The influence of cognitive load on self-presentation: can cognitive busyness help as well as harm social performance?
Extra cognitive loads can hinder challenging self-presentations by usurping needed cognitive resources but also may sometimes improve them by shifting attention away from negative self-preoccupation. In Study 1, extraverts and introverts participated in an interview in which they presented themselves as either extraverted or introverted. Congruent self-presentations, which should be cognitively nondemanding, were unaffected by a cognitive busyness manipulation (rehearsing an 8-digit number). However, incongruent self-presentations were affected by busyness. Busyness decreased the effectiveness of extraverts who tried to appear introverted but increased the effectiveness of introverts who tried to appear extraverted. Study 2 found that introverts, who also tend to be socially anxious, reported less public self-consciousness and fewer negative self-focused thoughts when they were busy than when they were not busy.
Pontari
B A
BA
Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville 32611-2250, USA. pontari@ufl.edu
Schlenker
B R
BR
D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D001288:Attention; D005120:Extraversion, Psychological; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007439:Introversion, Psychological; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall; D012380:Role; D012919:Social Behavior