate the extent of their training and experience on each task. Analysis showed the inflation bias was prevalent and pervasive. In Study 2, a subset of 66 Ss from Study 1 who applied for 5 clerical classifications were also asked to indicate the number of net words they could type and were later required to complete a speeded typing performance from straight copy. Analysis showed that inflation bias was negatively associated with this external performance measure. Two solutions for correcting for inflation were demonstrated to be sound procedures for reducing inflation bias and for having the potential to enhance test validity. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Metabolic control and quality-of-life self-assessment in adolescents with IDDM

A 67-year-old man was diagnosed as having a type 3 advanced esophageal carcinoma by barium swallow and endoscopy. Biopsy specimens showed well-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma with positive immunostaining for p53, C-erb B-2 and negative for bcl-2. Two courses of chemotherapy using 5-FU, leucovorin and CDDP were performed before operation. Because no cancer cells were present in the surgical specimens, the effect was evaluated as grade 3. This neoadjuvant chemotherapy may be effective for esophageal carcinoma with a possible apoptosis mechanism.     

Relationship between clinician assessment and self-assessment of personality disorders using the SWAP-200 and PAI.

The relation between self- and peer-informant reports of personality using psychometric instruments has been the focus of considerable research. The quantified judgments of clinically experienced observers such as treating clinicians have also been studied. The focus of the present article is on the measurement of 3 personality disorders (borderline, antisocial, and obsessive-compulsive) using the Shedler-Westen Assessment Procedure (SWAP-200), an instrument designed to quantify personality ratings made by clinically experienced informants, and the self-report Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI). SWAP-200 personality disorder scales showed small to medium correlations with borderline and antisocial personality disorder scales from the PAI. As predicted, SWAP-200 obsessive-compulsive personality disorder correlated negatively with these scales, suggesting discriminant validity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

四十年代冯至的个体自觉与集体意识

上世纪四十年代是冯至创作的一个高峰.该时期作品带有强烈的个人思辨的色彩,也表现了他对个体存在本位的坚持.与此同时,冯至开始更多地强调个体时外物的关情,更多地转向对现实与集体的关注.个体自觉与集体意识在冯至四十年代的思想与创作中交锋,表面融合而实际背离,影响着冯至在四十年代末到五十年代的转向.从对冯至个体自觉与集体意识之间关系的分析,可窥见中国现代知识分子在启蒙话语中个人主体性建立的需求与当时中国社会现实、国族救亡、集体主义的复杂关系.     

Self-consciousness, self-esteem, and success–failure as determinants of alcohol consumption in male social drinkers.

Tested the proposition that alcohol is consumed as a function of the quality of past performances and of the individual's level of private self-consciousness. 120 adult male Ss were randomly given success or failure feedback on an intellectual task. They then participated in a separate "wine-tasting" experiment in which they were allowed to regulate alcohol consumption. As predicted, high self-conscious Ss who had received failure feedback drank significantly more than did high self-conscious Ss who received success feedback. Consumption by low self-conscious Ss fell between these extremes and did not vary as a function of success and failure. Ss' scores on the Multiple Affect Adjective Check List indicated that these results were mediated by differential sensitivity to the positive or negative implications of success/failure by high and low self-conscious Ss. (38 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Patient self-assessment of tibial plateau fractures in 40 older adults

The prevalence of refractory partial seizure Thai patients at Prasat Neurological Institute was retrospectively from patient charts from January 1995-December 1996 and further prospectively analysed. All epileptic patients were screened by direct questions regarding the anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) regimen, the frequency, nature of seizure attacks and risk factors of seizure. The criteria of clinical refractory partial seizure was defined as partial seizure which cannot be controlled by a combination of at least two AEDs for four weeks. The results were 3,018 cases of total epileptic patients out of 300,008 visits. These were classified as 2,802 cases of generalized seizures (92.8%), 184 cases of partial seizures (6.1%), and 32 cases of unclassified seizures (1.1%). In the partial seizures group, the number of clinical refractory partial seizures was found to be 48 cases (26.1% of partial seizure). We found that the major risk factor of refractory partial seizures was lack of therapeutic AEDs blood level monitoring (64.5% of cases) and the other risk factors were lack of compliance, loss of follow-up but continued medication, concomitant medication, and improper drug storage. AEDs dosage was adjusted until the blood levels were in the therapeutic range, and correction of other risk factors and patient counseling was given. The number of true refractory partial seizures was reduced to 10 cases (5.4% of partial seizure). This procedure revealed that AED blood level monitoring and correction of other risk factors were essential in controlling seizure frequency. Thus, the prevalence of true refractory partial seizure in our study was 3.3 cases of refractory partial seizure per 1,000 cases of the seizure population. We recommend that AEDs blood level monitoring and exclusion of other risk factors should be added to the criteria for the definition of refractory partial seizures. This criteria should be applied when considering the use of new AEDs as an add-on therapy in refractory Thai patients.     

Self-efficacy, locus of control, self-assessment of memory ability, and study activities as predictors of college course achievement.

A stepwise multiple-regression analysis of the final grades of 184 students in an introductory psychology course revealed that scores on a self-assessment measure of memory ability (the Everyday Memory Questionnaire) were the best predictors of final course grades, followed by scores on a locus of control measure and scores on the Self-Concept of Academic Ability Test. Of the 14 subscales from the Study Activity Survey, only the cognitive scale of Focus on Test Relevance and the 2 self-management scales of Assiduous Resource Management and Means of Resource Management were significant predictors of course achievement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)